Sports Illustrated Blog # 168 on Our Way to 200 – Sports illustrated “Dark Era Print” Explained 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’ve been writing about “Dark Era Print” for 10 years.  So what exactly is it and does it affect me as a collector?   Dark Era Print is a phrase I coined early on in this evolution to describe a time period Sports Illustrated publications printed magazines using materials – paper, inks, etc, – which overall, did not hold up as well as materials used before or after.  I do not know the reason for the change or what the changes were.  I only know there was a change. Please note – this is not a guess – this is my evaluation based on visual and grading over thousands of mags and confirmed by the CGC magazine graders’ census.     Although the period does not have a hard end date, it does have a very specific beginning time line.    The beginning: The last magazine of consequence BEFORE the “dark era print” is the 6-25-1956 Warren Spahn (coincidently the mag immediately preceding Spahn is the Coup-de-Gras 56 Mantle first cover).  The first issue of consequence AFTER the start of the dark era is the 1956 All Star game, which is the Mantle second cover.   The ending: I have set the cutoff date for the end of the Dark Era Print to be 12-31-69.  The change in magazine print quality seems to be more gradual and cannot be pinpointed to a specific week or issue.  I have come to the conclusion that the end of the decade is as close as can be predicted.  Mags after this date seem to hold their color and “newness” appearance much better than those that came before.   There are quite a few significant collector issues that fall within the Dark Era range which is the reason SI collectors should be keenly aware of this anomaly.  Highest grade, first tier athletes appearing on covers within this era will always draw the attention of collector and speculator alike thereby influencing buy/sell pricing to the extent that it may not make sense to the unaware.  Case in point, the 56 All Star game issue 7-11-56 CGC 9.2, just sold for $7000+.  That’s a pretty good number if you compare sales of issues from 1954 thru 1956. Personally, I like owning highest grade issues from this period as they seem to hold their value better than similar issues from outside the era.  Collectors, keep this in mind when adding mags to your collection from the Dark Era Print era.   My Ebay handle is “sportsillustrated9.8” and sportsillustrated98.com on the internet, not to be confused with other similar tags.  Contact me with your order and I’ll provide payment details.  If you’re interested in one or more of my ebay auctions and you would like to purchase, email me (wylliejohn@yahoo.com) to save on taxes, and shipping.   Thanks for your loyal following.  My readers always receive “first among equals” pricing/service.   Many thanks for your continued support and patronage.   On the web – Sportsillustrated98.com

Sports Illustrated Blog # 167 on Our Way to 200 – My Jordan SI Near Term Pricing Predictions Welcome to my Sports Illustrated/TIME magazine blog – Your collector’s guide to the latest hobby updates and insight into what’s trending now. A big part of mag collecting right now is anything and everything Jordan.  This blog will address my thoughts on the 50 Jordan SI’s and what we might expect regarding pricing movement in the short/near term.   In my view, collectable pricing always follows the same pattern of timing and events.  The first event is speculator #1.  He/she believes that a unique item with a finite inventory is undervalued so he begins buying the available inventory leaving the market in short supply.   The next event is the market realization that the unique item is not readily available from an original owner.  He must buy from the middle man or the second-tier owner which escalates the price by a minimum of two to five which is the typical going rate for the speculator depending on demand.  Here is where the first sticker shock sets in.  Buyers tend to baulk at the new higher price until one of two events happen – 1.  Demand lessens or, 2.  Demand continues to grow.    We know what happens when demand lessens so let’s focus on a growing demand situation.  Speculator #2 believes this unique item is still undervalued and continues the same process all over again.     I wanted to run thru this dynamic to clarify, in my opinion, where the Jordan 50 Sports Illustrated investors/collectors currently stand in this process.  I believe that the initial bargains are over.  Everyone is a speculator at this point. The cat is out of the bag.  There are no Jordan deals such as buy today, sell tomorrow.  It’s buy and hold for at least a short amount of time.   So where are we in this progression of events regarding Jordan, high grade, SI’s?  I believe we are going to see some profit taking from speculator #1 thru this year end.  Once the initial short sellers are out of inventory, speculator #2 will dictate market price and collectors are going to see the second two to five pricing escalation.    This dynamic only works for cases like Jordan.  The reason for my writing about this state of the market, is that it is real and it is not going to back off.  If you want a Jordan, or a Jordan collection, whether it’s for personal or speculation, the pricing is not going down.  Buy today and in six months, you’ll be happy you did.   Remember, this is only my opinion, just like the stock market.  Believe or don’t.  A high grade Jordan SI collection is one of the best mag collectable investments, short term or long term, non-vintage, in the hobby today.    My Ebay handle is “sportsillustrated9.8” and sportsillustrated98.com on the internet, not to be confused with other similar tags.  Contact me with your order and I’ll provide payment details.  If you’re interested in one or more of my ebay auctions and you would like to purchase, email me (wylliejohn@yahoo.com) to save on taxes, and shipping.   Thanks for your loyal following.  My readers always receive “first among equals” pricing/service.   Many thanks for your continued support and patronage.   On the web – Sportsillustrated98.com

