Okay, so I’ve been getting into collecting old magazines lately, you know, the ones that might be worth something someday. And I thought, why not start with Sports Illustrated? Everyone knows that magazine, right?
So, I started digging around, trying to figure out which issues are actually valuable. Turns out, it’s not as simple as just grabbing any old issue off the shelf. Some of them are worth a decent chunk of change, while others are basically just, well, old magazines.
First, I checked out a bunch of websites, just to get a feel for the market. I found out there are these grading services that rate the condition of the magazines, like, how beat up they are. A magazine in mint condition is obviously going to be worth more than one that’s all ripped and dog-eared. But to be honest, it is too troublesome to get a good condition magazine.
Then I started looking at specific issues. I learned that the first-ever issue of Sports Illustrated from 1954 is like the holy grail for collectors. If you can find one of those in good shape, you’re sitting on a goldmine. But, good luck, right?
There’s also this one issue from 1984 that has Michael Jordan on the cover, and it says “A Star is Born.” Apparently, that one is pretty popular too, selling for around 126 bucks or something. It seems that many people like Michael Jordan.
I also checked out some forums and stuff where collectors hang out. People get really into this stuff! It’s not just about the money, although that’s part of it. It’s like, they’re passionate about the history of the magazine, the athletes, and all that.
- Hit up flea markets and garage sales: You never know what you might find! I actually managed to snag a couple of older issues at a garage sale for a few bucks each. They weren’t anything super special, but it was a start.
- Talk to people: I mentioned my new hobby to my uncle, and it turned out he had a box of old Sports Illustrated magazines in his attic. He let me go through them, and I found a couple that were worth a little something.
- Do your research: There are tons of resources online to learn more about valuable Sports Illustrated issues. This is what I did at the very beginning, I searched a lot and then got the idea from the results.
So, yeah, that’s my journey into the world of collecting Sports Illustrated magazines. It’s been a fun ride so far. I haven’t struck it rich yet, but I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve got a few cool issues to show for it. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll find that elusive first issue and retire early!
What I have got:
Even though I haven’t find the most valuable issue, I’ve still got some valuable ones. The Michael Jordan one is quite good. Its estimated price is around $126. And there are some other issues that are around $10 to $50. Not a bad start, right?
Anyway, collecting these magazines is pretty fun. It is just like a treasure hunt. I will keep hunting and hopefully I can get the most valuable one someday!
