Rare First Dummy Issue of Sports Illustrated – Dec. 5, 1953.
Lot 15. Rare First Dummy Issue of Sports Illustrated – Dec. 5, 1953. The first regular issue of Sports Illustrated, which has Eddie Mathews on the cover, reached the nation’s mail boxes and news stands in August 1954. Production followed two years of market research and testing by George Luce and his staff. Luce also founded Time and Life magazines. The SI staff produced two dummy issues and sent them to potential advertisers to obtain their opinion of the magazine. Both demonstration issues are very scarce; distribution of the first dummy was more limited. In both prototypes, the magazine is unnamed. The cover of the first dummy simply identifies it as “The New Sport Magazine.” Inside are 140 pages of advertising and current articles and photos, including a five-page spread on the Bobo Olson-Randy Turpin fight, a Major League Baseball fight between owners and players over radio and TV revenues, a preview of the upcoming football bowl games, commercialization of hockey, pro wrestling on TV and various other topics. The dummy is vg+ to ex with a bright, clean front cover that has the owner’s stamp and several relatively light creases that do little to detract from the cover’s appearance. The interior is ex-m, clean and tight. This is a rare and very desirable piece of history from the development of the most enduring sports magazine. Current Bid $357.
