Early Ohtani Cover Tops $40K as Rare Vintage Grails Finally Hit Auction | Market Report 4.15.26
Plus: Another five-figure Ohtani sale looms, and some accessible vintage newsstands hit eBay
Last week, between Goldin’s March Elite Auction and Weekly Auction ending April 9, twenty-five graded magazines sold for at least $1,000, totaling $176,935. Six slabs topped $10,000, including several high-grade vintage first covers and another record-breaking early Ohtani.
Scroll to review the results and check out some graded and ungraded pieces available for bid this week!
Top Sales
$40,383 CGC 9.6 Hochi High School November 2012 Shohei Ohtani *Top Pop* (Goldin)
While not his first Hochi High School cover, at 9.6 it is in a class of its own condition-wise among early Ohtani magazines. That’s not just a high grade for this particular issue, it’s a exceptional for any 2012 Ohtani cover: Among the 25 slabbed by CGC and PSA so far, only two other copies have achieved grades higher than 9.0 — a PSA 9.2 Hochi High School Baseball from March 2012, and a CGC 9.6 Baseball Magazine Draft Candidate Supplement.
If you’re curious about where this issue sits chronologically among Ohtani’s 2012 cover appearances, check out this post.
$22,265 CGC 9.0 Sports Illustrated Jun. 10, 1963 Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) 1st cover (Goldin)
One of the greatest examples of The Greatest’s first SI, this cover story previews a 21-year-old Ali’s final bout before making Sonny Liston quit on his stool nine months later in Miami. This copy is now the new champ of Ali sales, besting a $13,200 transaction for a CGC 9.2 in 2022.
$17,202 CGC 9.2 Sports Illustrated Oct. 25, 1965 Bill Russell 1st cover *Top Pop* (Goldin)
The power of the top pop on full display. Of the 21 graded newsstand copies of this issue, only this one is above a 9.0. A CGC 8.5 realized $1,769 last fall on Heritage, while mid- and low-grade copies can usually be had for just a few hundred bucks.
$17,080 PSA 8.0 Sports Illustrated Nov. 28, 1983 Michael Jordan 1st cover (Goldin)
In October, two different CGC 8.0 examples of this issue each sold for about one-third this price: $5,856 on Goldin and $4,636 on Heritage.
$12,505 CGC 9.2 Sports Illustrated Nov. 28, 1977 Larry Bird 1st cover (Goldin)
Like the Ali and Russell covers above, high-grade copies of this iconic issue rarely show up at auction. If we combine the CGC and PSA pop reports, this copy is a pop four with four graded higher.
The previous record for this issue was likely set in December, when PSA 8.5 sold for $6,000 via eBay Best Offer.
$6,527 PSA 9.8 Sports Illustrated Aug. 16, 1954 1st Issue Eddie Mathews *Top Pop* (Goldin)
$6,100 PSA 6.0 Sports Illustrated Feb. 18, 2002 LeBron James 1st cover w/ authenticated auto (Goldin)
$4,118 PSA 9.8 Sports Illustrated Mar. 27, 1995 Michael Jordan “I’m Back” *Top Pop* (Goldin)
$3,843 PSA 9.6 Sports Illustrated Nov. 17, 1986 Michael Jordan “One-Man Gang” (Subscription) (Goldin)
I’m curious about collectors preferences regarding subscription issues. For buyers of high-end subscription issues, is there a significant price difference between labeled and label removed copies? Is any consideration given to the idea that subscription issues were more likely to be handled roughly — stuffed into mailboxes, read thoroughly by subscribers — thus making high-grades relatively rarer than newsstand copies?
Some purists might be abhorred by the idea of label removal, which could be considered a form of alteration. I personally don’t mind it (so long as the seller is up front about it, of course). To me, a random person’s name and address only distracts from the story told by the cover itself.
