Sports Illustrated Blog #59 – Undervalued Graded SI’s to Watch

~ jwyllie

Welcome to my Sports Illustrated/TIME magazine blog – Your collector’s guide to the latest hobby updates and insight into what’s trending now.

Interested in my opinion as to currently undervalued, graded SI’s?  You’ve turned to the right blog.  We talk a lot about the best of the best, the Crème de la Crème, and the 9.8’s.  Sure, we all want the best – the 9.6’s and 9.8’s (because CGC doesn’t include 9.9’s and 10’s in their magazine grading scale) – but there are many collectors and only very few of those grades are being doled out.

The good news is, the push to own the highest grade has opened a gap between first and second tier pricing.  As a consequence, there are many “diamonds in the rough” that are available in the mid-grades (many in the none higher, POP 1 grade) whose pricing values have not kept pace with their Tier 1 graded brethren – yet.  I believe the steady influx of new buyers into the hobby will create more of a demand for Tier 2 mags and, in turn, increase their values. 

So here is our hobby’s next opportunity – Mid-grade covers meeting the following criteria.  These undervalued issues typically are

  1. A first cover or the subsequent covers of the biggest stars. 
  2. A POP 1 or 2 with none higher
  3. A recognizable name with HOF or significant event credentials
  4. Esthetically pleasing
  5. Scarce in higher grade (for ex – there is a universal characteristic that keeps the best condition mags from surviving long term)

Here are a few covers that, in my opinion, make the opportunity list.

  1. SI #2 – Exclusive Mantle Baseball Card
  2. Hank Aaron 1970 – 2nd cover
  3. All Clay covers between 1963 thru 1968
  4. Bobby Clarke – 1974
  5. Steve Carlton – 1973
  6. Bob Cousy – 1956
  7. Whitey Ford – 1956
  8. Bob Greise – 1973
  9. Catfish Hunter – 1972 and 1974
  10. Al Kaline – 1956
  11. Any Mantle between 1956 and 1967
  12. Mays – 1959 and 1962
  13. Lower grades of Montana – 1982
  14. Nowitzski – 2002
  15. Oliva – 1965
  16. Carew – 1974
  17. Rosen – Baseball Cards – 1955
  18. Duke Snider – 1956
  19. Warren Spahn – 1956
  20. Jim Taylor – 1962
  21. John Wooden SOY – 1972
  22. Eric Dickerson – 1983
  23. Sadaharu Oh – 1977
  24. Thurman Munson – 1977
  25. Doug Flutie – 1983
  26. Don Mattingly – 1985
  27. Gary Carter – 1980
  28. Franco Harris – 1976
  29. Lynn Swan – 1976
  30. Walter Payton – 1976 – 1985

I could easily add another 25-50 to the above list and if you’d like to write me with your suggestions, I’d love to hear from you.

I hope you are enjoying the reads on the history of TIME and SI magazines as well as an insight into relevant magazine collecting.

Great collecting to you and best fortunes with Sports Illustrated/TIME!

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