Will Courtyard's Graded SLAM Packs Catch On? | Market Report 5.6.26
Plus: A surprising subscription sale, a high-grade Johnny Unitas SI, Shohei Ohtani's first Weekly Baseball cover, and more
Last month, SLAM announced a partnership with Courtyard.io, a blockchain-based marketplace that treats physical collectibles similarly to NFTs. For $99, you can open a digital “mystery” pack to reveal a CGC-graded issue of SLAM. According to Courtyard’s real-time expected value odds — which are plainly visible on the pack purchase page — there’s a 74% chance your pull with be worth $99 or less, though 3.3% of packs contain a slab worth $198 or more.
After opening a pack, collectors can request shipment of the slab, keep it vaulted with Courtyard, or list it on their marketplace.
If you’re curious about the experience, check out this live-streamed pack opening video featuring SLAM’s Austin Kent* and official SLAM archivist Sammy Gunnell:
Twenty SLAM slabs are currently listed for sale on the Courtyard marketplace, with another 111 seemingly vaulted but open to offers. While the marketplace lacks the thrill (and risk) of the pack rip, I believe it’s where the real value lies for collectors. Plenty of pack openers will receive a cover of a player or team they don’t collect, and unloading those slabs at a small loss on the Courtyard marketplace is more appealing than paying (and waiting) for shipping then listing them elsewhere.
For example, there are a few graded Gold Metal Editions — such as this sunny Jimmy Butler — available for less than their cost upon release. You won’t find deals like that on eBay.
Given that I’m old and Courtyard’s SLAM inventory skews new, I probably won’t be a frequent pack-opener on the app. But the partnership is a good one for the magazine collecting hobby, surely exposing a younger generation of collectors to graded mags — and possibly even SLAM itself.
Top Sales
There aren’t many high-end auction results to gawk at this week, so I dug deeper than usual into eBay Fixed Price and Best Offer sales. Any number with a dagger superscript (†) was confirmed via 130point.
$5,200† PSA 9.2 Sports Illustrated Mar. 3, 1980 Team USA Hockey “Miracle on Ice” (Subscription) (eBay)
I hate to be skeptical of a top sale for the second week in a row, but this one raised an eyebrow. A CGC 8.5 newsstand copy of this issue sold for $976 on Goldin just a month after Team USA’s Olympic gold medal win over Canada. A label-on CGC 8.5 sold for $120 at auction on eBay last month. Maybe it’s as simple as a seller wisely leaning into the relative rarity of high-grade subscription issues: Of the 145 sub editions graded by CGC and PSA, only two are graded higher than 9.2.
$2,600† CGC 9.2 Sports Illustrated Apr. 15, 2002 Tom Brady 1st cover (eBay)
$2,500† CGC 8.5 Sports Illustrated Feb. 6, 1967 Muhammad Ali (eBay)
$1,854 CGC 8.0 Sports Illustrated Jan. 6, 1986 Mike Tyson 1st cover w/ JSA authenticated auto (Label removed) (Goldin)
$1,600† CGC 9.8 Sports Illustrated Mar. 27, 1995 Michael Jordan “I’m Back” *Top Pop* (eBay)
This is how you know an issue was widely collected upon its release: The most common grade in CGC’s census for this 31-year-old magazine is 9.8!
Last month, a CGC 9.8 copy of this issue sold for $1,830, and a PSA 9.8 sold for $4,118.
$1,489† PSA 7.5 Sports Illustrated Nov. 28, 1983 Michael Jordan 1st cover (eBay)
$1,476 PSA 9.2 Sports Illustrated Jun. 10, 1991 Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan (Goldin)
$1,342 CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated Feb. 13, 1995 Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway 1st cover *Top Pop* (Goldin)
Happy to see this pretty Penny sell for a pretty penny. There’s so much to appreciate about ’90s NBA beyond just MJ.
$1,280 PSA 9.2 Sports Illustrated Feb. 18, 1991 “Dream Team” (Goldin)
†Price confirmed via 130point.
Other Notable Sales
$943 CGC 9.6 1993 Hoop Michael Jordan Cover *Top Pop* (Goldin)
$854 CGC 9.8 1996-97 The Sporting News Pro Basketball Yearbook Michael Jordan *Top Pop* (Goldin)
$815† CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated April 21, 1997 Tiger Woods “The New Master” (eBay)
$800† CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated Apr. 22-29, 2019 Tiger Woods (eBay)
Tiger’s unforgettable comeback win at the 2019 Masters got wordless SI cover worthy of the moment. Unfortunately, it’s a double issue printed on cheap-feeling paper, making it very tough to find in a high grade. Of the 94 total graded by CGC and PSA, just two have received 9.8s.