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

Oh my God!  I’ve got a fingerprint/stain/crease etc. on my SI #1 First Issue or my Olympic Hockey or my ’83 Jordan.  How did that happen?!?

Happens all the time and it’s so preventable.  For $25 each, you can protect your ungraded mags from all kinds of long-term wear, damage, fading, spills, drops, marks, stains, and on and on and on.  A small investment to ensure your best stuff remains intact and protected. 

If you’re like me, many of your really valuable mags (early BASEBALL mags, early SI’s, for example) are too large for grading but fit nicely into these folios.  Another feature I really like is that you can remove them from storage and read/show the original stories, pics etc to your admiring friends.

Below is my ad page for this offer.

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$45 each – 1, $35 each – 5, $25 each – 10 or more

I am talking about the Sports Illustrated 1954 Original Presentation Folio (see pics below) for Issue #1 but….  I recommend using it, like I do, for your ungraded, most-valued issues too.  Many collectors choose not to grade their mags and this is perhaps the most reliable, safe, long term storage method available.  Protects from scratches, dirt, shelf wear and most of all fading. 

For just $25.00 each (minimum order -10, $35.00 each for 5), you get the genuine SI folio, a rigid plastic envelop (to which your mag is inserted for secondary protection), and a certificate of authenticity.  Easy, convenient shelf storage similar to a library so you can readily find and display your most prized mags without fear of admiring handlers.   

 While supplies last.  Mags not included.

Don’t be fooled by lesser quality folios out there.  This is the original, SI Real McCoy.

My Ebay handle is “sportsillustrated9.8” and sportsillustrated98.com on the internet, not to be confused with other similar tags.  Contact me with your order and I’ll provide payment details.  If you’re interested in one or more of my ebay auctions and you would like to purchase, email me (wylliejohn@yahoo.com) to save on taxes, and shipping.

Thanks for your loyal following.  My readers always receive “first among equals” pricing/service.

Many thanks for your continued support and patronage.

On the web – Sportsillustrated98.com

Sports Illustrated Blog # 163 on Our Way to 200 – New Information on SI V1 #1 High Grade Welcome to my Sports Illustrated/TIME magazine blog – Your collector’s guide to the latest hobby updates and insight into what’s trending now. For those of you that have an interest in attaining a CGC 9.8 Sports illustrated V1 #1, there is bad news (or good news depending) on the horizon.   I have been the owner and seller of the vast majority of SI #1 9.8’s.  For 12 years, I bought raw issues, graded them, received a 9.8 grade, and sold them.  The last 2 years have brought a change in the grading score average on this issue.  Over that period, I have submitted approximately 10-20 issue #1’s and guess what?  No 9.8’s. No 9.6’s.  Only one or two 9.4’s and/or 9.2’s and it only gets worse from there. This from a mag that has 100 9.8’s and over 400 9.4 or higher.  “The times they are a changin’.” With this type of scrutiny and, in my opinion, maximum downgrading for minor imperfections when compared to other mags I have graded, attaining a 9.8 may be a thing of the past.  You may have noticed a serious dropoff in 1954 #1 – 9.8’s on Ebay and public auctions.  There just are very few new ones. I can’t justify the drop off only to call attention to it.    My advice – if you are looking for a SI V1 #1 buy it now before the market realizes the price of poker has just gone up. I predict the value on this issue is about to increase – triple in one year.  Might be best to buy a graded issue now.   My Ebay handle is “sportsillustrated9.8” and sportsillustrated98.com on the internet, not to be confused with other similar tags.  If you’re interested in one or more of my ebay auctions and you would like to purchase, email me to save on taxes, and shipping.   Thanks for your loyal following.  My readers always receive “first among equals” pricing/service.   Many thanks for your continued support and patronage.   On the web – Sportsillustrated98.com

