Several CGC-certified Sports Magazines Impress in Goldin Auction

A historic collectible linked to baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani's high school career was among the sports highlights certified by CGC® in a recent sale presented by Goldin. The rarity realized more than $40,000 in Goldin's 2026 March Elite Auction, which concluded April 11-12, 2026.

The top CGC-certified lot in the auction was a Hochi High School Baseball #6, November 11, 2012 graded CGC 9.6 (lot 272), which realized $40,383. In 2012, Ohtani was a teenager playing baseball as a local two-way star for Hanamaki Higashi High School. He and his teammate Shintaro Fujinami graced the cover of this small regional magazine, wearing their Japan 18U Baseball World Championship uniforms. While at the tournament that took place in South Korea, Ohtani set a Japanese high school record when he threw a 99-mph fastball.

Today, Ohtani is a two-way superstar for the Los Angeles Dodgers. After two straight World Series titles and four MVP Awards in the last five seasons, he is arguably the best player in baseball. According to the auction house, a previous 'Top Pop' of this particular magazine (with a lower grade) sold for $7,000 earlier this year. Now, this CGC 9.6 has taken over as the Top Pop and holds the record for highest realized price.

Another highlight of the sale was a Sports Illustrated v18 #23, June 10, 1963 graded CGC 9.0 (lot 279), which realized $22,265. In 1963, long before he was the greatest of all time (and before he changed his name to Muhammad Ali), boxer Cassius Clay traveled to London, England, for his bout against Henry Cooper at Wembley Stadium on June 18. Although Cooper famously knocked him down with a left hook in the fourth round, Clay won the fight by technical knockout (TKO) in the fifth round. Before the bout, Sports Illustrated featured Clay as their cover athlete for the first time on their June 10 issue, placing the boxer in front of Big Ben on what would become one of the most well-known and popular S.I. covers ever.

Other CGC-certified collectibles in the auction included:

• a 2024 Panini Prizm #309 Bo Nix - Black Shimmer graded CGC 7 (lot 54), which realized $34,160
• a Sports Illustrated v23 #17, October 25, 1965 (Bill Russell cover) graded CGC 9.2 (lot 278), which realized $17,202
• a 2024-25 SP Authentic Future Watch Autograph Patches #184 Macklin Celebrini - Limited graded CGC Gem Mint 10, with an autograph graded CGC 10 (lot 967), which realized $14,762
• a Sports Illustrated v47 #22, November 28, 1977 (Larry Bird cover) graded CGC 9.2 (lot 277), which realized $12,505
• a 2018-19 Panini Opulence NBA Finals Booklet #4 LeBron James certified CGC Authentic (lot 156), which realized $4,724
• a 2023-24 Panini Prizm EuroLeague Fireworks #18 Victor Wembanyama - Black graded CGC 8 (lot 879), which realized $2,562
• a Time Magazine v2 #2, September 10, 1923 (Jack Dempsey cover) graded CGC 5.5 (lot 280), which realized $1,586
• a 2014-15 Panini Immaculate Collection Rookie Logoman #4 Aaron Gordon graded CGC 6 (lot 599), which realized $1,039

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games, and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for sports cards, TCGs, and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation, and more. CGC Home Video provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of videocassettes, DVD, Blu-ray, and more. CGC also offers seamless solutions for autograph collectors with CGC Signature Series and JSA Authentic Autograph services.

CGC is part of the Certified Collectibles Group, a global provider of expert and impartial authentication and grading services for collectibles. Since 1987, the Certified Collectibles Group companies have certified more than 110 million collectibles, including coins, banknotes, comic books, cards, autographs, and stamps.