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

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

Happy days are here again!  CGC has a new, upgraded mag holder (as of a couple years ago), and PSA is six months into their initial encapsulated graded magazine launch.  Soooo…. which is the more applicable to the wants and needs of a thirsty group of graded magazine collectors?

I have been buying graded magazines from CGC for about 10 years, having purchases in excess of 3000-4000 mag holders.  I have placed exactly one order with PSA so far because I wanted to compare the merchandise and here is my product comparison/evaluation.

CGC – Approximately two years ago, subsequent to an exhaustive changeover process, CGC brought to market their new magazine holder which is still in production today. 

The new holder actually has been part of a very significant and positive total division makeover involving, work quality, customer service, shipping quality, lead-time, and pricing.  For our purposes, I’m just going to comment on the holder. 

I like the new holder from top to bottom.  It is beefier but not too beefy – holds up much better than their old holder during the shipping process.  It’s the same dimensions as the old holder which is important to me as I inventory a lot of holders at one time and they are all consistent in look and feel plus they fit in the same inventory boxes/shelving, etc.  The material used in manufacturing ends up giving a very clear visual of the cover inside, with no ripples, shading or other inconsistencies that would take away from the presentation.

With regard to the flip, I like the additional information (variations, first cover, etc), the color presentation depending on what is being graded, the grade and logo symmetry, and the consistent placement of one very special word – “subscription”.  When viewing a graded mag, whether it be on eBay, Facebook, auction houses, etc., even with the microscopic print, I can readily identify newsstand or subscription – a big deal and a great time saver.

Another added benefit of this holder is the recess behind the flip which offers a ledge from which to grip the mag.  Comes in really handy when grabbing a handful of mags from the top.

My grade for the upgraded CGC holder – A+.

PSA – PSA deserves a lot of credit for boldly jumping into the mag holder competition.  With respect to comics, it’s a relatively new and smaller market size so there’s a lot of unknowns.  The first thing I noticed about their holder is the weight.  This holder is much beefier which translates to a strong, rugged piece which will hold up nicely in shipping, a real concern in the collectables business.

Although the holder and magazine weight will vary between magazines, the CGC holder and mag used in my comparison is approx 1 pound 1 ounce. The PSA mag and holder is 2 pounds and 2 ounces – double the weight of its competition. 

In my business, I handle boxes with 20 mags/holders inside. That’s a box weight increase of 22 pounds which in my case is a huge drawback.    But, does the extra weight translate into a better, more reliable product?  I’m sure the PSA holder would be more difficult to damage however, my feeling is the CGC holder meets the quality requirement needed to get the product to the customer without damage.  Any more than that is not necessary.  PSA’s shipping prep is engineered and sturdy, but a bit of overkill as well and I believe ends up costing you more as a result. With regard to presentation of the product inside the case, PSA’s holder is as clear and bright as the CGC model. 

The PSA flip shows very little imagination although many customers like the red over the blue.  They seem to be stuck on the “card” holder design.  I’m betting PSA upgrades the appearance of their flip in the near future.  The printing is too small and too much uncaptured space where more information could be given.  

My grade for the new PSA holder – B+.

Perhaps I should give PSA a temporary break because they are the new guy on the block as I feel in time, they’ll incorporate these and other suggestions into their thinking.  But for now, I downgraded the PSA due to the excess weight which, in my opinion, serves no reasonable customer need and causes more stress in handling.  Both holders will do the job equally regarding durability but I think CGC listened and paid more attention to customer suggestions including a nice mix of toughness without the overkill.  

Although some opinions suggest a mag in a PSA holder has greater value. I totally disagree with that presumption and have heard no meaningful facts upon which to base this opinion.   

My overwhelming  preference is the CGC case and the creditability which comes with it.

One suggestion from me, for both companies going forward, would be to offer grading on the pre-1950 BASEBALL magazines (slightly bigger) – a major early pub, or offer the option to grade and encapsulate magazines with variably bigger dimensions.

We are lucky to have such quality workmanship available in both holders.  And the competition is a nice problem to have!

