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Last Updated On: December 20th, 2024
Back in April, we were abuzz about the prospect of WNBA cards experiencing a mini-boomlet thanks to one promising draft pick from the midwest: Caitlin Clark. With the most recent WNBA season in the books, it’s fair to say that Clark lived up to her end of the hype, inaugurating one of the most-watched seasons of women’s basketball in the sport’s history.
Rookie of the Year. WNBA All-Star. First Team All-Rookie. First Team All–WNBA. Fourth in MVP voting. With just one season under her belt, Clark’s trophy case is likely already in need of an expansion. Now that the professional product has matched the hype, it’s time to take a closer look at investing in Caitlin Clark rookie cards.
In this post, we’ll highlight Clark’s various rookie cards, including pre-professional items from Sports Illustrated and Bowman University, as well as her pro-debut cards from Panini Origins and Select. Finally, we’ll walk you through a selection of notable Caitlin Clark rookie card sales to get an idea of where the hobby stands for the Indiana Fever star.
Let’s dig in!
Table of Contents
Who is Caitlin Clark?
Caitlin Clark first came on most folks’ radar after leading the Iowa Hawkeyes to an upset win over South Carolina (which entered on a 42-game win streak) during her junior season, en route to collecting just about every individual collegiate basketball honor. But Clark was a star in the making well before 2023.
As a high schooler, Clark was a McDonald’s All-American and ranked as 2020’s No. 4 college prospect by ESPN, behind Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, and Cameron Brink, respectively. In her senior year, Clark bested Davidson’s Stephen Curry’s record for most threes in a college season and set a new NCAA tournament women’s scoring record.
After securing back-to-back AP Player of the Year honors, she declared for the 2024 WNBA draft and was selected first overall by the Indiana Fever. Clark helped lead the Fever to a turnaround season, finishing third in the Eastern Conference and a first-round playoff appearance before falling to the Connecticut Sun.
But more than on-court prowess, she’s known for the “Caitlin Effect,” in which her name and brand add instant value to any to which it’s connected. For example, one study suggested Clark would add nearly $2.5 million in value to the Indianapolis region (home to the Fever) just by having her on the team.
Clark, in addition to the extremely talented crop of young WNBAers, is a big reason why the WNBA is expected to over double its value over the next three years. In other words, Clark’s combination of talent and media visibility combine to make her an ultimate X-factor player. Thanks to the Caitlin Effect, we’d certainly expect her rookie cards to flourish as an investment.
Rookie Card Overview
What Year did Caitlin Clark’s Rookie Card Debut?
Caitlin Clark’s rookie card debuted in 2024, the same year she declared for the draft. Before 2024, several brands released pre-rookie cards featuring her as a college phenom.
Let’s touch on a few of those pre-rookie releases before diving into her post-draft Panini collection.
Pre-Rookie Releases (XRCs/Prospect Cards)
Before the draft, companies with collegiate licenses began printing off the first Caitlin Clark rookie cards (though they are not considered her “true” rookie since she isn’t in a WNBA jersey).
Companies like Sports Illustrated and Bowman University reeled off sheets of Caitlin Clark rookie cards featuring the future top pick in her Iowa Hawkeyes uniform. Here are a few to know:
2021 Sports Illustrated for Kids
It’s a time-honored tradition to have Sports Illustrated for Kids print off an early edition of a player’s rookie card. Many greats – Victor Wembanyama, Tony Hawk, Tiger Woods, Serena Williams – have seen their cards printed on the iconic perforated sheet.
Yet these cards rarely have the long-term lifespan of a licensed, post-draft, true rookie card. This is due to several reasons. First and perhaps the most obvious is that the card doesn’t feature the player in their pro uniform, a definite knock for amateur and picky collectors alike.
Second, these cards take a lot of work to maintain in good condition. Start with the fact that the cards must be literally ripped from the magazine along the perforated edges. The lack of clean edges and lines makes collectors’ skin crawl. Third, the cards aren’t “pack-pulled.”
We dedicated an entire post to debunking the myths around non-pack-pulled cards, but in this case, it’s a serious consideration. While Sports Illustrated for Kids rookie cards usually see some intrigue early on, it’s typically limited to a flash in the pan until the true rookies come along.
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2022 Bowman University Basketball
Regarding baseball cards, Bowman 1sts are the cream of the crop as a player’s “prospect” or “minor league” card. For this reason, it’s unsurprising that basketball cards heat up as a player’s “prospect card,” given that they’re still in their college jersey.