$3,721 PSA 9.4 Sports Illustrated Nov. 19, 2018 Patrick Mahomes 1st cover w/ PSA 10 auto (Goldin)
$3,465 CGC 6.5 Sports Illustrated Apr. 29, 1985 Hulk Hogan 1st cover w/ JSA authenticated auto (eBay Best Offer†)
$2,795 CGC 9.8 Sports Illustrated Feb. 18, 2002 LeBron James 1st cover *Top Pop* (eBay Fixed Price†)
$2,503 CGC 7.5 Sports Illustrated Nov. 28, 1983 Michael Jordan 1st cover (eBay)
$2,440 CGC 8.0 Weekly Baseball Sep. 24, 2012 Shohei Ohtani *Top Pop* (Goldin)
$2,379 CGC 9.2 Sports Illustrated Apr. 5, 1965 Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer *Top Pop* (Goldin)
$2,318 CGC 9.4 Sports Illustrated Sep. 10, 1990 Barry Sanders 1st cover (Goldin)
Every day I wake up regretting the fact that I cracked a CGC 9.4 copy of this issue, only to receive a 9.0 from PSA.
$2,125 CGC 9.2 Sports Illustrated Sep. 10, 1990 Barry Sanders 1st cover (eBay Best Offer†)
This issue sold April 7. If only the buyer could have waited a few more days, they could have picked up a nicer copy for less than 10% more! (Unless the same person bought both, in which case, good on them and go Lions.)
$1,901 PSA 9.6 Sports Illustrated Jan. 30, 1989 Jerry Rice 1st cover (Goldin)
$1,848 CGC 8.0 Weekly Baseball Feb. 8, 2012 Shohei Ohtani *Top Pop* (Goldin)
$1,800 CGC 9.8 Sports Illustrated July 5, 1993 Mike Piazza 1st cover *Top Pop* (Goldin)
$1,800 PSA 9.4 Sports Illustrated Apr. 28, 1986 Dominique Wilkins 1st cover *Top Pop* (Goldin)
$1,769 PSA 9.6 Sports Illustrated Feb. 18, 2002 LeBron James 1st cover (Goldin)
$1,586 CGC 5.5 TIME Sep. 10, 1923 Jack Dempsey 1st cover *Top Pop* (Goldin)
Not something you see every day! Heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey was the first athlete to appear on the cover of TIME more than a century ago, six months after the magazine’s debut.
$1,550 CGC 9.4 Sports Illustrated Aug. 16, 1954 1st Issue Eddie Mathews (eBay Best Offer†)
$1,464 CGC 9.0 Sports Illustrated Dec. 28, 1987 Michael Jordan “Pictures ’87” (Goldin)
$1,400 CGC 7.5 Sports Illustrated July 19, 1965 Joe Namath 1st cover (eBay Best Offer†)
$1,348 PSA 9.6 Sports Illustrated July 7, 1997 Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield *Top Pop* (Goldin)
$1,100 CGC 8.5 Sports Illustrated Dec. 28, 1987 Michael Jordan “Pictures ’87” (eBay Best Offer†)
† Price confirmed via 130point
Other Notable Sales
$995 CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated Aug. 27, 2012 Mike Trout 1st cover (eBay Fixed Price)
$885 CGC 8.0 Sports Illustrated Apr. 1, 1968 Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) (Goldin)
$861 PSA 9.6 Sports Illustrated May 4, 1992 Barry Bonds 1st cover *Top Pop* (Goldin)
$807 CGC 8.5 Sports Illustrated Feb. 18, 1991 “Dream Team” (eBay Best Offer†)
$750 CGC 9.2 Sports Illustrated Feb. 18, 2002 LeBron James 1st cover (eBay Best Offer†)
$732 CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated Aug. 26, 1996 Peyton Manning 1st cover (Goldin)
$725 CGC 9.8 Sports Illustrated Nov. 19, 1990 Larry Johnson 1st cover and Stacey Augmon *Top Pop* (eBay Best Offer†)
The issue might be a 9.8, but the couture is a 10. I’m imagining Stacey and Larry in the local haberdashery just before the shoot — LJ requesting the most mustard pea coat available while Tark sits to the side, ready to write the check.