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 # 153 on Our Way to 200 – PSA and CGC Census – Separate or Combined 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 advent of two magazine grading companies now on-line, we have created a census report dilemma.  CGC and PSA have graded and will continue to grade in the future, different magazines with the same publication, cover and date of issue. Sellers are already quoting the census of the grader without combining the census of the non-grader.      To illustrate why this is important, the PSA Jordan SI 1983 which just sold for $229,000 is a None Higher, POP 1 in the PSA census.  A different magazine with the exact same publisher, issue date, cover and grade also is a None Higher, POP 1 in the CGC census.    If I’m bidding on this magazine, at these bid prices, I want to know ALL the relevant information, not just what the seller wants me to know.  In this case, to me, there are two 9.6’s, not one!   To me this a predicament.   As a buyer as well as a seller, I want to know the total census on any magazine I buy and I want to give my customer an accurate census on what he is buying. If you agree with this premise, then it seems both census numbers must be combined for a complete disclosure at the time of purchase or sale.  But, I am not naive enough to think that this kind of disclosure will be included in very many future transactions, unless you are dealing with the highest of integrity sellers.    So, the answer for now is BUYER BEWARE!   With regard to how run my business, I have tried in the past to state the census right up front so the buyer can get a fairly accurate sense of what he is buying, if it is relevant.  However, census counts evolve and I don’t update all my listings after initial posting.  And now, buyers must also be cognizant of, not one, but two grader censuses.     This is another reason to deal with someone you trust.  You know who they are.  And in this brave new world of multiple graders, always do your own due diligence, in addition to what you can glean from the seller, especially when the dollar amounts suggest prudence.   Great collecting to you!   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 # 152 on Our Way to 200 – 1983 SI Jordan 9.6 vs 1984 SI Jordan 9.8 My Opinion. Welcome to my Sports Illustrated/TIME magazine blog – Your collector’s guide to the latest hobby updates and insight into what’s trending now. We finally made it.  For ten years I’ve been selling the finest SI issues in the hobby to buyers/collectors who, in turn, would store them away in their safety deposit box, oversized gun safe or cement sarcophagus, never to see the light of day again in our lifetime. Then they would say to me, hey Sportsillustrated98, why don’t you auction some of your higher grade, high value pieces so we can illustrate to the market how much interest we’ve generated in the hobby.   Then I would say because I sold them to you.  Why don’t you auction just one.  Oh, we can’t do that!   So here we are – staring down the barrel of a 1983 SI Michael Jordan CGC 9.6 POP 2 up for auction to be gaveled this Saturday.  Shout out to Khyber Oser for bringing this piece of dynamite to public auction.    I believe this is the best news bestowed upon our hobby since CGC began grading Sports Illustrated.  Since this is an opinion blog and before the final results are made known, I want to weigh in on the current perceived value estimate differences between the two mags – 1983 Jordan 9.6 vs. 1984 Jordan 9.8.   Regarding the 1984, I have been listening to hobbyists for two years, ogle over the 1984 issue and how it had all the intangibles to be more highly received by the hobby than the 1983 – better action shot, better esthetics, cover not shared, and most of all First Pro Cover!  In fact, I have read collector opinions that the first pro cover, any first pro cover, is more desirable, more collectable than the first ever cover, if different.    In most cases, not all (1966 Alcindor), the first cover in my opinion is the one to have if you are a capitalist.  I am predicting that the 1983 auction this week will far surpass the 1984 higher grade Jordan by a significant amount.  Here are my odds…. Final winning bid – Over $1,000,000            10 %                                 Over $200,000                90%                                Over $125,000               100%                                Under $125,000       No Chance.   Let’s see if the final bidding validates My Opinion or supports the First Pro Cover theory.  Saturday’s the big day.  Best of luck to the seller and I know the buyer will be happy.   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