$793 PSA 9.2 Sports Illustrated Oct. 29, 2001 Michael Jordan (Goldin)
$793 CGC 9.8 1995-96 Tuff Stuff Presents: Jam Michael Jordan *Top Pop* (Goldin)
$759 PSA 5.5 Sports Illustrated Jul. 23, 1984 Michael Jordan “Up, Up For L.A.” (Goldin)
$734 CGC 9.4 Inside Sports Oct. 1991 Michael Jordan *Top Pop* (Goldin)
$675† CGC 8.5 Sports Illustrated Jul. 17, 1970 Johnny Bench (eBay)
$561 PSA 9.4 Sports Illustrated Apr. 21, 1997 Tiger Woods “The New Master” (Goldin)
Thankfully, this PSA 9.4 did not approach February’s $1,525 CGC 9.8 sale price. In the wake of the strange PSA 9.4 “Masterpiece” sale, that would have broken my brain, likely beyond repair.
$519 PSA 7.5 Sports Illustrated Jan. 21, 1991 Shaquille O’Neal 1st cover w/ PSA 10 auto (Goldin)
$470 CGC 9.4 Sports Illustrated for Kids Jan. 1989 Michael Jordan Premier Issue (eBay)
In retrospect, it’s a little strange that SI for Kids — the publication that birthed my love for magazines — printed the full names of seemingly regular children on their covers. I suppose this is also the first cover for Brad Pielet and Nancy Deller, now normal adults who likely still have copies of this issue ready to pull out for dinner guests.
$440 CGC 7.0 Sports Illustrated Nov. 28, 1983 Michael Jordan 1st cover (Subscription) (eBay)
$440 CGC 9.2 Sports Illustrated Feb. 18, 2002 LeBron James 1st cover (Goldin)
$433 CGC 9.2 Sports Illustrated Feb. 15, 1982 Wayne Gretzky (Goldin)
$406 CGC 8.5 Sports Illustrated Apr. 3, 1967 Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) (Goldin)
Kareem’s first SI cover, when slabbed, is hardly the most appealing debut for an all-time great. His second, however, shows the dominant 19-year-old soaring above his earthbound teammates and competition, contrasting against a hardwood background and framed by UCLA’s sky blue and sun gold in the title. It is a beautiful cover, one I’d be happy to have in my collection at this price.
$305 PSA 6.5 Sports Illustrated Dec. 10, 1984 Michael Jordan “A Star is Born” (Subscription) (eBay)
$271 PSA 8.5 Sports Illustrated Sept. 19, 1990 Barry Sanders 1st cover (eBay)
This strikes me as somewhat of a steal. A notoriously tough grade (there are no 9.8s in either census), only two copies sit higher in PSA’s pop report than this 8.5. A Friday afternoon auction end time probably played a role here.
$256 Baseball Magazine March 1959 Sadaharu Oh 1st cover (Heritage)
Ohtani Mania has not translated to renewed interest in Japanese legend Sadaharu Oh, who slugged 868 (!) home runs during an NPB career in which he won 11 Japan Series championships, all with the Yomiuri Giants, including nine in a row in the 1960s and 1970s.
$244 CGC 9.6 The Chicago Bulls Three-peat! July 1993 Michael Jordan (Goldin)
$194 Weekly Baseball Sept. 24, 2012 Shohei Ohtani (JDirectItems)
$157 SPORT Apr. 1953 Mickey Mantle 1st cover
$117 PSA 8.0 Sports Illustrated May 29, 1995 Dennis Rodman 1st cover (Goldin)
$100 Sports Illustrated Aug. 16, 1954 Premier Issue (eBay)
$97 CGC 7.5 Sports Illustrated Jan. 23, 1984 Wayne Gretzky (eBay)
$91 PSA 7.5 Sports Illustrated Oct. 12, 1981 Wayne Gretzky (Subscription) (eBay)
$82 CGC 7.0 Sports Illustrated Oct. 13, 1980 Muhammad Ali “The Last Hurrah” (eBay)
$68 SLAM #173 Dec. 2013 Stephen Curry 1st cover
$60 PSA 9.2 Sports Illustrated Mar. 19, 1984 Patrick Ewing (eBay)
$51 1983-84 ACC Basketball Handbook Michael Jordan
$40 PSA 7.5 Sports Illustrated May 7, 1984 Bernard King (eBay)
†Price confirmed via 130point.
