CGC Grades SI
While CGC has been officially grading non-comic magazines for over 10 years, for most of those years the total number of Sports Illustrated issues graded were less than 100 per year. But since 2017, those numbers have grown significantly. 2018, 2019 and 2020 each saw a 50% increase in the number of raw issues submitted for grading. 2021 saw a 300% increase! The explosion of growth in this hobby is just beginning, and recent sales prices are reflecting that. Here are a few recent, record-breaking sales. 
A copy of Patrick Mahomes first Sports Illustrated cover from 2018 graded at 9.8 sold at Heritage Auctions in September for a $10,800.
The very first Sports Illustrated issue featuring Eddie Mathews from August 16, 1954, graded at 9.8 sold on Heritage Auctions in May for $11,100.
Roberto Clemente’s first Sports Illustrated cover from 1967 graded at 9.0 sold on eBay in September for a record $11,499.
Michael Jordan’s first Sports Illustrated cover from 1983 graded at 8.5 sold at Goldin Auctions last month for a record $12,800…and there are 5 copies graded higher! Can you imagine what the 9.6 would sell for today?
In the last 3 months, between eBay and Heritage Auctions there have been over 100 CGC graded copies of Sports Illustrated that have sold for $500 or more. Plus hundred and hundreds more sold below $500. There is definitely something going on here.
Newsstand issues vs Subscription issues
But before you jump in with both feet and start buying up raw books to get graded, let me give you the first tip you need to know about this hobby. It’s Newsstand issues vs Subscription issues. While that debate has lingered in the comic book genre, for graded Sports Illustrated issues the line is clear. Newsstand issues have all the collectibility and Subscription issues have virtually none. There are two reasons why this is the case.
Rarity
#1 - Rarity. It’s widely believed that Sports Illustrated produced 2-3 million subscription copies of each issue, each week. Those are “junk wax” era sports card numbers, and if you follow sports cards, there’s a reason that era is called “junk wax”.
In the ’80s and early ’90s, the sports card companies like Topps, Donruss, and Fleer produced millions and millions of copies of each card. This overproduction made these cards virtually worthless. “Junk wax” era cards are sold by the pound, the same is true for Subscription issues of Sports Illustrated. However, it’s estimated that only 50,000-60,000 copies of those same issues were produced for Newsstands.
Rarity is a big factor in any genre of collectibles, and with graded Sports Illustrated issues, the only rarity is with Newsstand issues.
Aesthetic
#2 - Those subscription labels are freaking ugly! Imagine you have a copy of LeBron James’ first Sports Illustrated cover from 2002. It’s this energetic picture of a baby-faced, 18-year-old LeBron James wearing his High School basketball uniform with the headline “The Chosen One”. That headline makes LeBron out to be Harry Potter or Anakin Skywalker! The headline alone gives me chills because he is “The Chosen One”.
Now imagine this white box with some stranger's name and address in the corner. He’s no longer “The Chosen One”. It just becomes a regular magazine with Suzy Sunshine’s name and address in Medford Massachusetts. Total buzzkill!
The Nostalgia Factor
But the best part about this hobby, regardless of the massive increase in sales prices for CGC graded Sports Illustrated issues, is the fact that so many of us had these magazines when we were kids.
I used to rip the covers off my issues and stick them to the walls in my bedroom. The covers became iconic because they were a part of our daily lives; the emotional connection to those covers is just as strong today.
Just a word of caution...once you go down this rabbit hole, you might become hooked!
