Wayne Gretzky ‘81 Sports Illustrated Newsstand 1st Cover CGC 9.4
Wayne Gretzky’s first Sports Illustrated cover story opens with the iconic magazine asking, “How good will he become?” And with 40 years of hindsight, it can be unequivocally answered: Better than anyone has ever seen. The Great One’s first SI cover appearance has been graded by CGC only 44 times with single other equal to this Near Mint 9.4. There is just one copy graded higher in existence. Crucially for its value, this represents a “Newsstand” copy of the magazine - much more desirable and rare than its “subscription” copy counterpart. Many prominent collectors believe graded magazine covers could be the next collectible vertical to explode in popularity, similar to the performance of rare, graded tickets. Should this occur, this Gretzky “rookie” SI cover will be a trophy asset to own.