Sports Illustrated Blog # 162 on Our Way to 200 – Follow Up To My Mantle 9.6 Predictions Welcome to my Sports Illustrated/TIME magazine blog – Your collector’s guide to the latest hobby updates and insight into what’s trending now. Let’s take a look at the Mantle 9.6 Auction and my fearless predictions.  This, being an opinion blog, I like to foreshadow our hobby trends in an effort to give my readers the advantage they deserve for being dedicated readers.   Here are my blogged predictions for the recent Goldin Mantle auction. Mickey Mantle, Goldin Auction, PSA 9.6 Final Bid Total – $328,128.   “There is a Mantle 1956 PSA 9.6 up for public auction at Goldin right now.  My prediction for this piece is two-fold.  First, it will not be purchased by a magazine collector whale (who could easily afford the hammer price), and two, it will surpass twice the hammer of the PSA 1983 Jordan 9.6 and 4 times the 1984 9.8 Jordan “A Star is Born””.   And I have another prediction.  There are other Mantle 9.6’s out there and the next one coming to auction will surpass $200,000 more than the first.   Results:  Highest bidder unknown except for the whales in my sphere whom none of which, as I predicted, were the not winning bid. I was short on the final buy increase but right on the mark regarding our hobby whales.  Next Mantle 9.6 auction results are yet to be determined.   I want to talk a bit about our hobby’s highest end buyers.  I’m hoping, for the future of this hobby, that the true leaders become true believers and start driving the pricing.  I’d like to see them challenging the highest prices, dominating weekly/monthly auction bidding, and being out front in their commitment to the force.  Why?  Not because they can but because they believe.   So, for now, we wait for T. Boone Pickens, RIP.  But the next Boone is already out there feasting on our hobby’s most treasured, undervalued assets and he’ll be selling them in the near future at the pricing I have been predicting.   Our hobby needs more Bonafide believers.  That’s when the real value of these incredible pieces of art will begin to maximize their sleeping potential.   Congratulations to the seller (and definitely the buyer) of the 9.6 Mantle but I believe that same magazine will sell for half a million dollars within one year.  Mark that prediction down.   As the hobby grows, that magazine will be the leading edge of the pricing sword.   When you have collectors that will only settle for the best, good things are bound to follow.   My Ebay handle is “sportsillustrated9.8” and sportsillustrated98.com on the internet, not to be confused with other similar tags.  If you’re interested in one or more of my ebay auctions and you would like to purchase, email me to save on taxes, and shipping.   Thanks for your loyal following.  My readers always receive “first among equals” pricing/service.   Many thanks for your continued support and patronage. On the web – Sportsillustrated98.com

Sports Illustrated Blog # 161 on Our Way to 200 – Jordan Has 50+ SI Covers. Here’s What You Might Not Know.

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

With the extreme popularity of Michael Jordan’s SI (and other pub) covers, it might be helpful to publish a detail of just what’s out there and some organizational facts to help in your Jordan SI collective endeavors.

There are 50 recognized Jordan SI covers as well as at least 10 (probably more) Commemorative, Presents, and non-recognized SI covers. For purposes of this blog, I’m only going discuss his 50 recognized appearances.

First, let’s organize things in chronological order starting with the first four, Jordan SI appearances which, in my opinion, are in a class by themselves.

Jordan’s appearance on an SI cover is the NC #1 with Sam Perkins – far and away the most sought after, collectable, scarcest high grade and to date, the highest grossing Jordan SI sale. This issue is the SI basketball issue for 1983 and is thicker than normal and, as a result, it is hard to find a high grade without binding issues. There has not been a 9.8 or 10.0 graded yet.

The next three – Olympics/Star Is Born/One Man Gang – are also elusive in high grade with only five 9.8’s between them ( 1 – Olympics, 4 – Star, – 0 Gang). These first four issues are extremely collectible and increase quickly in value as the grade gets higher.

In case you are looking to acquire one of these four, there are no Walmart markdowns. If you can find a high grade 1983 or 1984 issue for sale (rare find in itself), expect to pay one/two years advance pricing (at the very least) because the value is perceived to increase monthly (if not daily) and no self-respecting seller wants to sell today, only to find the value doubled within a couple of weeks or months. In order to buy one of these, you’ll have to BELIEVE!

The next block in the series 1987 – 1989, six issues.
.
I call this part of the series “Early Jordan”. These issues are, again, extremely difficult in high grade as there are two dates with no top grade (9.8), two with one and two with three each. These infrequently come for sale or public auction and for the none higher grade, expect the bidding to start at $10,000 each.

