Hi Sports Illustrated Collectors:

Welcome to my third in a series of Sports Illustrated informational reviews.

In this edition, I will cover the mailing label phenomenon.   Mailing Label Vs Label Removed Vs No Label Vs Newsstand – what each designation means and how to decipher what each seller is actually saying in his/her words, pictures, and product line MO.

I have also written a review for each SI cover ranking #21 – #30.   This section includes entrees from some of the hottest collectable SI’s in the market today.

If you have any SI questions, please feel free to send them along to [email protected].

Thanks and I hope you enjoy!

John

Mailing Label Vs Label Removed Vs No Label Vs Newsstand – What Does it All Mean???

 

Sports Illustrated Blog 3     7-12-17

The mailing label phenomenon has evolved over the past 15 years or so.  As collecting Sports Illustrated back issues has become more popular, the demand for better, more high quality, condition sensitive issues has also increased.   This evolution has inspired the removal of mailing labels which has caused some confusion in the industry.

A past SI issue with a mailing label is referred to as a Subscription issue.  The reason is that SI initially glued on its shipping label to the front cover of its magazines which it mailed out to its subscribers.  As collectors became disenchanted with the ugly mailing labels on their nice rookie covers, one industrious entrepreneur invented a way to remove the mailing label leaving only the glue residue.  These issues are called No Label, NL or Label Removed.  It seems redundant to picture a magazine with no label and call it “No Label”, so many sellers just remove the label and don’t address whether it is No Label or Newsstand, so buyer beware here.

For a while, collectors accepted this as an economical alternative to the Newsstand version.  With the advent of magazine grading, Subscription and Label Removed issues have fallen a bit out of favor and Newsstand types have increased in demand, even though the cost is usually considerably more.  A Newsstand issue is one that has no label and never had a label.  It was delivered to and sold by newsstands and never mailed.  Although SI has been extremely secretive regarding breakdowns of the different type of subscription circulation rates, it is commonly agreed within the industry that 2% of pre 1975 SI circulation in existence are Newsstand copies.  Add the circulation scarcity to the condition scarcity and that is why newsstand copies bring such a premium.

With regard to value, serious collectors generally like their issues to be unaltered even if they have a label.   If you are a fun type collector, you can obtain some really sharp, label removed copies for a fraction of the newsstand price which makes filling in a nice collection fairly easy and affordable.   Either way, make sure you read the item descriptions carefully so that you are not surprised with something you didn’t think you ordered.

21.  2002 Tom Brady – The Natural. First Cover – Regular season edition.  Brady actually has two first covers – this one and #29 on my list printed in a Super Bowl version in February 2002.  The Natural is called the UPC version, proven to date to be the most elusive of the two in high grade as there are no CGC 9.8’s to date.  As this is a newer print, I anticipate a CGC 9.8 or two will surface and when it does it will command serious attention from the industry.  As this issue physically is a thin copy, it tends to stress at the binding easier than thicker versions.  Brady’s current “top of the industry popularity” and his expected continued popularity make owning what most of us now agree to be the best NFL quarterback to ever don the spikes, a must have for any serious collector.

22.  1954 Issue #2. Golf Bags.  The #2 Issue is an anomaly as is doesn’t feature a star athlete or commemorate an event.  What is does have is a print of 27 Yankees cards, including Mickey Mantle, the only Topps version of a Mickey Mantle likeness ever produced in 1954.  Apparently there was a dispute between Mantle and Topps which resulted in the card to be pulled from the set.  What’s even more intriguing here is that the #2 is extremely hard to find without printing errors in the sky of the front cover and significant handling wear throughout both covers – front and back.  Consequently, no #2 has ever been graded higher than CGC 9.4.  Perhaps you have that pristine issue in your attic.  The #2 is one of four early SI’s to contain at least one sheet of printed baseball cards.  The four BB card issues are the #1, #2, 55 Mays and 55 Rosen which together contain a total a set of 70 cards.

23.  1956 Warren Spahn. First Cover.  This action packed frame of a Hall of Famer in the midst of his classic wind up motion, is one of the most iconic captures of all SI covers.  Of course, that is just my opinion, but once you study the colors and athletic intensity captured in this picture, I think you will agree.  This cover finds its way up to number 23 because of its eye catching aesthetics, age, condition rarity and star appearance.  This issue has been very condition sensitive as the highest CGC grade to date is 8.5.