Welcome to my Sports Illustrated/TIME magazine blog – Your collector’s guide to the latest hobby updates and insight into what’s trending now.     Last time I covered the increasing hobby interest in mid-grade newsstand magazines.  In the true spirit of practice what you preach, I’ve decided to offer a series of interesting mid to upper grade SI’s etc., all for $75 each.  And these are not cast-off pieces of little interest.  In my mind, they all represent value to the collector looking to pick up first covers, star players or some hard to find issues, without breaking the bank and as most of you know, $75 is barely over the cost of grading alone.    Any purchase comes with a $20 shipping fee regardless of quantity.  And there are no additional fees, taxes, or freight charges to increase your cost.  Just $75 per graded piece plus $20 per shipment.   To purchase, drop me a note at wylliejohn@yahoo.com stating what pieces you want to buy along with your shipping address and deposit the appropriate purchase amount into my PayPal account, Sales and Service.    Your purchase is covered by Paypal and I pay the fee.  And that’s it.  Shipment within 24 hours.    If this offer proves to have interest within the community, I have more like pieces to offer.  Below is a brief description of each piece.    Also, for anyone reading this not currently receiving my SI blog, send me your email address and I’ll add you to my distribution.  No purchase necessary.   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   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   For pictures of referenced items, please see my post on Facebook – Sports Illustrated Group. 2013 – Marcus Mariota FC CGC 9.4 1985 – Doc Gooden FC CGC 9.0 1985 – Jim McMahon FC CGC 7.0 2019 – Justin Herbert FC CGC 9.0 1999 – Kurt Warner FC CGC 9.0 2004 – Donovan McNabb FC 8.5 1984 – Eric Dickerson FC CGC 8.5 2007 – Henry Aaron CGC 9.0 2009 – Tony Romo FC CGC 8.5 1996 – Rodman/Jordan/Magic CGC 9.2 1995 – Emmitt Smith CGC 9.2 1993 – Mike Piazza FC 9.2 2009 – Matt Ryan FC CGC 9.2 2002 – Dale Earnhardt Jr FC CGC 9.0 2015 – Antonio Brown FC CGC 9.6 2016 – Deandre Hopkins FC CGC

Sports Illustrated Blog # 148 on Our Way to 200 – How Far We’ve Come

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 I read Khyber Osher’s recent graded magazine auction lead-ins, it took me back a bit.  Five and six figure auctions have become common-place.  I can’t help but think back 10 short years ago when I began blogging about the investment potential in Sports Illustrated graded magazines. To think there was value in old magazines was a crazy, pie-in-the-sky idea unless you knew that two universes were about to collide – the greatest sports magazine ever to grace the face of the earth and the pent-up desire of millions of SI readers to somehow capture the brilliance that had been penetrating their sole for 50 years.   Although I was the first to develop the idea that SI might have a vintage value, I was not the first to see the potential in graded mags.  That distinction goes to Mark Humphries, The Pit.  He partnered with CGC to develop the first graded magazine.  But any further public interest languished for years until Mark passed the torch to me to educate and develop the market that we saw as “the next big thing”.  Preceding my relationship with Mark, my humble beginnings included selling my 60’s subscription stuff for $5-$10 each, selling label removed for something more depending on the cover, and collecting newsstand editions.  During this period, I noticed that I could by newsstand issues for approximately the same price as subscription issues with only a few exceptions.  From this point on, I never bought or sold anything except newsstand. Among my first graded mag was the 1963 Clay – CGC 9.6, still top pop.  BTW, any guess what this magazine, the 1983 CGC 9.6 Jordan, and the CGC 9.6 1956 Mantle, and 1977 9.6 Bird magazines have in common?  They are all among the first CGC mags ever to be graded.  That’s a big deal because grading specs were much more liberal in those days and with the exception of the very, very few, these grades are not destined to be repeated.  I think there will be a 9.8 Mantle someday but with today’s grading standards, I’m not sure about the Jordan, Bird, or Clay. This all raises an interesting question – I’ve personally seen the CGC 9.6 Clay (I also have pictures) and, in my opinion, it’s today grade would be CGC 6.0 or lower.  How will the market react to the flip saying one thing and the actual magazine condition saying another? I believe the one thing we can count on going forward is that today’s grades are and will be more consistent and representative of the actual mag condition which makes finding that “diamond in the rough” considerably more challenging. I am humbled by the distance we have travelled, by the predictions which have come to pass, and the expansion of the hobby.  With this statement, I’d like every one of my readers to know, this is not the end of the really good stuff but only the tip of the iceberg.  There is much, much more growth to come.  We’ve come thru the dark times, out of the wilderness, and it’s only the beginning.  Stay with your efforts to find value in graded mags and as others drop out of the easy profit times, I promise you will be rewarded as the market continues to grow.   My Ebay handle is “sportsillustrated9.8”, 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   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

