Magazines & Grading

[mr2686]

Originally Posted by sicollector1954

So took my magazine to the National this year and found out it CAN"T be graded. It is the first issue of Sports Illustrated and once many years ago had Eddie Mathews sign it. He had said he had never seen another one like it. It has a "hard" cover denim cover and has the letters SI sprinkled all over it. I have been told it might have been issued in 1964 to the first 500 subscribers but can not confirm this information. The "hard cover has protected it all of these years and everything inside is MINT. The company that does the encapsulating had no answer in regards to grading it which was disappointing to say the least. Curious if anyone else has one of these? I have seen 3 total in the last 30 years.

I don't have one but have seen them. In 54 they had the leather bound one and then yours which is called a hard bound. From what I can tell, they were both released in 54, and why the grader would not have heard of it is strange to me.