Resources for Sports Magazine Collectors
Updated 2/10/2026
This page is intended to serve as a living resource hub for sports magazine collectors. If you have something you think should be included, please send us a DM!
Note: I don’t receive any commission for purchases through links to any products or services listed below. Just sharing resources I’ve found useful.
Cover Archives
An indispensable resource for SI collectors, SportsIllustratedIssues.com lives up to its billing as “the worlds largest and most comprehensive catalog for Sports Illustrated Issues collectors”. Search by player, team, or sport to find detailed information for every cover from 1954 through 2020 — including international and special issues.
This official SI website is designed to sell posters and prints, rather than act as a exhaustive, sortable cover archive. Still, if you know what cover you’re looking for, this is probably the best place to find a high-quality image.
No sports magazine has done a better job of preserving their history than SLAM. For $15.94/year, you get access to every page of every SLAM ever printed. Features, posters, Kicks, Trash Talk, D-Band ads, all of it. To call the SLAM Digital Archive a treasure trove of basketball nostalgia wouldn’t be doing it justice.
No bells and whistles here. Just every SLAM cover — variants included — presented in chronological order.
Similar to SI’s archive, The SPORT Gallery focuses on commerce rather than historical preservation. Sorting and filtering functions are limited, but a seemingly complete collection of SPORT covers is available, organized by decade. A sister site provides a brief history of the magazine from its 1946 launch to millennium-era shuttering.
Though America’s oldest sports publication is a shell of what it once was, the current ownership group seems intent on preserving its long history. Every cover (and seemingly every page) since SN’s debut in 1886 is accessible with a free account.
ESPN The Magazine Cover Gallery (partial)
This zombie webpage from 2002 is still up and running, but who knows for how long. To see ESPN The Mag covers from 1998 through March 2003, adjust the last two numbers in the URL to correspond with the year you’re looking for.
ESPN The Magazine Cover Slideshows (partial)
A more complete archive of ESPN The Mag covers exists on a newer website, though the slideshows don’t seem to load on all browsers. The following years are available as of February 2026: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017
A work in progress, the TIME Vault has links to digital recreations of most articles, and scans of some issues in their entirety. Click here to see sports covers from 1923 through 1975.
The recently unveiled Ring archives are as impressive as any listed here. Every page of every issue of the magazine’s 102-year history is available — and searchable — for free. Other publications would do well to preserve their history in a similar fashion.
Through their back issue store, Beckett has a nearly complete (front) cover archive. On the header menu, select a sport, hover over “Single Issues”, then click “[Sport] Single Issues”.
Collector’s Groups
Facebook: CGC/PSA Sports Illustrated - the graded Sports Illustrated collectors group
At more than 1,300 members, this is the largest and most active group dedicated to graded sports magazines. Join, ask questions, and learn from both new and longtime collectors. Buying and selling is encouraged!
Creators
James aka @cgcsportsillustrated
Creator of the aforementioned Facebook group, James regularly posts unboxing videos, pressing before-and-afters, and panel discussions with fellow collectors. Stumbling upon one of his social posts is how I discovered graded magazines.
Sports Magazines and History (YouTube)
This channel more broadly covers the magazine collecting hobby, with occasional deep dives on specific issues and analysis of auction results.
Sports Illustrated 9.8 (Blog)
Longtime collector John Wyllie has tracked trends in this space since 2017. Scroll back a few years and you’ll find predictions that proved way ahead of their time.
Graded Population Reports
A recent update to their tool makes it slightly better looking, but seemingly less useful. You may need to enter the date as well as the publication name to find the grades you’re looking for.
PSA’s relatively new magazine Pop Report is a little unwieldy, but pretty slick once you get the hang of it. Click the drop-down on any issue entry to see totals broken down by subscription and newsstand editions.
Auction Houses, Sourcing Sites, and Sales Data
The behemoth, no explanation needed. To search recent sales, click “Advanced” near the search bar, then scroll down and check the box next to “Sold items”. (Note: Items sold via Best Offer will not show the final price accurately.)
The Netflix newbies (relative to other platforms, anyway), Goldin was the first create a separate category for graded magazines. They’ve promoted major pieces on social media and seem dedicated to the category long-term. Khyber Oser, Goldin’s Director of Vintage Memorabilia and Photography, is enthusiastic about magazines, comparing their appeal to that of Type 1 photos.
The highest sale price for a graded magazine — a CGC 9.8 of Michael Jordan’s “A Star Is Born” Sports Illustrated — was realized through Heritage Auctions. Goldin has since made a push to become the destination for graded mag auctions, but there always seem to be a few dozen listed on Heritage. With a free account, their auction results are fully searchable back to 2001.
A sports-focused auction site, Pristine usually has a handful of graded mags listed. Worth visiting if you really want to cover all your bases.
Garage Sale Finder and EstateSales.net
The desire to find buried treasure at a garage sale is hardwired into the DNA of every collector. Both sites are great tools for discovering sales in your area, while EstateSales.net also has online listings and email alerts available.
130point and WorthPoint
Where eBay falls short with sales data, these third-party sites deliver. Both services show accurate auction results from multiple platforms (including items sold via eBay Best Offer), with data from listings older than eBay’s recent sales window. 130point is free, while WorthPoint requires a paid subscription for full access.
GoCollect has embraced the magazine category, tracking big sales and trending issues on a dedicated tab in their app. The combined cert lookup tool isn’t fully synced with PSA’s data yet, but expect that to be sorted out soon. Subscription required for full access.
This brick-and-mortar shop just outside Toronto always has a fun selection of graded magazines available for purchase online. Shipping is free with the purchase of two or more items.
Storage Solutions
Superior Fit Innovations Graded Magazine Slab Sleeves
This Canadian-based company makes perfect fit sleeves for just about every trading card, comic book, and magazine case you can imagine. When you order from Superior Fit, you know you’re getting the best product available and great customer service, a statement I was not paid to make.
Casematix Graded Magazine Storage Case (CGC slabs only)
Heavy duty nylon with Velcro enclosures, these cases get the job done. Casematix offers more durable options designed for CGC comic book slabs, but not yet for magazines. We’ll update this space if they design something to fit PSA magazine slabs, which are taller than CGC’s.
BCW Magazine Bags and Boards
BCW Magazine Storage Boxes
Display Products
At $6-$10 each, the price of these plastic brackets does leave something to be desired. But they function well as adjustable wall mounts or simple tabletop stands.
Sports Illustrated Magazine Display Stand (eBay)
A newer 3D-printed stand I just noticed on eBay. I don’t have personal experience with this one.
Shipping Supplies
Gemini Comic Supply cardboard magazine mailers
These aren’t cheap (they cost about $1.00-$1.60 each before shipping, depending on quantity), but if you sell a lot of raw magazines online, it’s worth the time saved not cutting cardboard pieces to size.
Tape Logic Corrugated Cardboard Boxes
When shipping graded slabs, I use the 16” x 12” x 4” boxes and pack them with bubble cushioning or the packing paper linked below.
Tenby Living Newsprint Packing Paper
Consistency is key when shipping slabs, and having plenty of packing paper on hand ensures your customer’s slab will arrive intact.