Welcome to my Sports Illustrated/TIME magazine blog – Your collector’s guide to the latest hobby updates and insight into what’s trending now.
May, 2018 is proving to be the Graded validation month for Sports Illustrated and TIME magazines. First, the international publication of Sports Collector’s Digest has chosen to print a feature on the graded phenomenon, propelling Graded SI’s into the national spotlight. Second, the two largest Graded SI and TIME auctions ever, close for bidding 5-10-18 and 5-18-18 respectively. And third, Graded SI’s are featured on the cover of Huggins’ May 10th auction catalog. Not bad for the graded neophyte!
In advance of presenting my opinions on the two upcoming May graded auctions, I’d like to briefly re-state my cause behind all the blogs, pubs, auctions, etc. I began blogging one year ago in an effort to bring fellow SI collectors together and to establish a forum for questions, insights, stories, as well as exposing hobby trends and nuances. I wanted to communicate the stuff I learned the hard way. This is blog #22 and if you are new to the site SportsIllustrated.com, I invite you to go back and catch up on where the hobby has been, where it’s headed, and the accuracy of my hobby predictions. Regarding my blog opinions and advice, the best verification of my sincerity is that I follow my own advice. I also buy, sell, and trade SI’s and TIME mags as a business. In the past year, my business has grown in large part because I live my advice.
I have developed a sincere interest and desire on the part of the two auction houses who are now not only interested, but anxious for my consignments. I promote my consignments because they are consistent with every word of every blog I have written. I want my followers to be presented with the hobby trends ahead of the curve – which brings me to today’s subject – The Huggins Graded SI auction.
I have consigned 36 of the most popular, highest graded SI’s in existence. Nearly all submissions are first covers or special events with the highest grade, or one of the highest grades, of that issue. My last blog (#21), covered the current grading situation which is moving toward lower and lower grades on comparable items allowing older graded items an increased chance of being and staying the highest grade. The 5-10-18 Huggins auction offers some of the most difficult, hardest to find, high grade, newsstand Sport Illustrated known to the hobby. Search Ebay “Sports Illustrated” and you will find 117,000 auctions – but NOT ONE will have a higher grade of that issue than ANY of the 36 items in the Huggins auction.
My opinion – I know the population of graded issues and this auction will not be duplicated in its breadth or depth of quality and value perhaps ever again. If you are like me and you research past auctions, you find unbelievable deals that you missed. Don’t miss this one.
Here are a few examples of the “None Higher” FIRST COVER items up for auction:
- 1954 #1 – 9.8 w Baseball Cards
- 1954 #2 – 9.4 w Baseball Cards
- 1955 Al Rosen – 9.0 w Baseball Cards
- 1969 Hank Aaron – 8.0
- 1956 Paul Hornung – 9.4
- Wilt Chamberlain – 8.0
Here are just a few examples of very high grade first covers included:
- Willie Mays
- Jim Brown
- Cassius Clay
- Bart Starr
- Roberto Clemente
- Henry Aaron
- John Elway
- Tom Brady
- Peyton Manning
- Rocky Marciano
- Joe Namath
- 1980 Olympic Hockey
- Gary Player
- Duke Snider
- Yogi Berra
- Carl Yastrzemski
There are 14 more, high grade, SI’s included but not mentioned here.
Here is the Huggins auction link https://hugginsandscott.com/cgi-bin/consign.pl
Take a look at these auctions and try to remember any previous auctions, recent or long ago, where you have seen grades this high and best of luck bidding.
I hope you are enjoying the reads on the history of TIME and SI magazines as well as an insight into relevant magazine collecting.
Great collecting to you and best fortunes with Sports Illustrated/TIME!