1974 SI "Pro Football Goes to War" unused cover — Heritage lot 81485 (killed for Aaron 715)
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Quick backstory on lot 81485 in Heritage's Fall Sports Catalog Auction (Oct 23–25) — the 1974 Sports Illustrated "Pro Football Goes to War" cover that never made it to newsstands. It's my consignment.
This was a full production press run — roughly 600,000 covers printed — when Hank Aaron's 715th home run sent SI scrambling to kill it and put Aaron on the cover instead. Nearly the entire run was scrapped; a small handful went to advertisers as collector's items. Mine came through my family's agency, Waterman Getz Advertising.
It's CGC-encapsulated "CVR" (cover only, no magazine) — pop 2. The holder says "proof" only because it's the cover without the full magazine; this was a full production run, not an approval proof. A reproduction of the John A. Meyers letter is physically included in the lot.
The story's been covered by Sports Collectors Daily and Graded & Co., and the Net54 thread is past 4,300 views and climbing.
Happy to answer questions — and if anyone else here has one of these, I'd love to hear about it. One other collector in the graded SI group says he has a slabbed copy; fewer than half a dozen are thought to exist.
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Quick update: the Net54 thread on this just passed 7,700 views and is still climbing. Over in the CGC/PSA Sports Illustrated group on Facebook, another member shared his slabbed copy of the same cover — between his and mine, about six are known to exist. Bidding closes Saturday.
Closing tonight — Heritage lot 81485, the killed 1974 SI "Pro Football Goes to War" cover. CGC "CVR" encapsulated, pop 2, Waterman Getz Advertising provenance.
For context on rarity: only about six examples are known to exist, and they're in collections. If this one goes tonight, there's no telling when — or if — another will surface publicly.
As of this morning it's still sitting at the $500 opening bid ($610 with buyer's premium) — against a $2,000-and-up estimate. It's been covered by Sports Collectors Daily and Graded & Co.
One thing about Heritage's format: normal bidding ends 11 PM ET tonight, and extended bidding after that is only open to people who have already bid on the lot. There's no sneaking in late — if you want a shot at it, a bid has to be in before 11.
Happy to answer questions today.