24.  1981 Wayne Gretzky. First Cover.  The Great One!  This one rivals the 83 Jordan for being the most popular and condition sensitive cover of the post 1975 issues.  The solid orange border is almost impossible to find unblemished.  Only one CGC 9.8 has surfaced even though it is a newer edition.  Check your old mag boxes for this one – a high grade will fetch serious cash.

25.  1977 Larry Bird. First Cover.   Again, a newer type issue, but the solid red border and super star athlete, propels this one into the category of “must have”, on many a collector list.  There currently is one CGC 9.6 and nothing else higher than CGC 9.2.  If you can find a clean cover newsstand version, you’ll have something your friends don’t have and serious collectors will want.

26.  1970 Steve Prefontaine. First and only cover.  Another really nice aesthetics cover and extremely rare in the high grade newsstand version.  Prefontaine seems to be an athlete a high percentage of collectors want in their fold.  With the highest CGC grade currently standing at 9.0 and nothing else higher than CGC 8.0, this one is proving to be popular and very, very hard to find – the two ingredients for an expensive collector piece.

27.  1955 Yogi Berra. First Cover.  The Berra cover is another in a series of star baseball covers from the year 1955.  Just like most early covers, finding high grade newsstand versions is proving to be elusive as there is only one CGC 9.6, none higher, and one 9.4.   Combine rarity with popularity and you have a formula for increasing value.

28.  1980 Olympic Hockey. Commemorative Event.  One of the very few front covers in SI’s history that had no title or other printing – just the picture that needed no words.  This one ranks high in aesthetics and popular with nearly every collector.  A fairly new printing but still one of the most iconic.  A CGC 8.5 grade stands as the highest to date so there is plenty of room to find and own the highest grade of a piece of American history.  A CGC 9.8 will attract serious investors.

29.  2002 Tom Brady. Amazing.  First Cover – Super Bowl edition.  Brady actually has two first covers – this one and The Natural printed in a regular season edition on April 15^th 2002.  The good news is that two is better than one.  Both issues seem to be equally popular and selling for similar amounts if you can find one.  Currently there are 5 CGC grade 9.8 of the Amazing version and none of the Natural version.  This issue is very difficult to find with a clean, unstressed blue border which circumvents the entire magazine and is the major cause of disappointing grades to date.   I predict due to the difficult solid blue border, this edition will eventually become harder to find than the UPC edition in high grade.  Get this one while you can.  Brady’s current “top of the industry popularity” and his expected continued popularity, make owning what most of us now agree to be the best NFL quarterback to ever don the spikes, a must have for any serious collector.

21. 1955 Al Rosen. First and only cover.  One of three athletes in our countdown so far that have only one appearance on an SI cover (Prefontaine, Clemente).  The Rosen issue has the distinction of being one of the four issues with printed baseball cards.  Combine this fact with its age, popularity, and newsstand scarcity and you have a potentially valuable find in your attic.  Many collectors want all four baseball card issues (see 22 above).  Trivia question – there are two faux pas within this cover – can you find them?

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Sports Illustrated Blog 2 – 6-20-17

If you are a SI collector of vintage back issues from the 50’s and 60’s, you may be familiar with what I call the “Dark Era” in SI production.  The Dark Era is the period between 1957 and 1969 where magazine cover quality, the materials used – not the pictures themselves, seem to be much more susceptible to the effects of aging such as fade, handling and shelf deterioration.

I’ve also found the years between 1959 thru 1963 are the darkest of the dark era as the first covers of Unitas, Brown, Starr, Tarkenton, Palmer, Nicklaus, Taylor, Maris, Clay, and others are extremely rare in Very Fine or better condition.  A CGC grade of 7.0 – 8.0 on any of these issues is a nice find while higher grades become the center piece of your collection.

