Michael Jordan proved that he’s still at the top of his game, while other sports stars piqued the interest of magazine collectors. The Hottest Magazines is a curated list of the magazines moving up the eBay sales lists. GoCollect pulls the stats straight from eBay and sorts them by volume moving in the marketplace over the past 30 days.
1. Beckett Basketball Card Magazine #1 (+4)
Michael Jordan is showing renewed life with magazines featuring His Airness dominating our list of the Hottest Magazines. Coming in at number one is the first issue of one of the all-time great monthly printed price guides for sports card collectors. July included twelve sales with the top being a 9.8 going for $396 in a July 22 eBay sale, just two days after another 9.8 sold for $340. It’s got a long way to go to catch up to the record holder, though: a 9.8 that sold for $800 in 2022.
2. Sports Illustrated #v61 #26 (Subscription Edition) (+0)
Jordan’s first appearance as a Chicago Bull on the cover of this December 1984 issue is also red hot. Recent sales include an 8.5 graded copy selling for $1,680 in a July 27 eBay sale. The record was set on March 3 when a 9.8 sold for $2,123. Other Jordan SI covers that appear high on our list of Hottest Magazines include Sports Illustrated #v82 #12 and Sports Illustrated #v59 #23 (Subscription Edition).
15. Sports Illustrated #v41 #10 (New to the list!)
Other stars appearing on covers of Sports Illustrated made big moves in the past month. This issue features the first appearance of famed stunt motorcyclist Evel Knievel on the cover. There were four sales in July, impressive considering the fairly low census count of just 33 graded copies. Tops was a 9.0 selling for $521 in a July 24 Goldin auction, a bit of a steal considering someone paid $800 for an 8.0 in a November 2024 fixed price eBay sale.
16. Sports Illustrated #v62 #17 (Subscription Edition) (New to the list!)
The death of arguably the most famous professional wrestler ever boosted sales for his lone Sports Illustrated cover. July 28 alone saw three sales on eBay, including an 8.5 going for $436 in a fixed price sale. That just narrowly misses the record holder – a 7.5 that sold for $450 in 2024. Also making the Hottest Magazines list was the newsstand edition: Sports Illustrated #v62 #17.
19. Playboy #v43 #1 (New to the list!)
Pamela Anderson’s back in the news again thanks to her starring role in the reboot of The Naked Gun. So, it’s not surprising that one of her many Playboy covers rocketed up the charts. The end of July saw three sales of this issue, including a 9.2 selling for $105. While not a record, it is testament to her perennial popularity.
Other Magazine Sales of Note
A 7.5 graded copy of Time #v37 #15 sold for a record setting price of $2,100 in a July 8 Heritage auction. The April 14, 1942 issue featured Adolf Hitler on the cover. Not to be outdone, the humorous Hooey Annual #11, published by Country Press in 1941, also featured Adolf Hitler on the cover. It too set a record when a 5.0 – one of only three graded copies and at the top of the census – sold for $1,080 in the same auction.
