Author: jwyllie

Sports Illustrated Blog # 136 on Our Way to 200 – Cover Esthetics of SPORT Magazine in the 1980’s.

~ jwyllie

Sports Illustrated Blog # 136 on Our Way to 200 – Cover Esthetics of SPORT Magazine in the 1980’s.

WOOOW!  SPORT Magazine cover esthetics in the 1980’s.  In January 1981, publication duties were passed from MVP Sports, Inc, the SPORT publication company of the 70’s, to Sports Media Publications thru the 80’s.  Why is this important?  For those of us that pay attention to cover esthetics, color, professional photography, and print placement, Sports Media publications ushered in a new era of sports magazine presentation.  It’s almost as if they knew that 40 years later, they would still be competing against the best sports magazine covers in the world.   

“The shelf appeal of our covers will take on an upgraded importance with regard to the most critical elements of our magazine sales.”  And boy did it!

In this undertaking, it certainly didn’t hurt that between the years of 1981 thru 1989, the sporting world gave them great material.  Marino, Elway, Montana, Rice, Kelly, Gretzky, Jordan, Bird, Magic, etc., etc., etc., – just too many to mention.  The color dynamics, action photos, and sporting world relevance took on a new energy in that the color, clarity and emotion, at times jumps right off the cover and into your imagination – very much in competition to the King – Sports Illustrated.   

I felt it was important to make this correlation for my readers as SI gets it’s deserving “top of the heap” credit, it should be recognized that SPORT and perhaps other pubs matched and even exceeded SI in its cover presentation during certain periods of issuance.   

Make no mistake – I am a Sports Illustrated junky.  But when you’re researching stuff with an open mind, greatness tends to reveal itself and we need to be paying attention.    Thanks for your continued support in making our hobby the next big event in the paper collecting hobby.  

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

Great collecting to you in our second century of blogs and best fortunes with Sports Illustrated/SPORT/BASEBALL magazines.

For a complete review of previous blogs, please visit   www.sportsillustrated98.com  

Sports Illustrated Blog # 134 on Our Way to 200 – Another View of the CGC 9.9

~ jwyllie

Sports Illustrated Blog # 134 on Our Way to 200 – Another View of the CGC 9.9

Let’s call this the “New Era at CGC.”  With the threat of emerging competition and the irrefutable statistical imbalance between 9.8 grades vs. 9.9 grades, CGC is acting like they’ve seen the light.  Two major turnarounds in the past year have literally “bullwhipped” the slogging giant into the new era of graded magazines.   

What are the changes?  Deliveries/Customer Service have improved by epic proportions in the past year and we now have our first CGC 9.9.   

Customer service has added a bit more respect in their way of handling questions and other customer needs and after 27,000 graded magazines over ten years including 2,000 9.8’s and 3,000 9.6’s, we now have our first 9.9 graded magazine.  In fact, we have several.   

To me, the Mbappe and the Clark are not just very nice, special magazines, they also represent a change in grading philosophy at CGC.  I don’t believe it was a coincidence that CGC suddenly found a group of 9.9 mags, I think it was a combination of collector pressure and the threat of what the “new guy” might do.  

It didn’t make much sense to have 2000 9.8’s and not one of them was good enough to be a 9.9 grade.  A first-year stat student could figure that out.  That’s not much of a bell curve.   

Throughout my persistence for the need for 9.9’s, I couldn’t help but wonder how the first 9.9 would be received within the hobby.  Would the price be crazy?  And how would the price be justified with nothing close in comparison.   

A 9.9 Mbappe or Caitlyn Clark, for a short moment was one of a kind.  But otherwise, they lacked the very essence of what attracts collectors in the first place.  The magazines were new or “current” and likely would not be one of a kind for long, discouraging the POP watchers.  The cover athletes were not “timeless” -yet- and had much to prove.  But……… put a 9.9 Sports Illustrated 1956 Mantle FC out there and see what happens – it would fetch millions proving that the excitement and value is relative to the magazine and athlete.  

The old collector’s school of thought – vintage, athlete, POP count (and potential), esthetics and none higher, all won out over the new shiny object.  Way to go collectors.  I don’t believe we will ever see a 9.9 vintage magazine (using current parameters) because pre-2000 mags were not printed with that thought in mind.  They all have inherent flaws built into the paper and printing and the grading parameters of today are too stringent for that to happen.  But you never know and the “new guy” is the wild card.  

Thank you for reading and supporting our Graded Sports Illustrated endeavors.   

