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

 

Congratulations to all those winning at least one Graded Sports Illustrated in the recent Huggins SI Auction.  Hammer prices were 75% to 100% over private auctions one year ago.  We knew this trend was coming, didn’t we?

 

The Heritage TIME auction ends this Friday May 18 and for the first time, Graded TIME magazines are being made available in a public auction forum.  There are a number of significant differences between these TIME mags and last week’s SI’s.   The first difference is age.  TIME is the precursor of SI and some of these high grade mags are approaching 100 years old – and that is old in magazine years.  But these issues have beaten the odds with grades as high as 9.8 and most are the highest grade of that issue.  The second is high grade population.  High grade population numbers on WWII era and pre WWII era magazines are extremely rare.  With very limited exception, these magazines are only sold out of private collections and not on Ebay or the internet.

Here are a few examples of the biggest names in sports memorabilia with “None Higher” FIRST COVER items up for auction:

1. 1928 – CGC 8.5 HOF Rogers Hornsby
2. 1936 – CGC 6.5 Lou Gehrig
3. 1953 – CGC 6.5 Mickey Mantle  
4. 1954 – CGC 9.0 Willie Mays
5. 1982 – CGC 8.0 Wayne Gretzky
6. 1982 – CGC 8.0 Larry Bird
7. 1949 – CGC 9.8 Ben Hogan
8. 1960 – CGC 7.0 Arnold Palmer
9. 1998 – CGC 9.6 Michael Jordan
10. 2008 – CGC 9.6 LeBron James
11. 1937 – CGC Signed (Gem Mint 10 Auto) Bob Feller

Complementing the above, below are just a few of the first cover Hall of Famers with very high grades:

1. 1950 – CGC 9.6 Ted Williams, Two Higher
2. 1936 – CGC 9.0 Joe DiMaggio, Three Higher
3. 1963 – CGC 9.4 Cassius Clay, One Higher
4. 1947 – CGC Jackie Robinson, Three Higher
5. 1948 – CGC Joe DiMaggio (2^nd Cover), Two Higher
6. 1949 – CGC 9.2 Stan Musial, Three Higher

There are 7 more, high grade, SI’s included but not mentioned here.

There are two Heritage auction links –  

https://sports.ha.com/c/my/consignments.zx?saleNo=50002&auctionStatus=current

https://sports.ha.com/c/my/consignments.zx?saleNo=151820&auctionStatus=current&domain=all

 

I have consigned 24 of the most popular, highest graded TIME Magazines in existence.  Nearly all submissions are first covers or special events with the highest grade, or one of the highest grades, of that issue.  My last blog (#21), covered the current grading situation which is moving toward lower and lower grades on comparable items allowing older graded items an increased chance of being and staying the highest grade.  The 5-18-18 Heritage auction offers some of the most difficult, hardest to find, high grade, newsstand TIME Magazines known to the hobby.   Search Ebay “TIME Magazine” and you will find 72,000 auctions – but NOT ONE will have a higher grade of that issue than ANY of the 24 items in this Huggins auction.

My opinion – I know the population of graded TIME issues and this auction will not be duplicated in its breadth or depth of quality and value perhaps ever again.  If you are like me and you research past auctions, you find unbelievable deals that you missed.  Don’t miss this one.

 

Take a look at these auctions and try to remember any previous auctions, recent or long ago, where you have seen TIME grades this high and best of luck bidding.

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!