Shohei Ohtani's Hochi High School Debut Cover Tops $18K at Auction | Market Report 4.22.26
Plus: Price differences among MJ 9.8s, Muhammad Ali's first Ring cover, and thoughts on slabbed single pages
The Shohei Ohtani magazine gold rush is on.
For the second week in a row, magazines featuring the modern day Babe Ruth sold for more than $25,000 at auction. The latest five-figure sale belongs to the new top pop copy of his first appearance on the cover of Hochi High School Baseball.
For those of us that search daily for ungraded hidden gems, the chase for previously unknown early Ohtani covers has added a thrilling new wrinkle to the hobby of sports magazine collecting. But as the frenzy builds and more issues emerge, we should probably be skeptical of definitive declarations about their scarcity.
Last summer, cllct founder Darren Rovell picked up a copy of the March Hochi issue at The National and stated there were “maybe 10” in existence. I’m not sure where he got that number. As of this writing, PSA has graded eight, three ungraded copies sold in the last two months on eBay, three others are up for auction on JDirectItems, and one raw copy is currently available on eBay. Surely there are dozens — if not hundreds — more copies of this particular issue waiting to be uncovered in Japan.
We know vintage newsstand magazines are rare, especially compared to sports cards. But there’s no need to toss around minuscule, disprovable numbers to make that point. Or worse — to hype one’s own holdings.
Good luck to all the Ohtani cover hunters out there. The next few years are going to be fun.
Top Sales
$18,300 PSA 9.2 Hochi High School March 2012 Shohei Ohtani 1st cover *Top Pop*
Five weeks ago, a PSA 9.0 copy of this issue — the top pop at the time — sold for $16,470, then the record price for an Ohtani cover. As more ungraded copies surface on Japanese auction sites, perhaps there was some hesitation among the bidders in this range to push this PSA 9.2 past $20K. (I don’t play in this price range, so that’s pure speculation on my part.)
$3,306 Hochi High School March 2012 Shohei Ohtani 1st cover (JDirectItems Auctions)
If the buyer is in the U.S., taxes, tariffs, and shipping costs will drive the true cost of this ungraded piece closer to $4,000.
$2,440 PSA 8.5 Weekly Baseball May 21, 2012 Shohei Ohtani *Top Pop*
According to our research, this is Ohtani’s fourth appearance on the cover of a Weekly Baseball issue, still five months before he was drafted into the NPB.
$1,830 CGC 9.8 Sports Illustrated Mar. 27, 1995 Michael Jordan “I’m Back” *Top Pop*
There is currently a gulf separating sale prices of CGC 9.8 and PSA 9.8 copies of Michael Jordan Sports Illustrated covers. Just last week, a PSA 9.8 copy of this issue sold for $4,118, also on Goldin. Perhaps that copy benefited from the extra eyeballs attracted to the March Elite Auction, but if the trend continues, owners of CGC 9.8 Jordan issues might want to consider crossing over to PSA if they want to maximize their return.
$1,365 CGC 5.0 Sports Illustrated Nov. 28, 1983 Michael Jordan 1st cover (eBay Fixed Price*)
*Price confirmed via 130point.
Other Notable Sales
$793 CGC 8.5 Sports Illustrated Dec. 10, 1984 Michael Jordan 1st pro cover (Subscription) (Goldin)
In January, a CGC 8.5 copy of this issue, also with the label removed, sold for $1,252 on Goldin.
$716 CGC 8.0 Sports Illustrated Oct. 13, 1975 Muhammad Ali/Joe Frazier “Thrilla in Manila” (Goldin)
$700 CGC 9.6 SLAM #247 Dec. 2023-Jan. 2024 Gold Metal Victor Wembanyama (Goldin)
$681 CGC 7.0 Sports Illustrated June 7, 1965 Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston II (Goldin)
Of the many great Ali action shots to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated, this is my personal favorite. It is Ali in full force, with a caption — “The fight you didn’t see” — that references his “phantom punch”, which ended the rematch with Liston. From Tex Maule’s SI cover story that week:
The knockout punch itself was thrown with the amazing speed that differentiates Clay from any other heavyweight. He leaned away from one of Liston's ponderous, pawing left jabs, planted his left foot solidly and whipped his right hand over Liston's left arm and into the side of Liston's jaw. The blow had so much force it lifted Liston's left foot, upon which most of his weight was resting, well off the canvas. It was also powerful enough to drop him instantly—first to his hands and knees and then over on his back.
$626 CGC 9.6 Weekly Baseball Apr. 10, 2023 Shohei Ohtani *Top Pop* (Goldin)
$619 CGC 9.4 Sports Illustrated Presents Feb. 13, 2002 Tom Brady 1st cover (Goldin)
Even with the Elite Auction boost, this is a shocking result. Brady’s first SI cover is a commemorative issue, meaning it’s fairly easy to find in good condition. CGC has graded hundreds of copies, including one 9.4 that sold for just $123 in November on Goldin.
