Why the Former CGC Sports Illustrated King Crossed His Entire Collection to PSA
Plus: SLAM selling slabbed SLAMs, The Ring's new archive, big money Mick, and more
One of the most impressive public collections of newsstand Sports Illustrated issues — including high-grade first cover appearances of Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Wayne Gretzky, Roberto Clemente, Mike Tyson, Tiger Woods, and more — has been crossed over from Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) to Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA).
Lou, formerly known as the CGC Sports Illustrated King, announced his switch last month in a post under his new Instagram handle, @psasiking. His decision was motivated by a belief that PSA is the hobby’s gateway to mainstream adoption. Future magazine collectors, Lou predicts, are likely current sports card and ticket collectors — groups are already brand-loyal to PSA.
In total, Lou submitted more than 150 CGC-graded Sports Illustrated issues to PSA for crossover pressing and grading. Based on his returns, Lou estimates “around 50% cross at the same grade, 40% at lower grades, and 10% get a higher grade” than they received from CGC. If that trend holds long term, high-grade PSA slabs may become even more desirable than same-grade CGC copies.
Lou shares his collection on Instagram @psasiking.
SLAM Restocks Graded Inventory
I like graded magazines. I love SLAM. I’m not sure how I feel about SLAM selling their own graded magazines.
More than any other publication, SLAM presents itself as collectible. Their partnership with CGC allows for collectors to pay extra for a genuinely cool custom label, so it’s no surprise they want to expose their readers to the existence of graded magazines. These are good things!
But SLAM selling their own graded mags raises a few questions: Where are they sourcing these issues? Are they buying them back from customers, or simply dusting them off from their in-house reserves? What’s to stop SLAM from pulling a fresh batch from the printing line and shipping them directly to CGC for grading? Would collectors even care if they did?
To be clear, I don’t think these things are happening. The very-recent covers in the store top out at 9.4 — a nefarious scheme would surely include some 9.8s. But I’m imagining the sports card-equivalent scenario where Topps sells PSA-graded, highly desirable Topps rookie cards on Topps.com. Separate entities with different parent companies (as SLAM makes clear about CGC at the top of the page), but the practice would only invite conspiracy theories in an already conspiracy-minded hobby.
For now, only standard, non-limited issues are available. But my watch has only just begun. If slabbed gold metal editions start showing up in the SLAM Goods store, someone might be on the receiving end of a very sternly worded letter from yours truly.
🥊 The Ring unveils complete digital archives
“The Bible of Boxing” has experienced a renaissance both online and in print since Saudi billionaire and chairman of the country’s General Entertainment Authority Turki Al-Sheikh acquired the publication from Oscar de la Hoya in November 2024. A second website relaunch arrives with a staggering, exhaustive archive of the century-old magazine.
Boxing nerds (there are dozens of us!) and sports historians could spend months digging into more than 1,300 issues published since 1922. From Jack Dempsey to Terence Crawford, the careers of every notable fighter are chronicled in the pages of The Ring — a publication that has weathered the peaks and valleys of both print and boxing itself. The archive is fully searchable and available to anyone with a free account.
The physical magazine is difficult to find on newsstands in the U.S., but it’s worth tracking down. Recent covers feature stunning artwork on heavy stock matte paper with minimal text — a major departure from The Ring’s traditional style. Surrounded by hollowed-out, overpriced, ad-heavy publications on the newsstand, The Ring looks and feels better than ever.
Boxing magazine collectors (a niche within this already small niche) are no doubt aware of these developments. But as the sport expands its reach on Netflix and Paramount+, I predict one or two Ring covers over the next few years will attract the attention of “mainstream” sports mag collectors as well. Let's just hope it's not Jake Paul.
💸 New Record for Mickey Mantle’s First SI Cover … and Another $30K Sale Two Days Later
In a highly anticipated auction (for those who pay attention to such things), a PSA 9.0 copy of Mickey Mantle’s first Sports Illustrated cover closed at nearly $35,000 last Saturday.
The previous high for this issue (as far as I can tell) was $27,600 for a CGC 9.0 in August 2022 on Heritage Auctions. Last August, a CGC 8.5 in a new slab sold on Heritage for $21,350.
Two days after the PSA 9.0 auction ended, a CGC 9.0 transacted via Best Offer on eBay for “just” $30,000.