The next block in the series 1990 – 1994 “The First Championship Years.

In this block there are 17 issues. The fun part of this chase is that these issues are more accessible and more affordable but still very much a part of the scarcity Jordan paradigm. Watch out for “none higher” grades as some POP counts are very low and some are quite high which translates directly into value. POP counts here really matter. “Busting Loose” has a POP of 2 and the SOY has a POP of 33. I’ve seen POP counts seemingly ignored and that might cost you dearly in the long run. Which one would you rather have?

The next block in the series 1995 – present – 21 issues.

We should understand that all high grade Jordan SI issues, even later dates, are in demand. That is not going to change. Collectors want Jordan. And who wants the highest Jordan SI registry? Many. This creates a demand that keeps values increasing.

I think it is safe to say that the Jordan SI series is the most sought after sub-series in modern SI print.

That translates to investment opportunity. Pay the price and smile all the way to the bank.

With every blog, I include my opinion on the facts I have presented – sort of “here’s the facts now here’s what I think”. I think Jordan SI’s (don’t sleep on other Jordan pubs) are the biggest investment opportunity this hobby has seen a very long time. Jordan has a collectible SI series that will entice collectors AND investors alike. Goldin and Heritage auctions will only add to the frenzy as amateur hobbyists will try to cash in on quick profits. As interested parties increase faster than POP counts, prices will increase. Stay the course and you will be rewarded.

Best of Luck.

My Ebay handle is “sportsillustrated9.8” and sportsillustrated98.com on the internet, not to be confused with other similar tags. If you’re interested in one or more of my ebay auctions and you would like to purchase, email me at wylliejohn@yahoo.com to save on taxes, and shipping.

Thanks for your loyal following. My readers always receive “first among equals” pricing/service.

Many thanks for your continued support and patronage.

On the web – Sportsillustrated98.com

Sports Illustrated Blog # 160 on Our Way to 200 – What Is It That Whales Don’t Have? Welcome to my Sports Illustrated/TIME magazine blog – Your collector’s guide to the latest hobby updates and insight into what’s trending now. This blog is written for my Non-Whale customers.  Decide for yourself if you fit the category.   Whales are an interesting component of the collector hierarchy.  Because they have the wherewithal to buy pretty much whatever they want, they love to negotiate and they hate to pay market price.   The dilemma is that whales always want the best and the best is rarely negotiable.  It’s a predicament. Let me clarify a bit before I am inundated with objections.  There are exceptions to the whale rule but for the vast majority of whales in my sphere, the whale rule holds consistent.     Now, what don’t whales have?  They don’t have Mantle or Jordan. Why?  Because these collectables rarely are negotiable.  Pay the price or walk and whales mostly walk.  They don’t like not being able to move the needle.  The biggest whale I’ve ever dealt with has many the most valuable mags in the hobby, but no Mantles and only one Jordan which I gave him.  I had lots of this stuff available but the price was never quite right.   It’s just an interesting phenomenon which I’ve never been able to understand.  Maybe once you have the money, you don’t like parting with it.  And if you don’t want to part with it, you don’t own Mantle or Jordan.   There is a Mantle 1956 PSA 9.6 up for public auction at Goldin right now.  My prediction for this piece is two-fold.  First, it will not be purchased by a magazine collector whale (who could easily afford the hammer price), and two, it will surpass twice the hammer of the PSA 1983 Jordan 9.6 and 4 times the 1984 9.8 Jordan “A Star is Born”.    And I have another prediction.  There are other Mantle 9.6’s out there and the next one coming to auction will surpass $200,000 more than the first.   OK – I get it.  My predictions and $5.00 will get you a gas station coffee.  But for those that have taken my advice over the years, they believe but don’t tell.    Believe or don’t.  When the smoke clears and the 56 Mantle is hammered, it will not be a mag whale collector.  Take it to the bank.   Best of Luck.   My Ebay handle is “sportsillustrated9.8” and sportsillustrated98.com on the internet, not to be confused with other similar tags.  If you’re interested in one or more of my ebay auctions and you would like to purchase, email me at wylliejohn@yahoo.com to save on taxes, and shipping.   Thanks for your loyal following.  My readers always receive “first among equals” pricing/service.   Many thanks for your continued support and patronage. On the web – Sportsillustrated98.com

