The Beckett Blog

If you’re not a fan of MMA, you’ve probably been beaten down a bit by how hot the Topps UFC cards have been in the hobby.

But there’s another sign that mixed martial arts are hot – Gina Carano’s cover appearance on ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue.

Copies of the issue — which has several covers — featuring Carano have been a big hit online with sales as high as $57 for a single issue.

The 10 most-expensive sales of the issue on eBay are $57 (twice), $56, $55, $51 (twice), $46 (twice), $43 and $40.

And it appears that the demand for the issue hasn’t let up as current online auctions are pushing into top 10 territory and Buy It Now prices are right in range.

As for the other covers, here are the top prices paid so far:

Carl Edwards — $51

Serena Williams — $19.99

Sarah Reinertsen — $19.99

Adrian Peterson — $15

Dwight Howard — $14.99

This writer didn’t expect this kind of interest in the issue on the secondary market, but it appears that not all covers may have appeared in all markets. (Want a Dwight Howard? They’re everywhere in Dallas.)

Can you imagine what kind of sales there might be for autographed copies?

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball and Beckett Graded Card Investor. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.