$702 CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated Mar. 9, 1998 Allen Iverson 1st cover *Top Pop* (Goldin)
$700 CGC 9.2 Sports Illustrated Oct. 21, 1996 Derek Jeter 1st cover w/ JSA authenticated auto (eBay Best Offer†)
$698 PSA 6.0 Sports Illustrated June 18, 1956 Mickey Mantle 1st cover (Subscription) (eBay Fixed Price)
$640 CGC 8.5 Sports Illustrated Apr. 2, 1979 Magic Johnson (eBay)
$600 CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated July 31, 2006 Tiger Woods (eBay Fixed Price)
$501 CGC 9.2 Sports Illustrated Aug. 16, 1954 1st Issue Eddie Mathews (eBay)
$500 CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated April 22-29, 2019 Tiger Woods (eBay Best Offer†)
An immediately collectible magazine upon its release, this double issue of SI is tough to find in top condition. Of 88 copies graded by CGC and PSA, onlytwo are 9.8s.
$463 PSA 4.5 SPORT August 1949 Jackie Robinson 1st cover (eBay)
This is a pretty big number for a cover with paper loss across the publication title. Last year on Goldin, a CGC 5.0, another CGC 5.0, and a CGC 4.0 could all be had for less than the price of this PSA 4.5.
$458 CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated Jul. 29, 1991 Cal Ripken Jr. 1st solo cover *Top Pop* (Goldin)
$450 CGC 9.4 Sports Illustrated June 22, 1998 Michael Jordan “The Shot” (eBay Best Offer†)
$440 CGC 8.5 Sports Illustrated Oct. 29, 1984 Bill Russell and Larry Bird (eBay Best Offer†)
$425 CGC 9.2 Sports Illustrated Apr. 17, 1998 Kobe Bryant 1st cover w/ Magic Johnson (eBay Fixed Price)
$400 PSA 6.0 Sports Illustrated Aug. 5, 1991 “The Black Athlete” Michael Jordan inset (eBay Best Offer†)
Of Michael Jordan’s 50 SI cover appearances, this is surely the least-visually appealing. Only MJ’s head appears in a sepia-toned inset, with an anonymous monochromatic torso taking center stage. But Jordan completionists are apparently willing to pay big bucks to secure even a mid-grade copy like this one.
$337 CGC 9.2 Sports Illustrated Nov. 19, 1986 David Robinson 1st cover *Top Pop* (Goldin)
$267 Sports Illustrated Oct. 28, 1996 Tiger Woods 1st cover (eBay)
eBay auctions for ungraded issues really get my juices flowing. I wish we saw more like this!
$104 CGC 9.8 SLAM #254 Feb.-Mar. 2024 Gold Metal Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo 1st covers (eBay)
After taxes and shipping, this might be less than the original buyer paid for the raw magazine.
$63 CGC 9.0 Sports Illustrated Mar. 4, 1996 Dennis Rodman “Best Rebounder Ever?” (eBay)
I was a bidder on this one, and was surprised by a $200+ bid in the closing seconds. Naturally, that bid was later retracted, resulting in a more rational sale price. Now that eBay finally instituted a policy making all auctions final, hopefully we see fewer of these instances.
† Price confirmed via 130point
Auctions Ending This Week
eBay
Ends Wed. 4/15 at 5:10pm ET: Hoop NBA Yearbook ’89 Michael Jordan
I love this cover, and deeply regret selling my only copy early last year. Remorse may force me into the bidding for this copy.
Ends Thu. 4/16 at 8:43pm ET: Sports Illustrated Oct. 18, 1993 Michael Jordan “Why?”
Ends Thu. 4/16 at 8:44pm ET: Sports Illustrated Mar. 14, 1994 Michael Jordan “Bag It, Michael!”
Ends Thu. 4/16 at 10:44pm ET: PSA 9.2 Sports Illustrated Apr. 16, 2001 Tiger Woods “Masterpiece”
Ends Fri. 4/17 at 7:14pm ET: Sports Illustrated Aug. 1, 1955 Ted Williams 1st cover
This seller has dozens of newsstand SIs available — some auctions ending this week, others available for purchase in the $40-$90 range. There’s a lot of variety, so I recommend taking a look when you have the chance.
Ends Sat. 4/18 at 6:24pm ET: Sport Life June 1950 Jackie Robinson
Ends Sat. 4/18 at 8:14pm ET: Sports Illustrated May 7, 1990 Ken Griffey Jr. 1st cover
Ends Sun. 4/19 at 2:47pm ET: CGC 8.0 Sports Illustrated Oct. 28, 1996 Tiger Woods 1st cover
Goldin
Fifty-nine graded magazines are available in Goldin’s Weekly Auction ending Thursday, April 16 at 10pm ET, headlined by a newly minted Ohtani top pop.
