SI for Kids Question....
 

I was hoping for some opinions regarding the Sports Illustrated for Kids cards. One of the things I'm collecting is rookie cards of some of the current athletes from the non big 4 sports (can't really afford Trout, Lebron or Brady rookies). I noticed quite a few other athlete's earliest cards are the SI for kids. Tiger, Serena, Usain, etc.. Do most collectors consider these RCs since they came in a magazine and need to be separated by hand?
I know it's tougher with current athletes to define an RC, but just wondered if there was any type of consensus..

Thanks.

I quite understand you're being besotted with the concept of collecting rookie cards.

That said, it is difficult to say whether or not cards of athletes from the non-big four will ever really draw big bucks. However, the SI cards are very beautiful, well done, with usually well-chosen photos. I recall buying an issue strictly for the Kristi Yamaguchi card, having seen her Olympic gold-winning performances in the '92 Winter Games.

The key will be to get them graded by PSA, and make sure you think through precisely how you want the cert to read. Meaning, never assume PSA will get it right, since SI for Kids cards are probably not frequently submitted.

Second, as you are likely well aware of this matter, plan carefully for the time you hand-cut the cards. PSA seems to grade them extra harshly. They claim to cut some slack for hand-cut cards, but I think they expect them as perfect as if Topps did them with their best cutter after being refurbished, tongue in cheek.:rolleyes:

Finally, if you love them, that's the most important thing. They have a built-in scarcity, being a magazine card, and the fact that they're hand-cut throws a monkey wrench into the matter of grading, since you can never assume they will grade out at 9 or 10. Again, if you're attracted to them, that is all that really matters. People from your generation will appreciate them because they reflect the top athletes from that specific era. While the hand-cutting is nerve-wracking, and the PSA submission procedure tedious and costly, it will net you some genuine collecting enjoyment, and some admiration from some of your fellow collectors

They fall into the category of modern post-war / regional food cards, unless they have their own niche of magazine cards (i.e. recalling all that were also issued by BASEBALL CARDS MAGAZINE). Since the SI for Kids is not mainstream, they will have a much more limited collector base that really go for them. How I can relate to you. I was a collector of the scarce and beautiful post-war regional / food issues. I even published an E-book on a CD last year about them, covering the golden era of 1947 - 1971. As much as collectors seem to dig these babies, you would think they'd have easily ponied up for the $30 I charged, postpaid. Nope, in a year's time I have sold but 26 copies. I say that to you to express how a non-mainstream niche simply has limited appeal.

Again, repeating myself, if you have a vision for a personal collection display of SI for Kids PSA-graded cards, go for it! Yeah, it will cost you something. You might not get all your money back 40 years from now, but the journey and the enjoyment of building and admiring your growing collection will be more than worth what it brings to you in the end.

Just my magazine article worth of a response!:D

Have a good day, bro. --Brian Powell

You don't hand cut these. You need to separate them from the perforated sheets by folding then carefully tearing. It's not necessarily that easy to do.

Thanks for setting the record straight, Peter, on the SI For Kids cards being perforated. It's been so long ago, I must have forgotten that fact. --Brian

Thanks for the info guys! I've always tried to focus on the cards that I enjoy rather than investing. Just curious what people's thoughts were on these.

I like them well enough although I only own one at the moment, separated it extremely carefully but it still came out fuzzy.

What Peter is trying to say is that a cue ball will grade higher than a peach.;)

I've had a subscription for years because it is one of the titles that is always in the list for those Mags for Miles promotions that let you use airline miles for magazine subscriptions. I would rather cut them with a paper cutter, right along the perforations, to get a nice, clean cut, rather than end up with the fuzzy, torn edges. However, I found that COMC will not accept perforated cards that have been cut. They will only accept them if torn because apparently PSA considers a hand cut (or in any way cut) perforated card as "altered". Apparently people tried submitting some of these types of cards to PSA and BGS and were rejected, so they demanded refunds for the cards from COMC. Really annoyed me because I had sent in some 100 carefully cut cards from the last few years.

I agree with PSA. These were meant to be separated by hand. Anything else therefore is altering them.

What Peter is trying to say is that PSA would frown on a shaved peach.;)

So hard to resist the joke opportunities...:D

Castor Troy can eat a peach for hours....:)

On another note, I would like to add some of these cards to my collection. Would you guys stay away from all non-graded examples? I've noticed on eBay and COMC that quite a few of these have the perforations trimmed off.

There are very few graded examples. Just buy the ones that have the perforations and you should be fine.

SI for kids
 

I have bought quite a few Usain Bolt SI for Kids cards and magazines.

I do my best to carefully separate them when getting them ready to send to PSA. I have not yet, figured out the perfect method as my grades range from 5 to 9.

The cards are very thin stock so light bends and wrinkles are always possible.

This card is considered one of Kobe's rookie cards and PSA will give it a number grade if it is torn out by hand.