Such was the case for Clark. Her 2022 Bowman University card was one of the first non-perforated cards to be available during her iconic 2022-24 run with Iowa. The Bowman University set comes with all Topps/Bowman’s trademarks: a base chrome set, two dozen refractor parallels, and a host of auto cards.
Additionally, the 2022 Bowman University set includes both men and women, so the hunt for Victor Wembanyama’s card makes for double the fun when ripping.
Others
In addition to Bowman and Sports Illustrated, Panini printed its own set of Clark pre-rookie cards under its Select and Contenders brands. A personal favorite, if strictly for the out-of-the-box (pun intended) design, is her Donruss “Crunch Time” card from 2024.
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Key Rookie Cards
Thus far, Panini has released only Select (making its WNBA debut) and Origins WNBA cards. Prizm, Panini’s flagship brand, is also on the horizon, but a specific release date has not been set.
Panini Select
For the first time in its history, Panini expanded its Select brand to include WNBA players (a perfect example of the Caitlin Effect at work). But well-seasoned collectors will instantly recognize the set, which is among the most sought-after non-Prizm cards around.
The set includes 250 cards divided up into three tiers: Concourse (#1-100), Premier (#101-200), and Courtside (#201-250). Concourse and Premier each come stocked with 23 parallels total, including two 1/1s, while Courtside features just 16 total parallels.
Then there are Select’s iconic group of inserts, the best of which is the five-card Color Wheel insert. Collectors can also get their hands on auto and jersey cards from the Select set.
Given their recent release at the end of October, the Caitlin Clark Select rookie cards have been flying off the shelves. One of the most remarkable features of Select is that, given the three-tiered offering, there are plenty of opportunities to target Caitlin Clark’s rookie cards. Ditto for the inserts; given Clark’s dominance, she’s well-represented in each insert and auto set.
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Panini Origins
Fans entered the 2024 season with out-of-this-world hopes for the WNBA. Panini evidently felt the same way and designed its WNBA Origins set with an outer space theme. With just seven parallels (including a Black 1/1), the set may not have the same hype as Select, but it packs plenty of punch with rarity.
One of our favorite cards from this set includes the Caitlin Clark rookie Dual Autographs set, which she shares with fellow Indiana Fever (and 2023 Rookie of the Year) Aliyah Boston.
Panini Prizm (Coming Soon 🔥)
For now, fans must wait for the marriage between Caitlin Clark’s rookie cards and Panini’s flagship brand, Prizm. While boxes are available to pre-order, there’s no clear timeline for release, meaning fans might have to wait until after the Holidays to collect Caitlin Clark Prizm cards.
It’s worth speculating how popular Clark’s Prizm rookie card will be. For older WNBA card sets, scarcity is real due to limited demand and, thus, limited print runs. But Clark’s superstardom combined with greater interest in women’s basketball wouldn’t be shocking to see Panini boost its print runs significantly.
This leaves collectors in a tricky spot. Yes, demand for Clark’s rookie cards will be immense, but will such demand create long-term problems for the card’s valuation? Given what we know about the relationship between pop count and value, collectors might want to stick with serial-numbered cards, where print runs are a known quantity, rather than non-numbered alternatives, such as the Silver Prizm.
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Others
Other Caitlin Clark rookie cards worth noting include Panini Instant, which is something like Panini’s response to Topps Now. During Clark’s rookie season, Panini Instant printed several cards featuring the Fever star, including #164, which features both Clark and fellow rookie standout Angel Reese at the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game.
If anyone tries to sell you a Caitlin Clark Kaboom! card, send them straight to the spam folder. As of yet, there are no WNBA Kaboom! cards (though we sure wish this wasn’t the case). Perhaps one day we’ll be lucky enough to see Clark’s likeness on a funky Kaboom!, but for now, the brand is limited to men’s sports.
Signed Rookie Cards
Thus far, we’ve focused primarily on unsigned Caitlin Clark rookie cards. But Bowman and Panini also offer signed Clark cards. It’s worth noting that Clark currently has an exclusive autograph deal with Panini, so any non-Panini autos (not counting her earlier Bowmans) are after-market signatures.
2022 Bowman University Autographs
With 11 numbered parallels, the 2022 Caitlin Clark Bowman University Autographs rookie cards were some of the first Clark autos to hit the market. Autograph cards tend to hold up exceptionally well over time value-wise, so even though they’re pre-rookie, they should retain at least some value.
Another cap in the Bowman University autos’ favor is that collecting WNBA cards varies drastically from traditional men’s sports due primarily to historically scattered interest in the product. So, while a men’s pre-rookie basketball card may tank in value as soon as the pro version arrives, the same can’t be said of WNBA cards, which begin with a severely limited pool of products.