Welcome to my Sports Illustrated/TIME magazine blog – Your collector’s guide to the latest hobby updates and insight into what’s trending now. Jordan is the most popular cover athlete in our hobby right now (non-vintage) and Sports Illustrated is the most popular sports magazine publication in the world.  What better combination would you have as a foundation for your graded magazine collection?   You really have the entire gambit of 9.8’s (there will never be a 1980’s/1990’s grade higher than 9.8), high grade issues – low POP, and high-grade issues with a fairly high POP and somewhere in between.  Right now, Jordan, high grade, high POP issues are crazy cheap.  The only buyers are speculators.  My opinion – buy every undervalued, high grade Jordan issue you can find. Jordan’s not one these “flash in the pans” of course, he’s the real deal.  If you are looking to impress your friends with your Jordan SI collection, you can do that and still cash in when it’s time to sell.  Jordan is not going down in value any time soon so if you are seeking investment value – this is your guy.  Just remember, condition is the key to your success.     My Ebay handle is “sportsillustrated9.8”, 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, fees, 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   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

Welcome to my Sports Illustrated/TIME magazine blog – Your collector’s guide to the latest hobby updates and insight into what’s trending now.   Early collector decisions have a huge impact on your long-term collection value.  I have chosen this subject as it seems there is a growing interest in labeled, label removed, and otherwise restored magazines.  By “interest”, I mean, more buy and sell auctions are creeping/leaping into our everyday purview and I want my readers to make the best long-term decisions possible.    The longer you go into the future, the more your early buying decisions have time to magnify – either great, good, or not so good.   If you’re like me, early on in your collection endeavors you paid less attention to mag condition than you did cover athlete.    Mistake.   As time passed, you noticed that those that paid more up front (newsstand, high condition for ex.), were realizing more, sometimes exponentially more, on the back.      One lesson I had to learn from not buying the best – the slow pace of my increasing equity.    I also noticed that there was not a shortage of “buyers of the best” – you only need one! And Negotiations are short when you own the best.   I subscribe to my own philosophy so, when you buy from sportsillustrated98.com, and I am only stating fact here, you are assured of receiving quality/value for the price and I stand behind everything I sell.  Approaching 4000 positive feedbacks on Ebay, no negatives.  Proud of that!  I don’t deal or sell in label removed/labeled magazines – PERIOD. As this is an opinion blog, I want to be clear that I am in total agreement with all kinds of collecting avenues – including those that I have mentioned above.  My choice of business endeavor however, is to deal in the best conditions/grades I can, not for me but for you.  When you are happy, I succeed.    So, at some point in your collecting evolution, you will have to make a decision – can I afford a bit more for the best, or should I settle for something – almost.  My advice is to always do your homework and go for the most you can afford.   My Ebay handle is “sportsillustrated9.8”, 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, fees, 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   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

Welcome to my Sports Illustrated/TIME magazine blog – Your collector’s guide to the latest hobby updates and insight into what’s trending now.   Full Disclosure – Ken Goldin’s video showcasing two CGC 8.5’s – Mantle and Jordan SI first covers – are my pieces.  These auctions are not important because they represent some of the higher grades ever auctioned in these issues, but because they represent a turning of the page.   For eight years, I have been in the business of acquiring and selling the highest graded SI’s out there.  At the same time, I have encouraged owners of high grade SI’s to sell one or more of their top-grade SI’s in an effort to establish a market and an interest in sharing an opportunity to own the best.  Not one, repeat, not one, was willing to sell even one of their best stuff.   So it has come to this – although I don’t own the very best of the best, I have chosen to move the hobby forward by offering two highly sought after graded mags in a grade you rarely see come to auction.  See Ken Goldin’s video.   As higher grades come to auction, more potential stakeholders will take notice and, in my opinion, that’s how this hobby will grow and in turn your investment.   These are the mags that in one or two or five or twenty years from now, you will be saying, “I could have made a shit-ton of money if I’d have had the balls”.  I highly endorse investing in Jordan and Mantle first covers.  There’s plenty of history out there to substantiate this opinion.   My Ebay handle is “sportsillustrated9.8”, 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, fees, 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   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