S.O.S. (Surplus Outdated Stuff) with Amy Moyer: Magazines

Does your Uncle Fred have a shelf filled with rigorously saved, vibrant yellow-spined, musty-smelling outdated Nationwide Geographic magazines? Or did Mother save each Life and Look journal printed post-JFK assassination? Hopefully, somebody saved After Darkish and Nintendo Energy as an alternative as a result of that’s the place the cash is. Learn on to be taught what to do with outdated magazines in our subsequent iteration of S.O.S. (Surplus Outdated Stuff): Magazines.

Skip Life, Save Nintendo Energy

In contrast to the everyday S.O.S. suspects like crystal and china, some outdated magazines do have worth—a whole lot of worth. Granted, the actual treasures are few and much between, however it’s value leafing by way of your piles earlier than tossing all of them within the recycling bin.

I not too long ago met with a brand new shopper who was clearing out a home that had been in her household for about 100 years. She had saved an outdated journal for me to take a look at commemorating the dying of Elvis Presley, which I knew instantly had no worth. How did I do know this? Just about all “memorial” or “commemorative” magazines don’t have any worth as of late for the straightforward motive that so many individuals saved them after they got here out, the market is saturated with them. Collectible magazines honoring the moon landings, presidential races, and deaths of super-famous politicians and celebrities all fall into this class. Positive, there are exceptions, however most of those exceptions apply to magazines rarer than Life and Look.

Many counterculture and limited-print magazines might be invaluable. I’ve bought numerous Record Research magazines for a tidy revenue. Began in 1955, File Analysis was {a magazine} devoted to file historical past and LP public sale listings. Early points had been a treasure trove of details about mid-century jazz and blues musicians, so a few of these first points are probably the most sought-after. Equally, virtually all early problems with After Darkish journal are additionally scarce. After Darkish unusually advanced from the extra staid Ballroom Dance journal right into a homosexual curiosity periodical. Right this moment, collectors search copies of this journal for early appearances of buff celebrities similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Some of the invaluable magazines at this time is Nintendo Energy, with the primary difficulty from July/August 1988 persevering with to interrupt information on the secondary market and simply promoting for tens of hundreds of {dollars}.

Marilyn Monroe and Mickey Mantle

Whereas many magazines with excessive circulation should not have a lot resale worth, the primary version of a preferred journal or an early look of a star is usually value one thing. It’s arduous to overlook Marilyn Monroe gracing the primary difficulty of Playboy magazine in 1953. Right this moment, extremely graded copies of this journal can attain hundreds (or tens of hundreds) at public sale.

Whereas people usually save magazines commemorating the dying of a star, it’s rarer to discover a journal with an early look of a star or sports activities star. The 1956 Sports activities Illustrated with a Mickey Mantle cowl goes for hundreds at public sale, whereas magazines masking his 1995 passing are a dime a dozen. After J.F.Ok. Jr. tragically died in a aircraft crash in 1999, collectors snatched up copies of his short-lived journal George for top costs. Whereas the market has softened a bit for outdated George magazines, the February 1997 “Survival Guide to the Future” difficulty nonetheless holds its worth at this time.

Lastly, most huge magazines, similar to Life and Look have little worth, besides the large-sized Ebony journal, which nonetheless sells reliably properly on the secondary market.

As you clear out hoards of outdated magazines, some issues to look at for are particular inserts or well-known author options. Just lately, publications like Sports activities Illustrated Children have include buying and selling card inserts. The January/February 2023 issue of Sports activities Illustrated Children got here with a sheet of playing cards that included rookie Victor Wembanyama. Intact copies of this difficulty with an uncut sheet of playing cards can fetch upwards of $500, regardless that the journal simply got here out just a few months in the past. The New Yorker has been publishing early work by literary stars for many years. The Fifties points with brief tales by J.D. Salinger are at all times fashionable, as a lot of his tales had been first printed on this journal earlier than being launched in e-book compilations.

The Recycling Bin

It may be robust to determine what outdated magazines have worth you probably have stacks and stacks of them. One place to begin is to leaf by way of them to examine for particular inserts and pull-outs like buying and selling playing cards. When you’ve got heaps of publications like Life or TV Information, take a look at the useful listing under for a number of the most precious points. How about these stacks of yellow-spined Nationwide Geographics gathering mud in your uncle’s basement? Alas, the one Nationwide Geographic points with any worth are a number of the first from the turn of the century. Since these principally had black-and-white covers with no pictures, you’ll be able to safely throw all these yellow-spined copies within the recycling bin!

20 Magazines Value Saving (and Value Some Cash!)

1. Sports activities Illustrated – June 1956 – Mickey Mantle cowl
2. Sports Illustrated – August 1954 – Eddie Mathews cowl
3. Sports activities Illustrated Children – December 1996 – with Tiger Woods rookie card
4. Sports activities Illustrated Children – January 2023 – with Victor Wembanyama rookie card
5. Time – June 11, 1973 – Secretariat horse cowl
6. Time – June 21, 1971 – Jesus cowl
7. Life – April 7, 1952 – Marilyn Monroe cowl
8. Life – Could 13, 1957 – article on Psychedelic Mushrooms
9. The New Yorker – August 31, 1946 – with Hiroshima by John Hersey
10. The New Yorker – April 8, 1950 – with “For Esmé—with Love and Squalor” by J.D. Salinger
11. Playboy – December 1953 – Marilyn Monroe cowl
12. Reader’s Digest – January 1965 – Oak Island “Cash Pit” story
13. TV Information – April 3-9, 1953 – I Love Lucy cowl
14. TV Guide – March 4-10, 1967 – Star Trek cowl
15. George – October 1995 – Cindy Crawford cowl
16. George – February 1997 – Survival Information to the Future article
17. Rolling Stone – November 1967 – John Lennon cowl
18. Rolling Stone – October 2021 – Rolling Stone x Bored Ape Yacht Membership
19. Ebony – March 1946 – Lena Horne cowl
20. Ebony – September 1947 – Jackie Robinson cowl

Amy Moyer is the proprietor of Antmuffin: Art, Antiques & Collectibles. She holds a B.A. in Visible Artwork from Brown College and lives in Boston.

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