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

Great collecting to you in our second century of blogs and best fortunes with Sports Illustrated/SPORT/BASEBALL magazines.

For a complete review of previous blogs, please visit   www.sportsillustrated98.com  

Sports Illustrated Blog #133 on our way to #200 – Another “Diamond In the Rough”

~ jwyllie

Sports Illustrated Blog #133 on our way to #200 – Another “Diamond In the Rough”

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

Graded magazines are more than just taking off – they are the next big thing.  For years, I’ve been a voice in the wilderness crying out about this moment, and now, it’s finally here.  

Yes, it’s still a tough SI market but there is soooooo…… much more.  Today’s blog is a head’s up regarding one more pub that we will soon be talking more about as a “Diamond in the Rough”.  That pub is “BASEBALL” Magazine with several publishers including Complete Sports, Whitestone, Maco, Dell, Athlon and others. 

Every so often one of these pubs hit the jackpot with regard to esthetics, athlete, first cover, and collector interest.   In addition to this magazine, you have single issues from others publishers.  Take a look for yourself and don’t be swayed by others that don’t know any more than you about future trends. 

A lot of this stuff is still waiting to be discovered.  You might just as well be the first.   

Write me with your discoveries or keep them secret.  Either way, the “Diamonds in the Rough” are coming.  

Next time we’re going to move on to “What’s up with the 9.9’s”?   As always, thanks for your support.  

Sports Illustrated Blog #131 on our way to #200 – Street & Smith – A Diamond in the Rough.

~ 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.
 
It’s crazy but sometimes beautiful, esthetic, scarce, normally high value magazines fly under the radar until someone is willing to follow their gut and challenge the prevailing wisdom by buying the mag and paying the asking price.  

Once the word gets out that so and so bought such and such, the scarcity factor takes hold.  As we all know, we all want the thing we can’t have.  We are like lemmings.  We’ll pay $1000 today for a shiny object that cost $100 yesterday.   

An example of this phenomenon comes to mind.  Several years ago, at Heritage Auctions, a 9.6 #3 Jordan SI – “A Star Is Born” sold for $8000.  The expectation was $2000, maybe $4000???  It was as if this purchase opened the eyes of the hobby.  Some collectors were touting this is to be the real first Jordan cover, the one to have if you were a Jordan collector.  Not long after, a 9.8, POP 3 of the same issue sold for $135,000, breaking all sales records for a single issue.  Currently it is a POP 4, and the 9.6 sits at POP 5.  

To those of you that think this Jordan issue is the best long-term value to own, wait til the first 9.8 1983 version hits private sale or public auction (currently there are no 9.8’s and only one 9.6) but, I’m afraid you won’t see that anytime soon.  Why? – because serious collectors just aren’t selling this stuff.  

My estimate on the sale of the first 1983 Jordan CGC 9.8 is $500,000 and up.  

The “Diamonds in the Rough” I am suggesting that are currently flying under the radar are the pre-2000 Street & Smith issues/publications.  We love SI but there are issues of other publications that have significant potential.  My first indication that certain issues/publications are increasing in popularity is when I get a request for a single issue of that publication.  Then the customer might ask “do you have any other mags in that publication?”   

When I take a second look, and I have done this, I notice the esthetics or the color, or the cover content.  Quite often something stands out that is different or attractive in a unique way.  For me, I love everything about this vintage pub.  

So……… I’m targeting vintage, high grade, newsstand, Street & Smith as a BUY.  If there are any Street & Smith owners out there that are looking to sell (high grade), feel free to give me call.  Maybe we can work something out.  

Next blog – I will have another publication I also consider a (Diamond in the Rough).

Thanks for reading and “Come Grow With Us”.  

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

Great collecting to you in our second century of blogs and best fortunes with Sports Illustrated/SPORT/BASEBALL magazines.

For a complete review of previous blogs, please visit   www.sportsillustrated98.com  

Sports Illustrated Blog #130 on our way to #200 – More Mag Collecting Options

~ jwyllie
Sports Illustrated Blog #130 on our way to #200 – More Mag Collecting Options

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

I have been reading with interest about the increasing difficulty in finding/procuring high grade, Sports Illustrated (major pub) covers on the open mag market.  Wouldn’t we all like to just fall into finding those diamonds in the rough but like anything else of value, it might require some additional effort.  Some folks stop at the low hanging fruit while others press on.  This is about pressing on.