In addition to the 2022 set, the 2023 Bowman U auto series features an excellent dual auto between Clark and then-LSU star Angel Reese.
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2022 Panini Origins Dual Autograph
Another card worth mentioning is the 2024 Panini Origins Dual Autograph, which features 2024 Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark and her Fever teammate Aliyah Boston, who also won Rookie of the Year honors in 2023.
Whether it’s the iconic 1980 Larry Bird/Magic Johnson rookie card or the 2008 Topps Chrome featuring LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, cards with dual stars remain popular long after printing. Given Clark and Boston’s status, the 2024 Panini Origins Dual auto can enter that vaunted class.
Noteworthy Caitlin Clark Rookie Card Sales
Below is a list of 10 noteworthy Caitlin Clark rookie card sales, chosen based on a few factors, including sale price, date, and type of card.
| Card | Sale Price | Date |
| 2024 Panini Select WNBA #SG-CC Caitlin Clark Signatures Gold Vinyl 1/1 | $234,850 | Dec. 2024 |
| 2024 Panini Instant WNBA Draft Caitlin Clark Auto Blue Viper 1/1 | $84,000 | Sep. 2024 |
| 2022 Bowman University #50 Caitlin Clark Superfractor 1/1 PSA 10 | $78,000 | Jan. 2024 |
| 2024 Select WNBA Draft Caitlin Clark Black Finite Auto 1/1 | $52,800 | Dec. 2024 |
| 2022 Bowman U Best #DACB Boston/Clark DL-AU Suprefractor 1/1 PSA 9 | $13,999 | Jul. 2024 |
| 2021 Sports Illustrated for Kids #997 Caitlin Clark PSA 9 | $9,900 | Aug. 2024 |
| 2024 Select WNBA #5 Caitlin Clark Color Wheel PSA 10 | $4,000 | Dec. 2024 |
| 2023 Bowman U Now #DABC C.Clark/P. Bueckers March Madness Dual Auto PSA 10 | $9,760 | Jul. 2024 |
| 2022 Bowman University Best #50 Caitlin Clark PSA 10 | $9,270 | Oct. 2024 |
| 2024 Select WNBA #72 Caitlin Clark Gold Prizm /10 PSA 10 | $6,500 | Dec. 2024 |
A few factors stand out right off the bat. First, check out how well the Bowman cards have retained their values even after Panini entered the fray with post-draft rookie cards. It’s an excellent overall sign that, two years later, Clark’s pre-rookie cards are still competing well with her true rookies.
Second, consider the time frame of these purchases. While the hobby has undoubtedly experienced a dip since the early 2020s surge, Clark’s market remains exceptionally robust. Even as recently as this month, high-end Clark cards are going for four to six figures. Even non-autos like the 2024 Select Gold Prizm and 2022 Bowman Best are turning a pretty penny.
Third, we can get a real sense of how diverse the market is for Caitlin Clark rookie cards. A decade ago, we might see a fraction of the number of WNBA cards available. Today, Clark alone has dozens of cards worthy of collectors’ attention.
Far from a novelty, Caitlin Clark rookie cards are becoming industry movers. But could there still be room for growth? Clark’s cards carry a nearly $1 million market cap. This is no small figure but it puts her on track with the likes of Kyrie Irving, Jack Nicklaus, and Iron Man.
This tells us that there’s still plenty of room for Caitlin Clark rookie cards to grow, an excellent sign for prospective investors.
Caitlin Clark Rookies on eBay
Pro Tip: set Max Price to a range within your desired budget. Keep in mind the default sort order will display cards ending soonest on eBay, and can be changed to sort by price, or by cards with the most bids.
Summary
Regardless of your opinions about Caitlin Clark, the player, there’s little denying that Clark is one of the most important figures in American sports history. She’s a generational talent for more than her on-court performance; she can do what the likes of Bill Russell, Babe Ruth, Wayne Gretzky, and Joe Namath all did: legitimize the sport they played.
Indeed, should the WNBA elevate in status over the next decade, it will be thanks in no small part to the ultra-rare combination of Clark’s skill and popularity. If Clark can launch women’s basketball into the mainstream, imagine what she’ll do for her cards.
Thus, we are at a pivotal moment for WNBA cards. Caitlin Clark’s rookie cards thrive, especially once her Panini Prizm cards launch. Are we on the verge of a mini-boom for WNBA cards? We think so, which means those holding Caitlin Clark’s Dual Autos, her Color Wheel Select Insert, and serial-numbered Prizms will inevitably be happy campers.