In 20 years of actively collecting SI’s, I have never seen a Nicklaus, Palmer, Unitas or Brown first cover that would grade 9.0 or higher.  I’m sure they’re out there and as the industry grows, more of these elusive covers will become public.  Even then however, scarce is the word and don’t hesitate because they tend to be scooped up quickly when they surface.  Hard Core collectors often wait for that perfect card or magazine to emerge but be careful because a second opportunity may not present itself.

As you work the trade shows, auctions, private collections and the internet, keep the “Dark Era” in mind.   Keeping a watchful eye for covers printed during this time period, will help build your collection with covers your friends don’t have!  If scarcity equates to value, you’ll be glad you did.

 

Below I’ve listed and commented on the next ten SI’s from my Blog 1 ranking.

11.   1962 Mantle – The esthetics on this one are outstanding. Great close up of the “indispensable Yankee”.  Unfortunately, as so many others at the top end of my list, the 62 Mantle was printed in the dark era and is hard to find above the grade of CGC 8.0.  The combination of condition, esthetics, and being a Yankee make this one of the more popular non-first covers.

12.   1961 Starr – Great camera shot, another example of SI’s photographic excellence, and why they have consistently been the leader of the pack for 60 years. MVP of the first two Super Bowls, not to mention the consistent guiding hand throughout the Packer dynasty of the 60’s.  Another dark era print and difficult to find 7.0 or better.  It’s a recurring theme if condition is important.

13.   1955 Ted Williams – The first issue on this list since Mantle at #2 that wasn’t printed in the dark era. Again, the esthetics are great but the solid black background is easily blemished thereby making a high grade copy scarce.  There have been two CGC 9.8‘s which proves they’re out there if you’re patient and willing to spend the dollars.  This issue, at 9.8, is currently trading in the $5000 – $10000 range.

14.   1964 Swimsuit – First year of the popular swimsuit series which has run continuously since 1964. The first thing you will notice about the cover is that swimsuits have changed in 50 years!  Only three newsstand 64 swimsuits have ever been graded with CGC 9.0 weighing in as the highest.  An 8.5 recently sold at auction for $1200.  Clean newsstand versions of this issue are scarce and a high grade will compete in auction price with any other SI covers.  All 60’s Newsstand swimsuit issues are scarce making it difficult to put together a high grade collection.

15.   1965 Joe Namath – Not a particularly esthetic cover and difficult to find in better than 7.0 condition. Broadway Joe was a magnate for the spot light.  His SB III prediction solidified his place in the hearts of AFL fans across the country.  Then he backed it up just like Ali!  This is a tough cover in Newsstand, easily marked and worn and Joe’s values have been maxed especially since grading became popular.

16.   1965 – 1969 Swimsuits – see above. Each year exhibits a great, but modest, swimsuit model.  All 60’s high grade newsstand swimsuit issues are rare.  Only a handful have made it to the graders to date.

17.   1974 Henry Aaron 715 – Commemorating the surpassing of the immortal Babe and forever thrusting this long time great into the brightest of spotlights. Cover has a solid black background which highlights small scratches and shelf marks.  There is one lucky collector who’s all smiles as he has the only CGC 9.8 on the census but be happy if you can lock up a 715 issue above the grade of 8.0!  It’s a great find and matches up nicely with his 1970 and 1969 covers to make a unique set.

18.   1970 Swimsuit – Cheryl Tieg’s first of 3 covers and a real tough one to find in newsstand with a clean purple border. Currently a CGC 7.5 is the highest and only submission on record for good reason.  This one is the perfect storm – Tieg’s first cover, newsstand swimsuit, and the difficult purple border and you’ve got one of the rarest SI’s on record!

19.   1960 Nicklaus – This cover features a very young Nicklaus winning the US Amateur. It’s actually a great golf action shot which is kind of an oxymoron.  Printed in 1960, it is one of the elusive dark era covers to find in newsstand high grade.  There has only been one CGC submission to date and that one checks in at 7.0.  If you are lucky enough to find a clean 60 Nicklaus in your grandparent’s attic, scoop it up and then brag to your friends.