While it is true many of the known, most desirable, highest valued covers are located in personal collections and have not yet come up for sale but, for the moment, let’s view that as a good thing.  It is also true that many collectors fail to recognize or capitalize on the opportunities created by changes to the hobby landscape.  Let’s consider that a good thing as well.  Why?  

Most opportunities start with the word “NO”.  

First of all, never be disheartened when others perceive a road block – more times than not, that’s your opportunity and taking advantage just depends on how much effort you’re willing to devote.  

Consider a new direction.  The graded mag market is just heating up with SI’s leading the charge.  When you hear collectors complaining about high grade mag scarcity, what they’re really saying is “Sports Illustrated” is scarce.  And that is true however, it’s a big world out there and there are many other pubs to which collectors will eventually gravitate.  The graded magazine hobby will follow the evolution of the sports card hobby (believe or don’t) in that SI sales will positively influence off-brand pubs as TOPPS did for Donruss, Fleer, Upper Deck, Score, etc, etc, etc,.  

The opportunity is to recognize this pattern and take advantage before everyone else.  

The perception is that there is no pub in second place after SI, but in my opinion, that is a mistake.  For example, SPORT magazine is generally accepted as the distant #2 pub behind SI for mag collectability.  But, upon closer inspection, there are tons of SPORT issues that check all the boxes – esthetics, athlete, first cover, age, and condition and just like cards, they will follow, and in some cases, surpass SI’s lead.   

I chose to spotlight SPORT, but there are others too – Street & Smith, BASEBALL, Inside Sports, Dell and many more, including individual issues, commemoratives, and special reports.  Over time, the enthusiasm with which collectors “jumped in” for SI, will repeat over and over toward these other pubs.

Plus, what can be gleaned from the fact that whales aren’t selling?  Whales aren’t selling because they believe in the future of the hobby and that’s a very good thing.  

Opportunity-wise, if you’re willing to press on a little bit more, now is a great time to be a graded mag collector.  

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

Great collecting to you in our second century of blogs and best fortunes with Sports Illustrated/SPORT/BASEBALL magazines.

For a complete review of previous blogs, please visit   www.sportsillustrated98.com  
~ jwyllie

Sports Illustrated Blog #127 on our way to #200 – Amazing What A Little Competition Will Do!


Welcome to my Sports Illustrated/TIME magazine blog – Your collector’s guide to the latest hobby updates and insight into what’s trending now.
 
Recently I returned one of my graded mags to CGC with a broken case.  What I received in return made me smile.  It’s amazing what a little competition can do.  

First, the box was a single case box as opposed to a one size fits all (a box that was used to ship 1-8 cases).  Then, inside the box was a one-piece bubble wrap designed specifically to house one case.  It had an opening that could be used to easily insert or remove one case.  This piece could then be inserted back into the box for a perfect fit for reshipment.   For as long as we all have been living with inconsistent quality shipping performance from CGC, this new shipping policy is a welcome new feature.  

Staying with CGC’s new shipping policies, there is a bit of unfavorable news as well.  Ever since I have been submitting mags for grading, I have used the returned CGC shipping boxes to inventory my encapsulations.  They nicely store about 20 encapsulations and fit uniformly on store bought shelving.   
Over the years, I had figured out what size box I would receive in return depending on the number of mags sent to CGC for grading.  Typically, a submission of 12-20 mags would return a box perfect for storing 20 encapsulations – with all six sides cushioned.   CGC has made a change in that process.  For a submission of 20 graded mags, they are now using a reinforced bubble wrap configuration which houses 5 mag encapsulations, and packing four of these to a shipping box.  The protection along with the new cases is far superior to any shipping practice used previously however, these new boxes are not sized right for re-using to store inventory.  

Collectors re-using CGC boxes should be aware of this change and plan to use other materials for storing their graded stuff in the future.  

Hope this info has been helpful.  Feel free to send any packaging questions my way.  

Many thanks for your patronage.  Come grow with us.  

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

Great collecting to you in our second century of blogs and best fortunes with Sports Illustrated/SPORT/BASEBALL magazines.

For a complete review of previous blogs, please visit  
www.sportsillustrated98.com  

Sports Illustrated Blog #125 on our way to #200 – Finally – Competition!

~ 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.
 
Probably the biggest factor keeping a lid on our hobby’s growth has been the lack of competition – both on the grading side AND on the buying side.  But make no mistake, grading competition is long overdue.  Great news.

PSA is “all in” on magazine grading.  

