Intro To Magazine Collecting and Grading

More so than most other sports collectibles, magazines uniquely capture special moments as they happen. Their impactful and timely visuals evoke strong emotions in sports fans and collectors.

Like trading cards, magazine grading is a process used to assess the condition and quality of collectible magazines.

However, grading magazines is a bit more complex than grading trading cards. Attributes of magazines considered in the grading process include cover gloss, spine condition, and page quality, as well as any defects such as scratches, tears, color loss, stains, or creases.

CGC is the leader in this category, with PSA set to enter the magazine and comic book grading space in 2025.

The most popular magazines are those featuring prominent athletes and/or moments on the cover. The “first appearance” or “first cover” of an athlete is especially coveted. Other notable moments that enhance a magazine’s desirability and collectibility include meaningful records, debuts, championships, trades, or other significant news or events. Additionally, the “first issue” of a long-running magazine, such as Sports Illustrated #1 from August 16, 1954, is highly attractive to collectors.

Without must debate, the most desired title in sports magazine collecting is Sports Illustrated. Other popular titles include Sports Illustrated for Kids (often featuring a sheet of perforated cards inside), Baseball Digest, ESPN The Magazine, Beckett Media, SLAM, Sport magazine, World Soccer, Golf Digest, and Tennis magazine, to name a few.

With magazines, it’s important to distinguish between newsstand and subscription editions. The key difference is that subscription editions often include a white address label on the front (usually in the bottom-left corner). Many collectors feel that the address label detracts from the magazine’s overall appeal. As a result, newsstand editions are generally more desirable and valuable on the secondary market. Newsstand versions can command between a 3x to 9x premium.

It’s also important to consider that regional variations and variant covers often exist. These differences can include photo variations, price tag differences, and language or text changes. Such variations can attract more interest than the original version.

Another unique aspect of this market segment is the acceptance of ‘pressing’ by grading companies. Pressing is a process used to enhance the condition and appearance of magazines. It aims to remove or reduce defects that can occur from handling, storage, or aging, such as:

• bends,
• finger bends,
• corner crunches,
• dirt (or other foreign substances),
• dents,
• spine ticks,
• spine rolls,
• minor stress lines (that don’t break color),
• ripples,
• pencil writing

This process involves applying even pressure and sometimes heat to the magazine. This helps to flatten out imperfections and restore the magazine to its original shape.

Pressing will not remove or repair:

• tears,
• paper loss,
• creases that break color,
• stress lines that break color.

CGC offers pressing as a service to collectors before certification. Here are more details on pressing, directly from CGC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjBSuCeQWy0

IMAGES: CGC 1983 Jordan UNC SI cover, CGC Ali SI cover, etc.

LINK: cllct: “Who has appeared on the most SI covers?”: https://www.cllct.com/sports-collectibles/memorabilia/who-has-appeared-on-most-sports-illustrated-covers-jordan-ali-lead-way

LINK: Card Talk: “Most Expensive Sports Illustrated Magazines Ever Sold”: https://www.instagram.com/p/C2kqunAurr7/?igsh=MW45dW9wcGhpNzV1bA==

LINK: PSA: Magazine Collecting 101: https://www.psacard.com/info/comics/magazine-collecting-101