20.   1970’s Swimsuits – High grade newsstand swimsuits of the 70’s are nearly as difficult to find as their earlier 60’s counterpart. In fact, a nice 71 swimsuit is one of the rarest issues of the first 15 in the series.  The seascape backgrounds combine with the many solid banners to provide a difficult canvas to find well preserved.  Plus, I believe swimsuit issues tend to be read more thoroughly and often than other issues.  The 70’s also has two iconic swimsuit issues – the 75 Tiegs cover is my choice for the most esthetically gorgeous of all swimsuits and the 78 issue holds the infamous Tiegs fishnet picture.  Also found in this decade are two Tiegs and the first of three Brinkley ‘s.  There are no complete newsstand collections of 70’s graded covers in existence.  What a great registry!  You can be the first!

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SportsIllustrated9.8 Blog – Series 1 – Ranking SI Covers

1. Ranking SI Covers

6/12/2017

Graded Sports Illustrated are fast becoming a favorite with investors and serious collectors.  Why?  Graded pieces authenticate value much higher than their ungraded counterparts.  It’s also a neophyte part of the sports collecting industry where it’s still possible to own the highest graded issue of its kind for a fraction of future estimates. 

 

Inspired by Mark Humphries, Pitcards.Com, I have decided to build on his body of work with an informational series entitled – “Guide to Collecting Sports Illustrated – What You Need To Know!”

Although SI has long been light years ahead of its competition with regard to its award winning photography and feature sports writing, it is the image of their iconic covers that sticks to the brain.  It’s the part that most readers find so collectable.  Therefore, I think a great place to start my guide to SI collecting would be to put forth an analysis of my top 50 all-time covers.  Below is a chart ranking 5 catagories for each cover from 1-10 (with 1 being the least and 10 being the most) in a variety of collector interests – newsstand population scarcity, condition scarcity, cosmetics, collectability, and investment value.

 

Rank	Year	Newsstand Cover	Newsstand Population Scarcity	Condition Scarcity	Cosmetics	Collectability	Investment Potential	Total
1	1961	Roger Maris	9	10	10	9	10	48
2	1956	Mickey Mantle all pages	10	8	10	10	10	48
3	1959	Johnny Unitas	9	10	8	10	10	47
4	1967	Roberto Clemente	8	10	8	10	10	46
5	1969	Reggie Jackson	8	10	10	8	9	45
6	1961	Fran Tarkenton	8	10	9	9	9	45
7	1968	Pete Rose	7	9	9	10	10	45
8	1969	Hank Aaron	8	10	7	10	10	45
9	1963	Cassuis Clay	7	10	8	10	10	45
10	1960	Jim Brown	8	10	7	10	10	45
11	1962	Mickey Mantle	7	9	10	10	8	44
12	1961	Bart Starr	8	10	10	8	8	44
13	1955	Ted Williams	8	8	9	10	9	44
14	1964	Swimsuit	9	9	7	10	9	44
15	1965	Joe Namath	8	10	8	9	9	44
16	1965	Swimsuits (1965-1969)	9	9	7	10	8	43
17	1974	Hank Aaron 715	5	10	10	10	8	43
18	1970	Swimsuit	9	10	7	9	8	43
19	1960	Jack Nicklaus	8	10	8	8	9	43
20	1971	Swimsuits (1980-1989)	9	9	8	9	7	42
21	2002	Tom Brady The Natural	5	8	10	10	9	42
22	1954	Issue #2	8	10	4	10	10	42
23	1956	Warren Spahn	7	8	10	9	7	41
24	1981	Wayne Gretzky	5	8	9	10	9	41
25	1977	Larry Bird	5	9	8	9	10	41
26	1970	Steve Prefontaine	9	7	10	7	7	40
27	1955	Yogi Berra	8	9	8	8	7	40
28	1980	Olympic Hockey	5	7	10	10	8	40
29	2002	Tom Brady Amazing	5	8	9	10	8	40
30	1955	Al Rosen	8	9	8	7	8	40
31	1956	All-star Game	8	10	6	8	8	40
32	1955	Willie Mays	8	8	5	10	9	40
33	1983	Michael Jordan	7	9	5	10	9	40
34	1975	Ali Frazier	7	8	8	8	8	39
35	1974	Ali Foreman	7	8	8	8	8	39
36	1971	Ali Frazier	7	8	8	8	8	39
37	1955	Hogan	8	10	6	7	8	39
38	1956	Mantle WS	8	10	4	8	8	38
39	1996	Derek Jeter	5	6	10	10	6	37
40	1960	Arnold Palmer	5	10	4	9	8	36
41	1974	Julius Irving	7	8	8	6	6	35
42	2002	LeBron James	3	5	10	10	7	35
43	1983	Dan Marino	5	6	8	8	8	35
44	1982	Joe Montana	5	6	8	8	8	35
45	1982	John Elway	5	6	8	8	8	35
46	1996	Peyton Manning	5	6	6	8	8	33
47	1996	Bret Favre	5	5	8	8	5	31
48	1989	Jerry Rice	5	5	6	8	7	31
49	1954	#1 Issue	1	3	10	10	5	29
50	2007	Drew Brees	3	6	5	7	6	27