$549 CGC 6.0 SPORT August 1949 Jackie Robinson 1st cover (Goldin)
$427 CGC 4.5 TIME Sept. 22, 1947 Jackie Robinson 1st cover (Goldin)
$415 CGC 8.0 SPORT Oct. 1963 Mickey Mantle (Goldin)
$372 CGC 4.0 SPORT April 1953 Mickey Mantle 1st cover (Goldin)
$305 CGC 9.2 Sports Illustrated Jan. 26, 1987 Lawrence Taylor 1st solo cover (Goldin)
$283 CGC 5.0 Dell Baseball Annual 1953 Mickey Mantle 1st cover (Goldin)
$278 Sports Illustrated Nov. 28, 1978 Magic Johnson 1st cover (eBay)
$277 CGC 7.5 Sports Illustrated Apr. 15, 2002 Tom Brady 1st cover (Goldin)
$239 PSA 9.2 Sports Illustrated Apr. 16, 2001 Tiger Woods “Masterpiece” (eBay)
The top pop in PSA’s census, a 9.4, is already up to $900 on Goldin with more than a day left.
$232 PSA 9.2 Inside Sports May 1990 Michael Jordan 1st solo cover (Goldin)
$207 CGC 9.8 Sports Illustrated Nov. 2020 Bryson DeChambeau 1st cover (Goldin)
I think it’s safe to say Bryson wouldn’t give the bunkers, greens, or rough at LIV Mexico City anything close to 9.8s.
$185 Sports Illustrated Aug. 1, 1955 Ted Williams 1st cover (eBay)
$149 PSA 9.2 Sports Illustrated Feb. 6, 1989 Mario Lemieux 1st cover (Goldin)
$123 CGC 9.4 Sports Illustrated May 15, 1989 Michael Jordan “Raging Bull” (Subscription) (Goldin)
$110 CGC 8.0 Sports Illustrated July 23, 1984 Michael Jordan 2nd cover (Subscription) (Goldin)
$110 CGC 8.0 Sports Illustrated May 7, 1990 Ken Griffey Jr. 1st cover (Goldin)
$57 Sports Illustrated May 7, 1990 Ken Griffey Jr. 1st cover (eBay)
Auctions Ending This Week
eBay
Ends Thurs. 4/23 at 12:34pm ET: Sports Illustrated Nov. 17, 1986 Michael Jordan “One-Man Gang” (Label removed)
Ends Thurs. 4/23 at 10pm ET: SPORT April 1953 Mickey Mantle 1st cover
Ends Sat. 4/25 at 1:35pm ET: Sports Illustrated July 23, 1984 Michael Jordan 2nd cover (Label removed)
Ends Sun. 4/26 at 10:37pm ET: CGC 5.5 Sports Illustrated June 18, 1956 Mickey Mantle 1st cover (Subscription)
Ends Mon. 4/27 at 9pm ET: PSA 8.0 Sports Illustrated April 16, 2001 Tiger Woods “Masterpiece”
Goldin
Nearly 100 graded magazines are available in Goldin’s Weekly Auction ending Thursday, April 23 at 10pm ET. Ten high-end pieces — including Shohei Ohtani’s first appearance on the cover of Weekly Baseball — have been added to their April Elite Auction ending May 9.
CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated Jan. 23, 1984 Wayne Gretzky “Greater and Greater” *Top Pop*
PSA 9.5 Sports Illustrated June 18, 1956 Mickey Mantle 1st cover
CGC 9.4 Sports Illustrated July 14, 1986 Bo Jackson *Top Pop*
PSA 8.5 Dell Basketball Oct. 1957 Premier Issue Wilt Chamberlain 1st cover *Top Pop*
PSA 6.5 The Ring Oct. 1962 Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) 1st cover *Top Pop*
Old Ring issues are incredibly delicate, with many suffering from detached centerfolds and noticeable foxing on their (usually) white back covers featuring Charles Atlas ads. We may never see a high-grade copy of Ali’s first cover appearance, so I will preemptively call this final sale price a bargain.
PSA 9.8 SLAM Dec.-Jan. 2024 Cooper Flagg 1st cover *Top Pop*
CGC 9.4 Sports Illustrated May 22, 1972 Willie Mays *Top Pop*
PSA 9.6 Sports Illustrated June 22, 1998 Michael Jordan “The Man, The Shot”
It’s advertised as a pop two with one higher, but if you add in CGC’s numbers, this is a pop 31 with 24 higher.
CGC 9.8 Sports Illustrated Apr. 13, 1998 Tiger Woods *Top Pop*
PSA 9.4 Sports Illustrated Apr. 16, 2001 Tiger Woods “Masterpiece” *Top Pop*
The top pop in PSA’s census, there are thirty 9.6s and nineteen 9.8s in CGC’s.
CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated June 12, 1989 Bo Jackson *Top Pop*
PSA seems to be the preference for sports magazine collectors at the moment. Maybe it’s because of their heavy duty slabs, maybe it’s because card collectors already have brand loyalty. But some covers — like this one — undeniably look better with the CGC label.
CGC 6.5 Sports Illustrated Oct. 25, 1965 Bill Russell 1st cover
CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated Apr. 4, 1994 Ken Griffey Jr. *Top Pop*
PSA 9.2 Sports Illustrated May 26, 1986 Sports Illustrated Hakeem Olajuwon 1st cover
Just an all-time classic ’80s NBA cover featuring a future league MVP and two-time Finals MVP. Maybe more than any other player, the perception of Hakeem Olajuwon’s stellar career has been diminished by the on- and off-court dominance of Michael Jordan. He will likely remain perpetually underrated by fans and collectors.
CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated May 15-22, 2017 Aaron Judge 1st cover
PSA 9.6 Sports Illustrated Dec. 23, 1991 Michael Jordan “Sportsman of the Year”
I’m always surprised by how many high-grade copies there are of this issue. It reminds me of the Derek Jeter SP Foil rookie card, where an errant breath could send a speck of dust careening across the surface, ruining any chance at a 10. Of course, MJ was already highly collectible in ’91, so plenty of fans bought with the intention to preserve. But still — CGC has graded fifty-six 9.6s and thirty-eight 9.8s!
PSA 9.4 Sports Illustrated Mar. 27, 1995 Sports Illustrated Michael Jordan “I’m Back”
CGC 8.0 Sports Illustrated Dec. 10, 1984 Michael Jordan “A Star Is Born” (Subscription)
CGC 8.0 Beckett Monthly Nov. 1984 Issue #1 Roberto Clemente/Ryne Sandberg
This nondescript baby blue booklet advertising “Easily readable, typeset copy” is a pivotal piece of sports collecting history. By the 1990’s, Beckett monthly price guides would become essential for sports card collectors, a mainstay at every mom-and-pop hobby shop in the country. We lived and died by those up and down arrows!
PSA 9.4 Sports Illustrated Jan. 21, 1991 Shaquille O’Neal 1st cover *Top Pop*
CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated Aug. 8, 1994 Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas *Top Pop*
“Two powerful reasons to keep playing ball.” Four days after this issue hit newsstands, with the Expos in first place and Griffey and Matt Williams threatening Roger Maris’ single-season home run record, they stopped playing ball.
PSA 6.5 Weekly Baseball Feb. 8, 2012 Shohei Ohtani
Though PSA does well to center undersized issues in the middle of their magazine slabs, I think these smaller-sized Weekly Baseball issues look better snugly fit into CGC comic book slabs.
A CGC 8.0 copy of this issue sold for $1,848 earlier this month on Goldin.
PSA PG Sports Illustrated June 24, 1996 Kobe Bryant “Schooling Mr. Bryant”
PSA PG Sports Illustrated Sept. 24, 1990 Tiger Woods “Faces in the Crowd” 1st SI appearance
Personally, I am confused by the appeal of slabbed pages from modern magazines. I collect Tiger Woods, and have several issues that document moments in his early career on the inside pages. To remove those pages from the rest of the magazines is to discard important context. The Kobe Bryant page is only a partial article, while the Tiger “Faces in the Crowd” presents like a yearbook index, rather than a historically significant surprise hiding behind a classic early-’90s college football cover. There’s an argument for preservation, I suppose. But I lean toward preserving the magazine itself, rather than damaging it to save a single page.
Subscription copies of the issues from which these pages were removed can be had for $5-$10 on eBay. Do with that information what you will.
Heritage
Well, I jumped the gun last week on these Heritage items. They all enter extended bidding Saturday, April 25:
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
JDirectItems (via Buyee)
The cat is out of the bag on the Japanese auction sites. Each of the three listings below has around 30 watchers and dozens of bids. They are all likely to be highlighted in the “Top Sales” section in next week’s Market Report.
Ends Sat. 4/25 at 9:01am ET: Hochi High School Baseball Mar. 2012 and Nov. 2012 Shohei Ohtani 1st and 2nd covers
Ends Sat. 4/25 at 9:56am ET: Hochi High School Baseball Nov. 2012 Shohei Ohtani
Ends Sun. 4/26 at 8:48am ET: Hochi High School Baseball Nov. 2012 Shohei Ohtani
Release Radar: Fernando Mendoza on the cover of Sports Illustrated
So far this year, Sports Illustrated has seemed intent on making their covers look more like Men’s Health or GQ than SI. Tuxedos, leather jackets, and now the presumed #1 NFL draft pick in a t-shirt, training in a garage. At this rate, I’m not sure we’ll ever again see a dunk on the cover of the magazine that featured Michael Jordan more than any other athlete.
Thank goodness Mendoza already has a modern classic commemorative cover on his magazine resume.
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