Let’s take a look at how CGC, the only current grading service available, has evolved over the past 8 years.  The first seven years of my eight years blogging, terms and conditions at CGC were completely arbitrary.  Customer service answers to questions were scripted and uninformative.  Customer service was arrogant and detached.  And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, lead times jumped from 6 weeks to 18 months virtually overnight.    The message CGC was sending was that they were the only game in town so don’t rock the boat or you’ll find yourself on the outside looking in.  

Then about one year ago, something strange happened.  Almost overnight, lead times dropped from 18 months to 60 days.  Customer service began answering questions and being more responsive to customer needs, like actually answering emails and following up when promised.   

How many of you think the CGC change was a coincidence?  

I believe that CGC uncovered that competition was coming and finally started paying attention.  If you’ve followed my blogs, and CGC gets a copy, you know how critical I have been of their “failure to communicate”.   

Four years ago, I was approached by PSA senior management, inquiring if there was interest on my part to assist in their initial efforts to bring a magazine grading service on line.  Of course, I provided materials and advice where requested and hope my offerings were helpful.  After a long wait, competition appears to be happening.  

What will a new grading service actually mean to our hobby?
 
I believe two quality, respected grading services, will bring fairness and stability to our market.  But there are also serious questions yet to be answered. 

1. Until recently, CGC’s magazine grading offered nothing higher than 9.8.  How will collectors respond if PSA opens up the grading to 10.0?
2. Will PSA’s presence pressure CGC to open up its top grades.  After 10 years, and over 30,000 CGC universal grades with no grade above 9.8, CGC has now graded two mags, 9.9.  That suggests a change in attitude, not a change in submission quality.  How will the CGC loyal faithful accept this change in grading standards?
3. How will the market gauge a 10.0 from one and a 9.8 from the other?  Which is better, a 9.8 Michael Jordan from CGC or a 10.0 Michael Jordan from PSA?
4. How will the market accept the new PSA encapsulation? 
5. Will CGC maintain its creditability in the hobby as the gold standard?
6. How will prices, deliveries, and customer service respond to the competition?  

In collectibles, this stuff is important.  

Not to say any of this is bad, but there’s a question as to how/where the dust will settle.  Sellers and collectors are not going to like it when buyers start to haggle which is more valuable – a PSA or a CGC grade.    I predict there will be some unhappy collectors, no matter the result but this stuff sure is interesting and a sure sign that our hobby is healthy and growing.   

Long term, this is great news.  

Many thanks for your patronage.  Come grow with us.  

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

Great collecting to you in our second century of blogs and best fortunes with Sports Illustrated/SPORT/BASEBALL magazines.

For a complete review of previous blogs, please visit  

www.sportsillustrated98.com  
 

Sports Illustrated Blog #124 on our way to #200 – Vintage high grade newsstand Sports Illustrated

~ 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.
 
The landscape for finding vintage, gradable newsstand SI’s has changed considerably over the past year.  No longer can a cursory glance across the eBay gamut of auction pages uncover the diamonds in the rough that have so popularized the graded magazine hobby for nearly eight years.   

Newsstand copies of popular athletes pre-1980 have become tougher and tougher to find as the hobby has organized.  A dedicated buyer can search the auction platforms daily for months and not find a single newsstand gradable vintage SI.  Infrequently, a new player (seller) will enter the market with a couple nice mags but once they’re sold, that’s it, they’re gone.  And the very speculative part of this, the part that ends up costing you dollars, is the inability of buyers, myself included, to accurately pre-determine the eventual grade from an internet picture.  

So, what happens?  Overly optimistic buyers (which is all of us) pay for an estimated 9.0+, which eventually grades out at 7.0 or even lower.  It doesn’t take much to drop a grade below 7.0 as those who submit mags will attest.  But the difference in sales value ranges from very profitable to unsellable.

Given the current scarcity of vintage, newsstand SI’s, creating a nearly impossible situation for SI gold seekers, what options remain viable for hobbyists still looking to stay in the game.  

I’ve been high on alternative (from SI’s) sports mags since the advent of graded magazines.  SI is the king, no doubt the #1, but not in every athlete/issue.  Because SPORT, BASEBALL, TIME magazines, and more, hit the newsstand before SI’s inaugural issue in 1954, many alt-pubs have issues more popular than their SI counterparts.  Jackie Robinson, Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio, Henry Aaron, Roger Maris, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, to name just a few.  For example, Mantle has several major pub, quality, early covers appearing before his first SI cover.  