 

 

Below I’ve attached a pic and brief comment to the highest ranking 10.  I will continue to comment on the balance of the list in future blogs.

 

1. 1961 Roger Maris with Ad Banner RC – Great action photo, extremely hard to find in excellent condition – if you can get one with the Ad Banner – you’ve got a good one. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you can’t locate the condition you want.  Printed during SI’s “dark period”.

2. 1956 Mickey Mantle RC – including pages 37 thru 40 – Finding a high grade 56 Mantle is tough enough but only a tenth of those will have the center four pages. Omitted in printing, the missing pages up the ante on this one.

3. 1959 Johnny Unitas RC – The first Unitas cover was issued early in the dark era of Sports Illustrated production. Starting approximately in 1957 and running thru 1969 many SI covers are difficult to find in unmarked condition.  The ink seems to mark easily making this one of the most difficult SI to find above the grade of 6.0.  Printed during SI’s “dark period”.

4. 1967 Roberto Clemente RC – Distinct color bands are cosmetic and great looking if you can find one that hasn’t been subjected to handling damage and/or printer errors. One of the most difficult covers to find above the grade of 7.0!  Unusual that his first cover would print so late in his career.  Currently 8.0 is the highest grade ever recorded by CGC.   Printed during SI’s “dark period”.

 

5. 1969 Reggie Jackson RC – I was an avid Oakland fan during this era and really liked the loud, colorful uniforms and the “mustachiod”, gun slinging mentality Charlie Finley promoted for his team – many years ahead of his time. Jackson, with the classic “swing for the fences” bravado, epitomized the hard-nosed winning attitude.  Several of his future covers show the same grace at bat.  Very hard to pick up in “better than average” condition.  Printed during SI’s “dark period”.

6. 1962 Fran Tarkenton RC – This cover illustrates the skilled photography SI had even back in the early days of production. Nice action shot of one of the game’s greatest performers.  Unfortunately this one too is subject to a combination of poor quality ink and paper.  Hard to find above the grade of 7.0.   Printed during SI’s “dark period”.

7. 1968 Pete Rose RC – Great esthetics to this one. Another one of those first covers that seems to elude all but the most avid collectors.  Rose continues to enjoy unprecedented popularity so if you can find a newsstand version in decent condition, you’ll have a cover your friends will want to trade.   Printed during SI’s “dark period”.

8.  1969 Henry Aaron RC – Another late first appearance of a long time superstar.   As with the Clemente, nice copies of newsstand versions are more than rare.  Anything better than a 7.0 is a real find!  This issue is one of the most collectible in the grade of 8.0 or above due to the popularity of the player and the scarcity of the mag.  Currently 8.0 is the highest grade ever recorded by CGC.   Printed during SI’s “dark period”.

9. 1963 Cassuis Clay RC – Perhaps the most iconic, charismatic, and well known across the globe, Ali would grace the cover of SI over 30 times, but his 1963 first cover has risen in collectability almost as fast as the legend. Again, subject to poor quality printing, this cover, in newsstand version, is rare above the grade of 7.0.   Several 9.4’s and one 9.6 have turned up in recent months but if you can grab one reasonably priced at 8.0 or above, you’ll be glad you did!  Printed during SI’s “dark period”.

10. 1960 Jim Brown RC – Same printing issues as the 59 Unitas. Extremely difficult to find – in fact only two of this issue have ever been submitted for grading!  Any newsstand version in reasonable condition is highly collectible.