Strangely, I’ve seen no headlines about the Goldin sale — nothing on cllct, Sports Collectors Digest, Sports Collectors Daily, or Collectibles on SI. PSA posted about it, but that’s to be expected.
It probably doesn’t help that Topps announced a ’52 Mantle redemption as part of their Series 1 baseball release this week. $35k is small potatoes by comparison.
Most of us aren’t playing in this price range, and are unlikely come across a copy buried in a box at a garage sale. So what does this sale mean, other than, big magazine price go up?
To me (and maybe to state the obvious), it’s another sign that PSA has already established itself as the preferred grader for sports magazine collectors.
This is not entirely unexpected. We know sports card collectors pay a premium for PSA slabs compared to BGS, SGC, and others (the “others” being brands that have not yet been swallowed by PSA’s parent company). Most Sports Illustrated collectors come from — or are at least familiar with — the world of sports cards. The boring red box means more to them than the pretty blue gradient.
What is slightly surprising is how quickly PSA topsy-turvied it on CGC. Their first slabs hit the market less than six months ago!
It’s possible we’re seeing a temporary bump, big money distracted by the shiny new toy. But I think the trend will become a truism in short order.
Major pieces (like those from the collection of @psasiking) have either crossed to PSA or were held back from grading in anticipation of their entry to the market. Sales like this will only encourage more cracking and crossing over of CGC slabs.
Assess these vibes: PSA Magazine publishes a full article about Sports Illustrated every month, while CGC posts an SI cover on Instagram maybe once a quarter. It simply feels like CGC has conceded the space to CGC. Perhaps they know retaining sports mag collectors is an uphill battle, and they’ve shifted their focus maintaining dominance in comic books.
Plus, once a mag’s in a PSA slab, I’m not sure it’s worth the effort to get it out.
Other Notable Sales
🏀 Signed copy of Kobe Bryant’s first SLAM cover sells for $1,713 on eBay. In a previous listing, the seller claimed the signature was from 1998. Note the “8” inscription!
✈️ Michael Jordan’s first Dick Vitale’s Basketball cover nets $499 in a fixed price listing. This issue and the 1985-86 preview featuring a classic Air Jordan photo command high prices despite being too large to fit in any slabs.
📈 Satchel Paige’s Our Sports cover draws $1,710 on Goldin. The price on this CGC 6.5 copy stands out, in part because a CGC 6.0 sold for less than half that just six weeks ago. In both instances, there were only three graded higher by CGC at the time.
What We’re Watching
🏈 A rare autographed copy of Jim Brown’s first Sports Illustrated cover is up for auction on eBay. A graded newsstand copy sold for $885 last year, so perhaps this ungraded subscription copy (with a few major creases) can be had for significantly less.
🏀 In the wake of Chris Paul’s retirement, this $20 copy of his first SI cover caught my eye. CP3 was the last man standing from the ’05 Draft (before Cooper Flagg was born!), and as his debut cover reminds us, one of our few remaining connections to a totally different era of the NBA.
⚾ If there was any doubt that this is Mike Trout’s first SI cover, the man himself confirmed it with an awesome inscription beneath his signature in blue ink. This piece will be available in an upcoming Heritage auction.
🥊 With so much graded mag activity shifting to Goldin, the possibility exists for nice pieces to fly under the radar elsewhere. I’ve got my eye on this CGC 8.0 SI cover commemorating Ali-Frazier III, the “Thrilla in Manila”.
⛵ Shortly after buying the Atlanta Braves but before starting CNN and WCW, Ted Turner won the America’s Cup. This copy of his only appearance on the cover of SI looks to be in terrific condition. eBay auction ends Saturday, Feb. 21.
New Release Radar: SI’s Indiana CFP Championship Commemorative
The Indiana Hoosiers have been national champions for nearly a month, but their SI commemorative cover still stands out as the best among recent magazine releases.
Fernando Mendoza’s instantly iconic fourth quarter dive into the end zone is the defining image of that game and his Heisman season. It’s a reminder of what SI covers once were so frequently: stunning photos of unforgettable sports moments.
I still can’t really wrap my head around Indiana football’s turnaround. Part of me wants to buy this issue just to have tangible proof that it happened.
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