My advice is to take advantage of the more obscure alt-pubs while the window is still cracked open.  There are still nice values available until prices catch up to SI.  

Even though it’s getting tougher to find that diamond in the rough, it’s still a fun game as you never know what that next search will bring.  Good luck.  

Many thanks for your patronage.  

Come grow with us.  

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

Great collecting to you in our second century of blogs and best fortunes with Sports Illustrated/SPORT/BASEBALL magazines.

For a complete review of previous blogs, please visit  

www.sportsillustrated98.com

Sports Illustrated Blog #123 on our way to #200 – Jordan 9.8’s

~ 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.
 
Welcome to our latest edition of the most informative SI blog out there.   Continuing with our GOAT theme – Michael Jordan and his CGC 9.8’s.   

Michael has two SI covers appearing on the list of SI Top Ten all time covers.  I know the SI top ten is subjective and still open for debate however, there is no debate that two Jordan’s make the list.  Everyone knows about the first three Jordan covers, so let’s focus this blog on the other 47.  

My grouping of the next Jordan’s are his covers 1986 thru 1991 – 16 in all.  As of this writing, there are 6 – 9.8’s (not including the SOY) in this group – no cover with more than one.  If you have a 9.6, that’s really good but plan on more 9.8’s in the future.  There is nothing specifically difficult about these covers so I anticipate more 9.8’s as more mags are submitted for grading.  

Something to consider here is the CGC grading process.  Over the past 10 years, the grading process has evolved in its technology, equipment, knowledge, and parameters all adding to tougher grades.  I can tell you first hand that a 9.8 today is an unblemished magazine – no exceptions.  

I disagree with CGC that the grading process starts at 9.8, not 10.  A perfect magazine is a 9.8 and there has never been a higher graded magazine (out of 5-10,000).  Any defect, not matter how minute, drops the grade from 9.8.  To prove my point, there is never a grader note on a 9.8.  Why even have the higher grades 9.9 and 10?  Doesn’t make sense to me.   

Thru the years, I think CGC has been tightening their parameters as they standardize each grade level.   

Although every grade has a bit of subjectivity, their definition of any specific grade has become more repeatable.  

In this area, CGC has dramatically improved since its early days of “magazine” grading.  As a result, many of the vintage highest grades were submitted pre-2018.  

The next group of Jordan covers would include everything post 1991 – 31 mags altogether.  Jordan has been very collectible since the early 90’s and many SI collectors have saved and protected their Jordan purchases religiously so again, I anticipate a growing total of 9.8’s as more later Jordan’s are submitted.   

Even given the potential increasing Jordan 9.8 population, do not underestimate the future popularity of ANY Jordan CGC 9.8.   

Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.  

Many thanks for your patronage.   Come grow with us.  

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

Great collecting to you in our second century of blogs and best fortunes with Sports Illustrated/SPORT/BASEBALL magazines.

For a complete review of previous blogs, please visit   www.sportsillustrated98.com    

Sports Illustrated Blog #122 on our way to #200 – Brady SI Covers

~ 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.
 
Welcome to our latest edition of the most informative SI blog out there.  

Tom Brady – TB12 – The Goat.  Most of us have at least a minimum stake in the considerable Brady following. So how will the memorabilia market adjust to the new TB12?  Will the goat continue his popularity with NFL/sports card/magazine fans or will a new career in broadcasting be less “Goatish” and dampen the enthusiasm generated/accumulated over a 20-year playing career?     

In my opinion, any collector/investor not investing in the Brady paper collectibles market is missing a rare opportunity to capitalize on an undervalued, underappreciated, opportunity.   This guy is at the top of the record books in every category anyone cares about.  Sometimes all-time greats don’t have the charisma to attract and keep attracting attention but I think Brady will continue to succeed at anything in his focus and collectors are going to want this guy. 

SI makes it possible to collect a chronology of his career – at least 20 issues.    The downside is the era in which his memorabilia was printed.  His stuff is relatively new (post 2000) which is somewhat of a negative but also offers plenty of opportunity for even the newest of collectors to have a bit of fun with it.       

I don’t think the Brady magazine market is anywhere near it’s peak and my recommendation is a buy (the highest grades).  Let’s check back in a year to see how things have played out.   

Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.   Many thanks for your patronage.   Come grow with us.  

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

Great collecting to you in our second century of blogs and best fortunes with Sports Illustrated/SPORT/BASEBALL magazines.