Auctions Ending This Week
Goldin Elite
Ten high-end graded magazines — including Shohei Ohtani’s first appearance on the cover of Weekly Baseball — close Sunday, May 9 as part of Goldin’s April Elite Auction.
PSA 9.6 Sports Illustrated Nov. 19, 2018 Patrick Mahomes 1st cover w/ PSA 10 auto *Top Pop*
Locating the signature on this cover is a bit like finding the hidden dog in a Magic Eye — it takes a minute, and you might have to cross your eyes to do it.
CGC 9.4 Weekly Baseball Dec. 14, 2011 Shohei Ohtani 1st cover
This listing initially described the slab as the “top pop” and sole graded copy of this NPB draft preview, but a CGC 9.6 exists and is recorded in a separate entry in their census. The CGC pop report entry for this issue is here, while the entry for the 9.6 copy is here. The high bid was $4,100 when Goldin removed the language.
The 9.6 sold at Heritage in February 2023 for just $780.
PSA 9.8 Sports Illustrated Oct. 28, 1996 Tiger Woods 1st cover *Top Pop*
A PSA 9.8 broke the record for this issue in March with a sale price of $21,960 on Goldin. At the time, there were just two 9.8s in PSA’s census, now there are four. Eleven copies have received 9.8s from CGC.
PSA 9.4 Quick Apr. 20, 1953 Mickey Mantle *Top Pop*
A CGC 9.6 Quick featuring Jackie Robinson on the cover sold for $3,703 in March 2025. While mid-grade copies have sold for just a few hundred, I think this red-background Mantle is in a class of its own in a PSA slab.
CGC 9.4 Sports Illustrated Oct. 5, 1959 Johnny Unitas 1st cover *Top Pop*
When we say sports magazine covers are works of art, sometimes that’s literal. Unitas’ portrait was drawn by Sheldon Fink and is reminiscent of Jim Brown’s first cover, which released the following fall.
PSA 9.8 Sports Illustrated May 15, 1989 Michael Jordan “Raging Bull” *Top Pop*
There are barely two dozen high-grade “Raging Bull” MJ newsstands, and they don’t come up for auction very often. A few CGC 9.8 pre-retirement Jordan SIs sold for $6,000-$8,000 last year. I think this PSA 9.8 could approach $10K.
CGC 9.2 Sports Album Jun. 2014 Shohei Ohtani *Top Pop*
Goldin did well to add this unique detail to the listing: This is the first magazine cover where Shohei Ohtani appears as both a batter (front) and pitcher (back).
CGC 8.5 Weekly Baseball Jul. 1, 2012 Shohei Ohtani *Top Pop*
A mini Ohtani appears near the bottom of this one, less prominent than most of his other early magazine covers.
CGC 9.9 SLAM #257 Aug.-Sep. 2025 Gold Metal /94 Amen Thompson 1st cover *Top Pop*
PSA 9.6 Sports Illustrated Dec. 28, 1987 Michael Jordan “Pictures ’87” *Top Pop*
Goldin Weekly
Sixty-eight slabs are available in Goldin’s Weekly Auction ending Thursday, May 7 at 10pm ET. Here are a few highlights:
Basketball
PSA 9.2 Sports Illustrated Jun. 12, 2006 Dwyane Wade
CGC 6.5 Sports Illustrated Oct. 16, 1972 Wilt Chamberlain
PSA 8.0 Dell Basketball Feb. 1960 Wilt Chamberlain w/ Jerry West inset *Top Pop*
PSA 9.2 TIME Jun. 22, 1998 Michael Jordan
PSA 9.2 Sports Illustrated Presents Apr. 17, 2003 Diana Taurasi
PSA 9.2 Sports Illustrated On Campus Mar. 10, 2005 LeBron James 1st cover
PSA 9.2 Sports Illustrated Presents Jun. 28, 2022 Stephen Curry
Baseball
PSA 8.5 Sports Illustrated July 10, 1995 Hideo Nomo 1st cover
After the strike-shortened 1994 season but before the home run chase of ’98, baseball was hurting. Viewership plummeted, and attendance was down more than 20% at some stadiums. Dodgers rookie Hideo Nomo and his distinct tornado delivery didn’t save the sport, but he did provide a fun, feel-good story at a time when MLB desperately needed it. Nomo didn’t go down as an all-time great (1995 was his only All-Star season), but he’s as memorable as any pitcher who racked up strikeouts in the mid-90s.
