PSA-Graded Copy of Michael Jordan's First Sports Illustrated Cover Sells for $229,360, Shattering Previous Record
Plus: Interesting sales closer to Earth, some extremely 1999 covers, and beautiful artwork on the new SI Kids
That escalated quickly!
Last week, we wondered what might happen if this graded copy of Michael Jordan’s first Sports Illustrated cover broke the record for highest sale of a graded magazine. At nearly $230,000, the PSA 9.6 slab raised the bar by more than $100K, perhaps Mike’s most significant shatter since that backboard in Italy.
The sale is already being covered on sites like Darren Rovell’s cllct, with more mainstream headlines sure to trickle in once the work week gets started.
So what should we expect in our once-quiet little corner of the sports collecting world? I have some guesses:
If you grade magazines purely for resale, it’s time to do so exclusively with PSA. This sale — combined with other recent examples of the so-called PSA premium — buries CGC-graded sports magazines in the same category BGS occupies in trading cards. We’ll still see big sales of high-end CGC slabs (they did have a 15-year head start, after all), but a lot of blue labels will be exchanged for red, and the vast majority of new sports mag submissions will be sent to PSA.
Even if you don’t deal in graded mags, you can still expect to pay more for vintage Sports Illustrated issues and all notable Michael Jordan covers, at least in the short term. There are more buyers today than there were yesterday, and they’re already on the hunt.
More raw magazines will surface. The headlines will trigger attic-digging from people who know they have old issues laying around, but don’t necessarily want to go through the rigmarole of researching and getting them graded. Moreso than usual, garage sales and eBay could be bountiful this spring.
We should also reiterate the possibility of more bad actors entering the space. Things could get hairy on eBay.
Subscription issues with address labels cleanly removed will be marketed as newsstand copies, with lighting and focus positioned so residue is difficult to detect in listing photos. Suspiciously clean autographs on vintage magazines will start popping up, unauthenticated and for bargain prices. And maybe — just maybe — some reprehensible paper expert will go through the trouble of counterfeiting an entire 100-page magazine covered in color ink.
(That last one seems far-fetched, but the point remains. We should all be careful out there!)
More six-figure sales are on the way. Dozens of graded grails have never come to auction, including high-grade first covers of Mickey Mantle, Muhammad Ali, Wayne Gretzky, Larry Bird, Tiger Woods, and others. If any whale collectors decide to unlock their safes and sell into this cycle of attention, we’ll see all sorts of player- and publication-specific records.
As Peabo Bryson and Regine Belle once said, we’re in a whole new world.
Other Notable Sales
⚽ Lionel Messi’s first Sports Illustrated cover graded CGC 9.8 sells for $31,270
The secondary headline from a record-breaking night of graded mags on Goldin belongs to this modern classic variant cover. With baby blue titling and the GOAT draped in the Argentinian flag, Lionel Messi’s first appearance on a flagship SI looks as if it was designed with CGC’s label in mind.
There was an indication this sole top pop would draw a very large number. In October, a CGC 9.0 copy sold for $6,100 on Goldin when there were already 12 copies with higher grades in the CGC Population Report.
I’m not a soccer guy, but even I know Messi is massive beyond rational thought. PSA 8 copies of his Panini rookie card sit in the $30K price range, with a PSA 10 hitting $1.5 million six months ago. This sale may also draw attention to Messi’s earlier non-SIs, such as his 2005 El Grafico cover with Ronaldinho, a 2009 FourFourTwo in Argentina blue, a 2012 TIME portrait, even an oversized 2009 ESPN The Magazine, a copy of which sold this morning on eBay.
🏀 Wilt Chamberlain’s first Sports Illustrated sells for $500
Yours truly tried to pull the ol’, “Watch the listing and hope the seller immediately offers me a discount” move with this one. Another (wiser) buyer chose not to play games, and bought this beauty for the full fixed price.
Only 25 newsstand copies of Wilt’s SI debut have been graded by CGC, with just one in the PSA pop report so far.
🏀 Michael Jordan’s first Sports Illustrated graded CGC 7.0 sells for $2,025
Hopefully we were wrong last week about this slab, and the buyer is happy with their purchase. 😬 But I have a feeling we may be seeing these same listing photos back on eBay in short order.
What We’re Watching
📸 Summer 2002 Photographer’s Forum graded PSA 9.6 on Goldin
This stunning cover shot of mid-three-peat Kobe Bryant has another NBA connection: The photo was taken at the home of courtside fixture James Goldstein.
The Sheats-Goldstein Residence has been featured in several music videos, TV shows, and movies, from The Big Lebowski to Selling Sunset. It is almost as recognizable in Los Angeles as the silhouette of Kobe himself.
This PSA 9.6 copy was originally listed on eBay for an exorbitant Buy-it-Now price, so I’m happy to see it pop up for auction on Goldin. The pool of potential buyers is likely limited to Kobe super collectors based on LA, but this cover captures those two things so well that a few of them may decide it’s a must-have mag.
🐅 Shaq’s first Sports Illustrated cover in a CGC 9.0 on eBay
eBay sellers with stones can occasionally reap (moderate) rewards with $0.99 starting bid auctions ending in prime time on Sunday nights. With 30+ watchers and six bids already, this Shaq first SI is guaranteed to sell — probably for a good price — while other copies in similar grades sit stale, with fewer watchers, awaiting offers.
🥊 Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquaio dual SI cover for $30 OBO on eBay
When these two fought in 2015, it was about five years two late. Eleven years later, I’d be more interested in their rematch if it was taking place in Sphere rather than the Sphere.
Still, Floyd and Manny defined their era of boxing, and this flip cover promoting their initial showdown gives them both the full-page treatment they deserve. It’s Manny’s only Sports Illustrated cover appearance (so far), while Floyd loomed behind (much to his chagrin, I’m sure) Oscar De La Hoya on another megafight preview issue.
🎤 The Source Sports June 2000 featuring Kobe Bryant on eBay
Hip-hop magazine The Source — like SLAM before it — was so hot in the late ’90s that starting a spin-off publication seemed like a great idea. And given some of the extremely 1999 covers they produced in that brief window, I’d argue it was!
If I win this auction, I may choose a grading service based on which will accommodate the slab label note, “Only Kobe Bryant magazine cover where his hands are on fire.”
Release Radar: Ohtani and Vlad Jr. on the cover of Sports Illustrated Kids
Cuban mixed media artist Lisett Ledón delivered the goods for the latest issue of Sports Illustrated Kids, depicting the big blue tank Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (maybe) barreling one off a towering, overwhelming Shohei Ohtani, just as he did in Game 4 of last year’s World Series.
Since Ohtani’s first cover appearance six years ago, SI Kids has minimized the “Kids” in their branding to the point that some covers can easily be mistaken for flagship SIs. While this is probably bad for getting more children into reading and sports, I suppose it’s good for the adults who collect magazines with cool covers like this one. Please don’t look at me weird if you see me with five of these at the Barnes & Noble checkout!
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