Sports Illustrated Magazine Cover Consistent with February 1, 1982

This item is a physical print or vintage magazine cover of Sports Illustrated, featuring a prominent cover photograph related to professional football. The cover prominently displays the green 'Sports Illustrated' masthead at the top, along with the visible date text reading 'FEBRUARY 1, 1982' and a price point of '$1.50'. The central imagery features a football player wearing a white jersey with the number 49 leaping in the air, with the headline text reading 'SUPER BOWL XVI' and 'THE 49ers HIT PAY DIRT'. Additional text on the cover reads 'Earl Cooper's TD Jolts the Bengals'. The lower portion of the cover bears a handwritten signature in black marker, which appears to read similarly to the name of the featured player or an associated individual, alongside smaller numerical markings that appear to read '80-85' and additional notations. The magazine is housed inside a clear plastic protective sleeve with a white binder edge labeled 'Beautone'. The item exhibits signs of handling typical of printed paper media from the early 1980s, including minor surface wear, slight creasing along the edges, and a glossy photo finish. Because physical inspection, ink analysis, and expert authentication cannot be performed from a photograph alone, the signature and overall item are evaluated strictly as consistent with a vintage sports collectible rather than an authenticated piece. The hedged name is utilized because the signature and exact provenance require in-person physical verification to establish any level of certainty regarding its signing history.

Based on what I can see in the photograph, this item is a vintage Sports Illustrated magazine cover dated February 1, 1982, featuring Super Bowl XVI and a player identified as Earl Cooper. The cover bears a handwritten signature in black marker along with secondary numerical notations. I can't verify from a photo alone whether the signature is contemporary to the magazine or hand-signed by the named individual, as ink analysis and tactile inspection are impossible without physical access. The item exhibits typical surface wear and minor edge creasing consistent with printed media from the early 1980s. The basis for my value estimate of $100-300 assumes that the printed cover is a period-correct original and that the signature aligns with typical market demand for signed 1980s football memorabilia. General market conditions for vintage sports collectibles show steady interest in Super Bowl memorabilia, though values fluctuate widely based on the presence of third-party letter grading or formal authentication. To move beyond a working assumption and confirm authenticity, the item would need physical inspection, professional third-party autograph authentication, and expert evaluation of the ink and paper materials. If this piece were to turn out to be a modern reproduction, a facsimile signature copy, or otherwise unattributed, the market value would drop significantly, likely falling into the $10-30 range typical of decorative or mass-produced reprints.