PSA 8.0 Sports Illustrated June 18, 1956 Mickey Mantle 1st cover (Subscription)
CGC 8.5 Sports Illustrated July 27, 1970 Willie Mays “Say Hey 3000!”
CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated Jun. 6, 1994 Ken Griffey Jr.
PSA 9.6 TIME Nov. 2, 1998 New York Yankees “The Best Team Ever”
Other sports
PSA 9.0 TIME Sept. 3, 2001 Venus and Serena Williams 1st cover
While not as visually striking as their SI for Kids debut three years earlier, this TIME cover marked a moment when Williams sisters were both in their primes. Venus won two majors each in 2000 and 2001; Serena won three in 2002 and to in 2003. By 2007, all four Grand Slam tournaments offered equal prize money for the men’s and women’s draws.
CGC 6.5 The Ring Oct. 1962 Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) 1st cover *Top Pop*
Recent sales of this issue include a PSA 6.5 copy for $3,098 in April and a CGC 6.5 for $2,769 in January. One of six top pops across both CGC and PSA censuses, will this early Ali continue trending upwards, or will the sale price suffer from one or two potential buyers exiting the market after acquisitions this year?
CGC 8.5 Sports Illustrated Dec. 10, 1979 Sugar Ray Leonard 1st cover
CGC 9.6 Sports Illustrated Feb. 18, 1985 Wayne Gretzky
CGC 9.4 Sports Illustrated Jun. 1, 1987 Wayne Gretzky
PSA 9.6 Sports Illustrated Feb. 7, 2000 Kurt Warner
Shohei Ohtani
PSA 8.0 Newsweek Japan Oct. 8, 2024 Shohei Ohtani “50-50”
This Japanese Newsweek is the best-looking cover I’ve seen commemorating Ohtani’s astonishing 50-50 season of 2024. Few covers depict him as the hulking mass that he is better than this one. It can probably be had for just a few hundred bucks.
PSA 8.5 Weekly Baseball Jan. 30, 2012 Shohei Ohtani 1st cover *Top Pop*
This auction will set the market for Ohtani’s first appearance on the cover of a Weekly Baseball regular edition. At the moment, it is the only copy graded.
PSA 7.5 Sports Graphic Number #865 Nov. 27, 2014 Shohei Ohtani
PSA 8.5 Fighters Press #14 Sept. 19. 2015 Shohei Ohtani *Top Pop*
PSA 9.0 Fighters Magazine #68 Nov. 1, 2016 Shohei Ohtani
PSA 9.2 Standard: Iwate Sports Special Edition Feb. 2017 Shohei Ohtani *Top Pop*
Standard covers sports in Ohtani’s home prefecture of Iwate. This special edition issue from 2017 uses the same cover photo as his 2012 debut and was released after Ohtani signed with the Angels.
Heritage
Heritage seems to be taking the week off from graded sports magazine auctions, though there are a few solid pieces scheduled to end May 17.
JDirectItems (via Buyee)
Thu. 5/7 at 6:31am ET: Home Run March 2012 Shohei Ohtani
Based on our research, this is Ohtani’s first solo appearance on the cover of any magazine, predating his better-known Standard: Iwate Sports Magazine issue by just a few weeks. No copies have been graded yet, possibly because they may be too thick for CGC or PSA slabs.
Fri. 5/8 at 8:23am ET: Home Run July 2012 Shohei Ohtani
Sat. 5/9 at 6:07am ET: Hochi High School Baseball March 2012 Shohei Ohtani 1st cover
Sat. 5/9 at 8:54am ET: Home Run March 2012 Shohei Ohtani
Release Radar: Boxing News Special Tribute to Muhammad Ali
Nearly ten years since his passing, The Greatest is still a bankable magazine cover star.
As recently as last year, Boxing News published print editions weekly. After a merger with Boxing Monthly, they’ve shifted toward covers with longer shelf lives, abandoning action shots in favor of studio and archival photography. As awesome as this Ali cover is, it’s a shame to lose one of the last remaining sports weeklies in print.
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