NOW is the Time to Collect WNBA Cards (Thx to Caitlin Clark)

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Last Updated On: April 26th, 2024

Let’s rewind the tape back to 2017, a rather ho-hum year in the world of sports collectibles. The hobby was at a crossroads, with baseball cards losing their allure in tandem with the waning public interest in the sport. This was the backdrop against which a new era was about to dawn. 

But then, something intriguing happened. The hobby went berzerk. Riding the pandemic-fueled, Last Dance-inspired craze, basketball cards resuscitated the hobby and obliterated whatever prior ceilings existed. 

Yes, nostalgia was a massive reason for the rise of men’s basketball cards, but so was talent. Before that point, the NBA had stagnated to an inevitable Finals clash between the league’s two best players – Stephen Curry and LeBron James. But in the late 2010s, a horde of exciting, uber-talented players promised to vault the league to a new stratosphere of competitiveness (and bring the rest of the league with them). Imagine if you’d been able to get in on the basketball card craze before the pandemic. 

Why do we lay this history out? Because there’s an extremely compelling case that the very same transformation could be taking place in women’s basketball. Between the most recent WNBA draft and the current crop of stars, the league’s future has never been brighter. 

In this post, we’ll provide an overview of the current status of WNBA cards, which to target, and names to watch. We’ll also showcase some top-selling WNBA cards over the last year. By the end, it should be clear why NOW is the time to collect WNBA cards.

Let’s explore!

Overview of the WNBA

First things first: the WNBA is far from the first professional women’s basketball league in the United States. Since the late 1970s, various women’s leagues have started, stalled, and stopped altogether. 

But in 1996, the WNBA promised to stand the test of time. And it did so by working in tandem with the NBA Board of Governors, a partnership no other women’s league had yet brokered.

Though the WNBA might have announced “We Got Next” in its promotional campaign, it would take some time before the league went truly mainstream. Unsurprisingly, the WNBA’s viewership trailed the NBA’s by a considerable margin. Over the WNBA’s first four years, an average of 1.99 million people tuned into the WNBA championship (then only one game). For comparison’s sake, the NBA’s lowest average viewership was 9.29 million viewers in 2007.

Then came the 2024 NCAA Women’s College Basketball Final Four. The three-game slate saw a whopping 13.8 million average viewers (with 18.9 million tuning into the championship between South Carolina and Iowa). 

What explains this sudden leap? On one hand, the skill level has become markedly better across the board. And then there’s Caitlin Clark.

Who is Caitlin Clark?

For those unfamiliar, Caitlin Clark played for the University of Iowa, and featured in this year’s championship game against undefeated South Carolina. Over the course of her senior year with the Hawkeyes, Clark shredded just about every record in the books, including the NCAA’s all-time scoring record:

Her skill on the court led her name to be the first called on draft night. And her popularity off the court has already translated into appearances on Saturday Night Live and elsewhere, with experts dubbing her a “media star.”

In other words, the sports and culture world could soon feel the total weight of “The Caitlin Effect.”

The Caitlin Effect

Here’s “The Caitlin Effect” in a nutshell: wherever Caitlin Clark goes, fans will come. A recent study concluded that by herself, Clark will add $2.4 million to the Indianapolis region (home to the Indiana Fever, who drafted her first overall earlier this month). 

Case in point: Clark’s Fever jersey has already sold out. The discrepancy between her salary and value is thrusting conversations about the gender wage gap into the spotlight. And Nike has already ponied up $28 million in endorsement deals for Clark. 

This isn’t a new phenomenon. Athletes who can marry their personality with their talent into a brand often wholly change the way the public views a sport entirely, often attracting audiences that might historically not have any interest in a given sport. 

For instance, UFC growth and interest spiked during Conor McGregor’s prime, golf interest bloomed in Tiger Woods’ heyday, and Michael Jordan turned his entire being into a bonafide brand that continues to pay dividends today. 

Even modern stars – think Luka Doncic and The Rock – have tilted the sports-culture paradigm. 

And if everything that Clark touches turns to gold, the same might be true of WNBA cards. Because “The Caitlin Effect” (or the “Conor Effect,” the “Luka Effect,” or “Tiger Effect”) see values of all cards in their sport grow as a result of one player’s success.

If all ships do indeed rise on the back of Clark’s high tide, it’s important to have a clear picture of which cards are worth targeting now.

Collecting WNBA Cards

It’s not uncommon for high-end men’s basketball cards to fetch hundreds of thousands (or millions) at sale or auction. Old (the 1948 Bowman George Mikan) and new (2018 Luka Doncic National Treasures RPA) cards alike see their values well north of a million dollars. 

The same hasn’t quite been true for WNBA cards. The highest-selling WNBA card appears to be the 2021 Prizm WNBA Sabrina Ionescu Signatures Black 1/1 PSA 10, which sold for $11,500 in April 2022. Ionescu was something of a “Caitlin Clark lite” – she drummed up considerable interest coming out of Oregon in 2020. 

