Sports Illustrated Blog #11 – Early Swimsuits – Diamonds in the Rough!
Welcome to my 11th in a series of Sports Illustrated informational reviews.
Recently I mentioned early SI swimsuits to an investor and his response was “I only do athletes”. Now it is perfectly acceptable to define your portfolio by what you know and understand best but I think limiting your options limits your potential. So today my friends it is Swimsuits.
I have ranked early SI swimsuits at #16 and #20 on my list of most difficult and collectable SI’s and for good reason. THEY ARE TOUGH TO FIND!!! The SI swimsuit feature comes in several parts – quite by accident I presume. First, there are the swimsuits of the 50’s which are really a precursor to the later versions which became an annual event approx. 10 years later. Included in this series is a 54, 55 and 57 swimsuit appearance – a collection within themselves. They are not as rare or esthetic as later covers and are not accepted as part of the swimsuit series we know today but they are definitely unique and should not be omitted from any collection. I think in time, these three issues will increase in demand as swimsuit collectors will want to avoid any possible omissions in completing their sets.
Second, there is a 1963 swimsuit/water cover appearing one year prior to Babette March, the formally accepted first swimsuit cover. Even though not as well known, no swimsuit collection is complete without the 63 version either.
In 1964, with a modestly clad model and a three page cover story, SI humbly began perhaps the most iconic and collectable series of yearly issues – the Jan/Feb tropical island Swimsuit series. SI has built upon its first cover every year since and to take in the evolution from beginning to present is quite a visionary trip. I’m old school – I like the early issues! Surprisingly however, it is not the cover or its position in the series that creates the value. Yes they are popular, yes they are cool and yes they are a series but more than all that – they are HARD TO FIND in high grade newsstand condition. The combination of popular, cool and hard to find adds up to your Diamonds in the Rough. Swimsuit covers from 1964 thru 1979 began a run of remarkable photography with world class models (esp Tiegs) often imitated but never duplicated. The colorful solid borders, rainbow stripes, prime colored suits and tropical ocean back drops are rarely well preserved. In most cases, they are thoroughly read adding to potential wear. If you can find even one of these issues, let alone two or three or maybe a complete set (although I doubt many exist) you are a lucky collector – it’s a great registry. I predict that as collectors become aware of the scarcity and potential value here, swimsuit covers will rival and in some cases surpass the values of your favorite athletes. That is why I advise not to limit your collection and I hope this inside information serves you well.
High grade, newsstand issues from the 80’s are also fairly tough but nowhere near as hard as earlier swimsuits. After the 25th year commemorative swimsuit issue in 1989, swimsuit covers became relatively common.
So start collecting high grade, newsstand, early SI swimsuit issues and you’ll have something your other collector friends don’t have – and that’s a nice positon.
Great collecting to you and up with Sports Illustrated!
