Caitlin Clark is now taking over the sports memorabilia industry. After dominating college basketball for the last couple years she was taken first overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Now her first professional card, which is part of Panini's 2024 Instant WNBA Draft Night series, sold for $10,000 according to Darren Rovell's cllct.
"The Clark Blue Viper 1/1 Auto ranks as the sixth-most expensive recorded sale of a card for the Iowa superstar. It was sold in a Dutch Auction format, with the price dropping every five minutes until the product sells out. Because of heavy interest in Clark collectibles, no drop was needed to find a buyer.
In addition to the 1/1 $10,000 card, Panini also sold other variations of Clark cards, ranging from a base card, which was priced at $9.99, to a non-autographed variant of the Blue Viper 1/1 card, which sold within minutes for $3,000."
This is just the latest indication of Clark's lasting impression on women's basketball in the sports landscape. The ratings for the women's NCAA tournament were borderline unbelievable. Then 2.45 million people tuned in to the WNBA draft to see Clark get drafted. But people shelling out serious money for trading cards is an investment. According to cllct Angel Reese and Cameron Brink also had cards go for four figures.
With Indiana Fever tickets selling fast and for record prices, it's not a question of if the WNBA will see a ratings bump, but exactly how big will it be?