Shohei Ohtani
PSA 9.2 Hochi High School Mar. 15, 2012 Shohei Ohtani 1st cover *Top Pop*
Just a month ago, the top pop copy of this issue at the time sold for $16,470, then the record price for an Ohtani cover. This auction is sure to exceed that number, if only so the buyer of the PSA 9.0 protects the value of their purchase.
PSA 8.5 Weekly Baseball May 21, 2012 Shohei Ohtani *Top Pop*
CGC 9.2 Weekly Baseball Dec. 6, 2021 Shohei Ohtani *Top Pop*
CGC 9.2 Weekly Baseball Mar. 13, 2023 Shohei Ohtani
CGC 9.6 Weekly Baseball Apr. 10, 2023 Shohei Ohtani *Top Pop*
CGC 9.2 AERA Mar. 31, 2025 Shohei Ohtani *Top Pop*
Baseball
CGC 6.0 SPORT August 1949 Jackie Robinson 1st cover
There are a surprising number of copies — 60! — of this 77-year-old SPORT debut for Jackie Robinson. A PSA 4.5 sold for $463 last week at auction on eBay.
CGC 4.5 TIME Sept. 22, 1947 Jackie Robinson 1st cover
CGC 4.0 SPORT April 1953 Mickey Mantle 1st cover
CGC 5.0 Dell Baseball Annual 1953 Mickey Mantle 1st cover
One of Mickey Mantle’s earliest covers, this cover uses a color version of the same photo from Mantle’s first magazine cover appearance, the August 1951 issue of Baseball Magazine. Like the Jackie Robinson SPORT, it’s another example of a very old non-SI with a relatively large population of graded copies. This CGC 5.0 is a pop four with 26 graded higher.
CGC 8.0 Sports Illustrated May 7, 1990 Ken Griffey Jr. 1st cover
Basketball
CGC 9.8 Sports Illustrated Mar. 27, 1995 Michael Jordan “I’m Back” *Top Pop*
Last week, a PSA 9.8 copy of this issue sold for $4,118, also on Goldin.
CGC 8.5 Sports Illustrated Dec. 10, 1984 Michael Jordan 1st pro cover (Subscription)
In January, a CGC 8.5 copy of this issue sold for $1,252 on Goldin.
PSA 9.2 Inside Sports May 1990 Michael Jordan 1st solo cover
CGC 9.6 1994 Birmingham Barons Collector’s Edition Michael Jordan (Program)
PSA 5.5 Off Duty: Hawaii Dec. 1992 Michael Jordan
CGC 9.6 SLAM #247 Dec. 2023-Jan. 2024 Gold Metal Victor Wembanyama
Football
CGC 9.2 Sports Illustrated Jan. 26, 1987 Lawrence Taylor 1st solo cover
CGC 7.5 Sports Illustrated Apr. 15, 2002 Tom Brady 1st cover
CGC 9.4 Sports Illustrated Presents Feb. 13, 2002 Tom Brady 1st cover
Other Sports
CGC 8.0 Sports Illustrated Oct. 13, 1975 Muhammad Ali/Joe Frazier “Thrilla in Manila”
PSA 9.2 Sports Illustrated Feb. 6, 1989 Mario Lemieux 1st cover
Heritage
Sports Illustrated Nov. 28, 1983 Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins 1st cover w/ signatures
CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated Feb. 18, 1991 “Dream Team”
CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated May 21, 1990 Michael Jordan “Show Time!”
CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated June 10, 1991 Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan
CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated Nov. 18, 1991 Magic Johnson
CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated Oct. 21, 1996 Derek Jeter 1st cover
CGC 9.2 Black Sports April 1971 Lew Alcindor and Oscar Robertson Premier Issue
Release Radar: Stephon Castle on the cover of SLAM
Paired with speedy veteran De’Aaron Fox in the Spurs backcourt, 21-year-old Stephon Castle is a high-flying defensive menace who has taken another step since securing ROTY honors last year. He’s one to watch in a playoffs poised to showcase San Antonio beyond just Wembanyama.
Based on a cursory review of their gallery, I’m pretty sure this is the first SLAM cover with a fuschia background.
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