Happy New Year to Everyone!  It’s going to be a great year for SI/TIME collectors.

Welcome to my 14th in a series of Sports Illustrated informational reviews.

Did you ever think about having your CGC graded, encapsulated SI’s signed?  It’s not as farfetched as it may seem.  And it could be very profitable too.  Hasn’t it always been about having something the other guy wants but doesn’t have?

If you are planning to attend a signing and you don’t already have a high quality, raw SI (or graded copy) for signing, make sure you take the time to buy/secure one.  So many of us are last minute planners and skip this step only to regret it later.  One way to secure a high quality SI is to buy one already graded.   You will appreciate the quality of your signed pieces for years to come so a little effort on the front end will be worth it over time.

Step 1:  In advance of the signing, secure a raw, high quality, unsigned SI (or buy one graded), and have it graded.

Step 2:  If it grades up to your expectations, break open the encapsulation, remove your SI, and protect it with a plastic sleeve and oversized cardboard on both sides.

Step 3:  Personally deliver your piece to the signing, have it signed, re-package as before and resubmit for grading.

Understand that grading is subjective and a new grade may return marginally higher or lower than the original.  Resubmitting for grading will cost $50 and is a risk/effort few collectors are willing to take which significantly reduces POP numbers.  Little risk, little reward.

If a certified signature potentially increases the value of a raw SI and a CGC grade potentially increases the value of a raw SI, how is the value impacted if the SI is signed AND graded?  Firsthand experience tells me signed/graded SI’s (especially top tier grades and signers) realize higher sell prices – 50-100% higher depending on the cover and signature.  If you believe your signed SI’s would return a high CGC grade, it makes investment sense to have it graded but remember, grading is a double edged sword – a low grade hurts the value as well.

The process of buying raw (or CGC graded) SIs, having them graded, breaking open the encapsulation, having them signed, and resubmitting for grade might seem like a risky proposition but if you are interested in collecting the highest grade, signed SI’s, this is one option to consider.  Lots of collectors have signed SI’s.  More and more collectors have graded SI’s.  Very few collectors have both in one package.  Think about it.

If you have further questions on this topic feel free to write at [email protected].

Great collecting to you and best fortunes with Sports Illustrated/TIME!