Sports Illustrated Blog # 158 on Our Way to 200 – Always Check Both POP Reports Welcome to my Sports Illustrated/TIME magazine blog – Your collector’s guide to the latest hobby updates and insight into what’s trending now.   As we now have two magazine graders in the mix, the prudent graded mag buyer would be wise to check both POP reports if he is going to rely on the item bio description in making his purchase decision. Here’s why –   CGC has been grading magazines for approximately 20 years and their POP counts number in the 10’s of 1000’s (over 30,000).  PSA – less than one year and their POP reports are, well, something way less in number graded.  I think we would all agree that POP reports are an important tool to be used in determining any item availability, a critical element in estimating actual value.  It doesn’t matter if you favor PSA over CGC, or vice versa, for your grading needs, you must recognize that neither report, taken by itself, offers the complete picture.  Omitting this step in the purchasing process, will likely end up with you believing inaccurate, incomplete data – not a good thing.   Case in point – recently I read where there was a decided value advantage in one grading company over another with regard to selling price.  The mag in reference – Tiger 2001, grade CGC 9.4, – recorded 49 higher – POP 34 while the PSA POP report for the same mag recorded– 5 higher, POP 7.  If you didn’t have the CGC POP report, you might assume this was a fairly “hard to find” magazine with only 5 graded higher.  You might also be inclined to pay a bit more than if you knew there were another 49 graded higher at CGC.   If you’re searching for the most accurate up to date info in your buying endeavors, you must include both POP reports in your search.  It’s a pain in the butt but you need to take the time.   My Ebay handle is “sportsillustrated9.8” and sportsillustrated98.com on the internet, not to be confused with other similar tags.  If you’re interested in one or more of my ebay auctions and you would like to purchase, email me at wylliejohn@yahoo.com to save on taxes, and shipping.   Thanks for your loyal following.  My readers always receive “first among equals” pricing/service.   Many thanks for your continued support and patronage. On the web – Sportsillustrated98.com

Sports Illustrated Blog # 157 on Our Way to 200 – 1956 Sports Ilustrated Mickey Mantle – CGC 9.6 – #2. Welcome to my Sports Illustrated/TIME magazine blog – Your collector’s guide to the latest hobby updates and insight into what’s trending now.   In antiquity, there has been one, and only one, Sports Illustrated 1956 First Cover, Mickey Mantle, CGC 9.6 in existence. Then ONE became TWO.  And according to the CGC POP report, two has become THREE.     I, “Sportsillustrated98”, am now the proud owner of the second CGC 9.6 and thought acknowledging this fact would help hobbyists make the most sense between the two POP reports (CGC and PSA).  I only know the whereabouts of one PSA 9.6 (POP report lists two) and two CGC 9.6’s.  I’m curious if there are crossovers involved or if there are actually new entries into the POP reports.  If anyone can shed light on this, please feel free to drop me a note.   As I have always been upfront regarding my position as a seller, not a collector, I will of course, be selling this piece at the right time and place as determined by the market.   It is truly an honor to be a member of this extremely small, select group of owners.  I have included a picture below (slight camera reflection, front, bottom left) that illustrates what you are up against with condition of this issue.  It’s a trip that would make a search for the Holy Grail feel like a Carnival Cruise.   First of all, this issue is 70 years old this year.  That means it has probably moved several times and changed owners over that period – a killer for preserving condition. Solid color backgrounds are crazy susceptible to shelf wear, scratching, finger prints and all the stuff that keeps we hobbyists up at night.    You’ll need to avoid all but the most minimal binding stress as graders will be using magnifiers and are extremely focused on this area of the piece.  This one has a nice clean binding which would be hard to duplicate right off the printing press.    The back must be free of dirt, stains and scratches which tend to accumulate, especially on white covers.  And if you can defeat all these dream busters, you’ll have to also survive the notorious, early SI printing irregularities and material inferiorities which equate to “centering” in the card hobby.   I realize by illustrating my cover here, I’m subjecting myself to every novice/self-proclaimed expert grader out there, but no worries, this one stands up.   Goes to show everyone, there’s always hope.  Best of luck in your search for that diamond in the rough.     My Ebay handle is “sportsillustrated9.8” and sportsillustrated98.com on the internet, not to be confused with other similar tags.  If you’re interested in one or more of my ebay auctions and you would like to purchase, email me at wylliejohn@yahoo.com to save on taxes, and shipping.   Thanks for your loyal following.  My readers always receive “first among equals” pricing/service.   Many thanks for your continued support and patronage.   On the web – Sportsillustrated98.com