Warning: This post is lengthy.
I'll have more SI successes to share soon when my mail is brought to me from out of state, but in the mean time, I thought I'd do something I've been wanting to do for the past couple of days, and rank the eras and looks of Sports Illustrated covers through the years.
This is not a list of my favorite SI covers of all time, but rather my personal opinion of how SI covers have looked, from my least favorite to my favorite. I will, however, share some of my favorite covers from each era.
I begin ranking my least favorite, and some of you may disagree, but I have to go with the original aesthetics of the SI cover. I love collecting cards from the 1950s, and the 1953 and 1954 Topps sets are my two favorite Topps sets of all time. SI is another story, though.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....AC_SL1402_.jpg - I know this is the iconic first cover ever, but I don't like the way Sports Illustrated is formatted here on these early magazines. The "O" in sports stands out, and not in a good way. It just looks funky and off, in my opinion. It doesn't look too pleasing aesthetically. I look at these early covers, and I just can't really get into them.
Nevertheless, here are some of my favorites from the earliest years, and those who are still with us, I'll try to get them signed.
https://sicovers.com/featured/san-fr...uct=wood-print
https://images.fineartamerica.com/im...ated-cover.jpg
https://dyn1.heritagestatic.com/lf?s...oduct.chain%5D
We move on to the next style of SI, which is an upgrade from the original, in my opinion, but again, nothing that I'm crazy about. I like the way "Sports Illustrated" looks on these covers compared to the way it does in the earliest years. The font size is better, but I don't really care for the way that it's stylized. This, too, looks jarring to me.
Among my favorites from this period of SI covers, which lasted from around 1956 through 1960.
https://vault.si.com/.image/t_share/...nail-image.jpg
https://vault.si.com/.image/t_share/...over-image.jpg
https://vault.si.com/.image/ar_1:1%2...over-image.jpg
Next on my SI era rankings was one that lasted briefly - a subtle change from one of my more favorite eras (more on that later). This one lasted from maybe late 1993 through 1995. I'm glad it didn't last that long of a time.
https://vault.si.com/.image/c_fit%2C...over-image.jpg - My main issue is how small "Sports Illustrated" looks compared to its immediate predecessor in the box, and how they look like they're just in corners, not very impressive at all.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...XRspA&usqp=CAU -
It's like they took one of the best eras of their covers, and just changed the font and heading and made it smaller for whatever reason. Seriously, SI? This was in the running to be my least favorite. It's just that the other two feel uncomfortable when trying to look at them.
Out of the covers from this short era, I think I like this one a lot.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....1YzRRIgCnL.jpg
Next on this list are the ones I grew up with - much of my childhood, adolescence, teen and young adult years, from around 2003 through 2015. I think the way these are stylized are better, but I just can't really get into the covers too much. I have a couple signed from this era, but the covers simply don't wow me that much. I used to buy these a lot from places at the store or the mall, but they really aren't that impressive compared to other eras.
If I were to choose my favorites, I'd probably go with these.
https://render.fineartamerica.com/im...5&frameW=0.875 - I looked all over for this cover when it first came out, and couldn't find it.
https://metsmerizedonline.com/wp-con...att-harvey.png - He was so good back then, looked like Cy Young material at the time.
This next one looks like a precursor of what was to come. It looks like a smaller font version of the one I just discussed. Nothing really stands out too much about the style here, but there are some covers I like, and this era of sports in general. This was around 2001-2002.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....AC_SL1250_.jpg - LeBron's very first cover. From what I've seen, signed copies have his signature on the ball. It seems like only yesterday I was watching all the shows on ESPN buzz about this high school phenom, and he just won his fourth ring and completed his 17th season.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....1QXT1To-aL.jpg - I wouldn't call them unsung anymore, but I like the way this one turned out.
Next on my rankings is one that I don't necessarily hate. I should like it, but I can't get excited about it. These ones date from around 1995-2000. "Sports Illustrated" looks like a decent font size, and I like the colors, but I just don't know. Like the one before this, I don't own any of the covers from this era at the moment.
