THE SCOTT ANDREW SMITH
AUOTGRAPHED SPORTS ILLUSTRATED MAGAZINE COLLECTION

A little history about my historic collection. 
 

My grandmother gave me a subscription to Sports Illustrated in 1973 when I was 9 years old.  Like any pack rat, I save everything, including each week’s issue in the corner of my closet.  My dad would take me to sporting events with tickets he’d get through his advertising agency.  He’d always let me stay after a game at Madison Square Garden and watch me chase down my favorite Rangers and have them sign my notepad.  My Mom would drive me to the local hotels on Sunday mornings so I could hang out and collect signatures from visiting football teams in town to play the Jets and Giants. Way back when, no one would say no to a signature request. If I only knew back then what I knew now I’d probably be retired.
 

In 1982, I found that the Edmonton Oilers were in town to play the Devils and they were staying 8 miles away in a nearby hotel.  I went through my closet and found a few Wayne Gretzky SI’s.  Drove myself to the hotel around 4pm and watched every player on the team come down to the lobby at bus time to leave for the Arena.  Needless to say, The Great One signed a few SI’s for me in ballpoint pen.  I was happier than a pig in shit, but forgot my almighty sharpie at home.  A rookie mistake that I’d never made again. I soon found I was going 7 days and nights a week all over NJ, NYC and Philly to collect as many signatures as possible on my covers of SI magazine.

I found a few people through ad’s and bought complete runs of SI dating back to their first issue in 1954.  Now I started to do some homework and write to all former athletes and request their signatures through the mail.  Every day was like Christmas because the mail was pouring signed SI’s into my mailbox daily.  I stepped it up a notch and found out where local TV shows were taped.  I tossed on my suit and tie and even my tuxedo and started to crash every charity dinner at New York’s most historic hotels.
 

To date (September 2006), I have obtained 3491 signatures on 2434 different SI covers. Since 1954, Sports Illustrated has printed 2712 issues of which 2563 are signable. (The unsignable’s are ducks, trees, dogs and athletes posthumously honored on a cover). I have 2434 of 2563 covers signed.  That’s 94.2% of the history of the magazine signed. It’s a collection that I feel is the most historic of its kind in history.  I still get a kick out of chasing athletes down weekly and I do it as much as possible as long as it doesn’t interfere with my family or work schedule.
 

I’m hoping that one day a ridiculously wealthy athlete, Wall Street banker, doctor, lawyer or passionate autograph collector makes me an offer I can’t refuse.  The collection is always for sale but I’d have an incredible time parting with it knowing the tremendous 25-year effort I’ve enjoyed putting into it. I’d ride off into the sunset without any financial worries the rest of my life and make sure my wife and 2 daughters have the greatest lives ever imaginable.
 

If you’d like to start a SIGNED SI collection or add to your existing one, I am the only one in the world who can help you with the most rare of signatures possible.  Email me now and request my SIGNED SI KING’S CATALOG. I’m sure I can help further your collection.

Sikingcollection@aol.com
Thanks for visiting my site, Scott Smith “The SI King”.