But the gap between $11,500 and the many millions of dollars that top-end NBA cards go for is… staggering. Keep that in mind when you read the following sentence. 

In January 2024, Caitlin Clark’s 2022 Bowman University 1st Bowman Superfractor auto 1/1 #50 in Gem Mint condition sold for $78,000. In fact, four of Clark’s cards have sold above the Ionescu card mark. And, since she’s yet to play a minute of WNBA time, these are all college cards. 

One more fun note about WNBA cards that I believe will ultimately contribute to their growth: scarcity. According to Beckett, an average of 26 total WNBA rookie cards were printed in each base set from 1997 to 2019. Contrast that with the NBA and its myriad prizm parallels, which often see 40+ cards for each individual rookie in Prizm alone. 

This scarcity should help in the long run. If Clark’s popularity sees the values of all WNBA cards increase, then retroactive scarcity for, say, a 2004 Diana Taurasi rookie card will inevitably be a bonus. 

So who stands to benefit most from “The Caitlin Effect”? Let’s break it down.

Top Players in the WNBA

We at Only Greats try to stay in our lane when it comes to evaluating “the best players” in any particular sport. So, to keep this from devolving into a First Take segment, the following list is designed to capture the best WNBA players to try and collect. 

There are plenty of notable omissions from a talent perspective. You won’t see Sheryl Swoopes, Swin Cash, or Becky Hammon on this list, though each one has contributed immeasurably to the sport. 

This list also skews recent. This is largely because some of the most collectible WNBA cards are recent editions printed at a relatively high water mark in interest. For instance, it would not be surprising to see some of the older cards come back into vogue as more fans scour YouTube for clips of Swoopes and Cash. But for now, we are where we are.

Best 15 WNBA Players to Collect

The following list should not be interpreted as a dispositive list of WNBA all-time talent. To that end, the WNBA released a list of its top 25 players of all time in 2021 in honor of the league’s 25th anniversary.

Instead, the following is a list of players important to keep in mind for anyone who will collect WNBA cards.

2024 Draft Class

The 2024 WNBA Draft was spectacular. In addition to Clark, LSU’s Angel Reese, Stanford’s Cameron Brink, and UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards round out an excellent crop of rookies in this year’s class. 

Could it be the best of all time? Possibly, although it wasn’t long ago that the 2013 draft, featuring Brittney Griner, Elena Delle Donne, and Skylar Diggins, felt like it could be the best of all time. In terms of sheer buzz and hype, 2024’s draft is unparalleled. Which, frankly, is a massive element (if not the element) when it comes to entering the cultural mainstream.

Also, let’s not forget way back in 2001, when Lauren Jackson, Tamika Catchings, Deanna Nolan, Katie Douglas, and Penny Taylor heard their names called.

With the 2024 WNBA season set to kickoff May 14th, card collectors will undoubtedly chase top-tier rookies with every product release this year.

The benefit of hindsight will determine whether the 2024 draft class goes down in the record books, although it’s fair to say collectors should keep a look out for Panini WNBA product releases as the year progresses. Be sure to check back here as we’ll update this area with links and release dates as they become known.

Popular WNBA Cards to Target

Like men’s basketball cards, the WNBA has changed licensees over the last 28 years. Currently, Panini holds the license (another perfectly timed pickup) and has commenced printing the classic parallels cherished in the men’s game. 

Among the most valuable sets are those from the draft classes we previously mentioned. The 2001 Fleer Ultra, 2004 Fleer Ultra, and 2013 Rittenhouse sets, in particular, often contain highly sought-after cards. The 2016, 2018, and 2020 sets are also noteworthy, thanks to the inclusion of rookie cards for Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, and Sabrina Ionescu, respectively.

For a full rundown of each WNBA set up through 2022, this beneficial checklist has you covered.

Early Year Brands

There were no fewer than five different brands producing WNBA cards over the first eight years of the league’s existence. Pinnacle covered ‘97 and ‘98, Hoops and Ultra in ‘99, Skybox and Fleer in 2000 (Fleer would continue until 2004). 

Some of the iconic cards from these early days include Diana Taurasi’s 2004 Ultra RC (which was given the Platinum Medallion treatment, much like Michael Jordan’s famous ’90s parallels), and legendary star Sue Bird’s RC which was released in 2002.

One of the best ways to find older WNBA cards is to search eBay. Click here to search 2004 WNBA Ultra cards, for example. You’ll notice Diana Taurasi rookie cards going for hundreds of dollars at the top of the search results; she’s the #1 chase given how her legendary WNBA career continues to unfold.