I like some of the Ripken covers from these years.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Kj8AA...5JE/s-l640.jpg - I wouldn't mind having him sign this one.
https://images.fineartamerica.com/im...ated-cover.jpg
Next up are these ones that ran from 1966 through around 1973. These provided some really awesome looking covers. The only thing that keeps this from being higher is the "Sports Illustrated" font size, but I'm happy to have some signed ones from this era, as well as quite a few I would love signed.
https://vault.si.com/.image/c_fit%2C...over-image.jpg - This one doesn't go on the cheap, great photo.
https://images.fineartamerica.com/im...ated-cover.jpg
https://oldlifemagazine.com/pub/medi...67-12-18_2.jpg - SI was on fire with its covers in 1967, in my opinion, the antithesis of the Topps baseball set design that year.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1c/49...b2f98a7675.jpg
I wouldn't even say that's all of them, just some of a few.
It gets tough, because this next one I could rank one spot higher or one spot lower. In my opinion, it's a disappointment compared to my all-time favorite, its immediate predecessor (We'll get to that later), but overall, still really solid cover material and style here. I have some of these signed that I shared in the thread, and they look terrific.
The "Sports Illustrated" is definitely different, but it stands out in what I think is mostly a good way - good size and all. I also like the the font size and style for the captions and headlines on these covers.
These ran from the end of 1986 through around 1993.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....AC_SL1267_.jpg - Nothing needed, just Kareem.
https://images.wolfgangsvault.com/m/...ay-4-1987.webp - Dr. J appeared on some really good covers.
https://vault.si.com/.image/c_fit%2C...nail-image.jpg
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...ju-2g&usqp=CAU - I have this cover signed. Look at the way "Don't Count Me Out" is written. I love it.
https://media.gettyimages.com/photos...re-id108993475
Next we have what is, in my opinion, the first truly great era of SI covers. These ran from around 1960 through 1965. The way "Sports Illustrated" is formatted and sized is a welcome improvement from its predecessors I mentioned above in this thread. It's a breath of fresh air to go from the early ones in the 1950s to these ones in the early 1960s.
https://images.wolfgangsvault.com/m/...v-20-1961.webp
https://render.fineartamerica.com/im...ated-cover.jpg - I'll take one of these signed. Yes, please.
https://dyn1.heritagestatic.com/lf?s...oduct.chain%5D
https://vault.si.com/.image/c_fit%2C...nail-image.jpg
https://images.wolfgangsvault.com/m/...y-25-1964.webp
I'm going to deviate from the consensus of the earlier posts in this thread, and say that I am a big fan of the modern SI covers and the way they are styled. I think the way "Sports Illustrated" is formatted looks fantastic. Maybe I'm putting on rose colored shades because of the many sports memories I've had with friends this past year, but I would absolutely love to get some of these modern covers signed. They've been running since 2015.
https://i0.wp.com/www.allusione.org/...96%2C928&ssl=1
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....1jsSwVLseL.jpg - The only place I saw this cover at was at a local doctor's office. These are so expensive on eBay.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....1X5ZFgz5yL.jpg - Actually, all four of these "Year of the QB" issues look great.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....SR450,600_.jpg
https://images.fineartamerica.com/im...ated-cover.jpg
https://www.magzter.com/US/Time-Inc/.../Sports/415388
Now, for my all-time favorite SI era. In my opinion, this is the gold standard. They ran for a very long time, from about 1975 through the end of 1986. I have so many favorite covers from this era, it's hard to pick just a few to do justice. "Sports Illustrated" is formatted perfectly. The many bright colors make it stand out, and the letters, too, are stylized well. These are absolutely my favorite.
I can't possibly limit these to just a few, so I will only share the best of the best, in my opinion.
https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/i...43d085a9c6.jpg
https://render.fineartamerica.com/im...ated-cover.jpg - Look at the way the captions are styled, too.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2a/4b...9aef2d21d2.jpg - This one is a thing of beauty if I've ever seen it.
https://images.wolfgangsvault.com/m/...r-25-1983.webp
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....17ENqoGZvL.jpg
https://vault.si.com/.image/ar_2:3%2...over-image.jpg - Dorsett appeared on some really good covers.
https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxMjAw/z/qg8AAOSwItddsO96/$_57.jpg
https://render.fineartamerica.com/im...ated-cover.jpg
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....AC_SL1269_.jpg
Even then, these covers do this era justice, in my opinion, as amazing as these ones from above look. I have the McGinnis one signed, and hope to get the others signed as well. It's as if they took they 1974 SI covers
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....130zTgkVVL.jpg - which looks like a hybrid of this era and the previous era, and they just perfected it from 1975 through 1986.
So, those are my rankings of my favorite SI eras. I'll gladly pursue my desire to get SIs signed, regardless of era. To paraphrase Animal Farm, all SI covers are equal, but some are more equal than others.