Rittenhouse WNBA Cards

During the period between 2005 and 2018, Rittenhouse stood as the sole producer of WNBA cards, creating a unique era of exclusivity. Despite a three-series release in 2012, Rittenhouse maintained a low production count, adding to the allure of these cards for collectors. 

The 2013 set, for instance, has a total pop count of just over 200 cards with PSA (the heavy hitters being Elena Delle Donne, Skyler Diggins, and Brittney Griner – all rookies). The same is true of most of the Rittenhouse sets, including 2011, 2010, and 2009.

Among the top cards from the Rittenhouse years are Breanna Stewart’s 2016 rookie card and A’ja Wilson’s 2018 rookie card. Several Wilson aftermarket autos have even hit the auction block, selling for a few thousand dollars.

Panini Prizm WNBA

Since 2019, Panini has held the license to produce official WNBA cards. It wouldn’t be until 2020 that Panini sold WNBA cards under its iconic Prizm brand. And they didn’t miss a beat, producing a modest 16 parallels (including Silver) in its debut line. 

The 2020 set will have staying power as the debut year for the Prizm WNBA brand, and also for holding the Sabrina Ionescu rookie card. As we’ve already seen, those low-pop Ionescu rookie parallels can fetch a decent haul. In addition to the Ionescu rookie, Panini released a host of auto inserts, including Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, and Diana Taurasi autographed cards. 

In 2022, Panini produced a similar Signatures inserts set packed with 39 star-studded autos. Every high-level WNBA star is represented, including Bird, Becky Hammon, Jewell Lloyd, and Maya Moore.

Among the most popular Prizm parallels to chase are the Silvers, Black 1/1, Black Gold /5, and Gold Vinyl 1/1.

Among the non-Prizm Panini cards, there are a handful of exciting patch auto cards, as well. That includes this 1 of 1 A’ja Wilson Logowoman from 2023 Panini Origins:

Search eBay for Panini Prizm WNBA wax boxes.

Popular Inserts to Collect

When it comes to chasing inserts, there are far fewer options for collectors of WNBA cards as compared to NBA basketball cards.

As far as autos are concerned, Panini Prizm Signatures mentioned above is your best bet. And thanks to legendary WNBA players’ willingness to lend an autograph, the Signatures inserts come stocked with extremely high-level talent. Similarly, patch autographs like the Panini Origins Logowoman (usually 1 of 1s) are some of the most sought-after modern cards today.

Outside of autographs and patch cards, one of the best selling — and most popular — inserts coming from Panini is the Color Blast. Debuting with 2021 Prizm, Color Blasts are an SSP “case hit”. They don’t go cheap either; Wilson recently sold for $450, Taurasi topped $380, and Liz Cambage $175 (all ungraded 2021 cards).

Search eBay for Panini Prizm WNBA Color Blasts.

The 2023 Roots of Greatness insert is another fun one. Sold under the Panini Origins brand, it combines stars from various teams and eras onto a single card (there’s also a Gold parallel numbered out of just /10).

Top Selling WNBA Cards (last 12 mos.)

So far we’ve discussed many collectible players, cards, and price points. For additional context as to how the best WNBA cards perform in the current market, the following table lists the top 10 WNBA card sales from the past year.

A few things to keep in mind first:

1. Clark and others from the 2024 draft are not represented, but rest assured, they will earn multiple spots of their own once 2024 WNBA products are released.
2. Many of the highest sales are PSA 10 Gem Mint cards; ungraded or lower grade cards of the same players sell for significantly less.

The Time is Now to Collect WNBA Cards

We started this post by exploring the surge in pandemic-era NBA cards. We take it for granted today, but if you had been seriously collecting in 2017, that future would have likely been far off the radar.

This post has hopefully put a new (and perhaps similarly unforeseen) trend squarely on your radar: WNBA cards. As it stands, WNBA cards are relatively very attainable — but they may not be for long. Think of it this way: in 2017, the value of the 2003 Topps Chrome LeBron James #111 Refractor in PSA 10 was valued around $4,500. Four years later, it was worth well over $100,000 at its peak, and currently sells over $20,000.

WNBA cards currently occupy a similar position. Just as the NBA enjoyed an influx of young talent in the late 2010s, so too is the WNBA right now. Who’s to say Caitlin Clark won’t have the same effect on WNBA cards that Luka Doncic had with the NBA? If anything, Clark’s impact might be more pronounced.

And Clark is far from alone. Fellow rookie Angel Reese will contribute to an already loaded crop of young talent like Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, and A’ja Wilson. By the way — we haven’t even seen UConn’s Paige Bueckers — a player many believe is more talented than even Clark — on the pro circuit yet. The pipeline of WNBA talent isn’t drying up this year; it’s likely to be sustained over the next few seasons at the very least.

The WNBA is having itself a moment. Are you ready to jump on the bandwagon?

Search WNBA card auctions ending now on eBay.