“Do you have any Caitlin Clark cards?”

This is now a familiar question echoing through sport card shows, trade nights, and even commonplace in Whatnot chat rooms. While WNBA cards have been around since the league’s debut in 1997, media and fan interest in Clark has created unprecedented demand for her cards. And companies have been all too eager to feed that hunger with an array of product offerings never before available to WNBA collectors.

Clark’s arrival into the sports card marketplace has been transformative thanks in part to coinciding with changes in distribution, increasing interest in women’s sports, and Name Image and Likeness (NIL) reforms. These combined with the star power of Clark and booming interest in collectibles to create a rapid acceleration of product offerings.

For comparison, consider the number of pre-WNBA cards available for No. 1 draft picks over the past five years. WNBA collectors were thrilled when the Las Vegas Aces made South Carolina star, A’ja Wilson the first pick in the 2018 WNBA draft. Up until Rittenhouse released their 2018 set, only one card existed of Wilson — a Sports Illustrated for Kids card included in the May 2016 magazine. SI for Kids was also the only pre-WNBA card released for the New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu, the top pick of the 2020 draft who entered the league with considerable hype. Yet, like Wilson, the fanfare and attention for Ionescu was not met with product offerings from card companies.

It’s been completely different for Clark. Prior to her debut with the Indiana Fever, Clark was featured in seven different card sets and numerous print-to-order releases from Topps’ Bowman U Now. Factoring in parallels and insert cards, prior to her ever scoring a bucket in the WNBA, a whopping 622 Clark cards were released, including autographs.

Compared to NBA cards, WNBA card offerings and print runs have historically been much more limited. Wilson’s 2018 rookie card had one parallel numbered to 25, with her base rookie card sharing the same print run of the Rittenhouse set at only 500 copies. That’s it. No color parallels. No rookie inserts. Historically, 500 base cards would feel like a lot for long-term collectors used to even more minuscule print runs of top draft picks, like Tina Charles (250) in 2010 or Maya Moore (233) in 2011.

Looking ahead to the sets for Clark’s WNBA rookie season, the print runs will likely dwarf those of any prior set in the league’s history. This season will mark the first time the WNBA will be featured in three distinct sets from exclusive rights-holder Panini: Prizm, Select, and Origins. Since Panini obtained the license, the majority of previous years saw just one release, starting with a Donruss set in 2019, and only a handful of years with a second product offering. Add in expanded color parallels, inserts, image variations, etc., and the 2024 WNBA rookie class will be the most heavily featured in the hobby of any group in league history.

So to prepare for what’s to come and make sense of what’s already been released, let’s answer some questions you may have.

What are the 2024 WNBA sets and when will they be released?

Good question, especially considering we are already talking about playoff-bound WNBA teams at this point.

Panini has announced there will be three WNBA products this season: Origins, Select and Prizm. Currently WNBA Origins is slated for an October 16 release, with Select and Prizm following.

While Prizm is considered Panini’s flagship product, Origins’ first WNBA release came in 2023 and was well-received by WNBA collectors. The set included the first player-worn WNBA relic cards from Panini, with bolder designs.

2024 Select will be the first WNBA release for this product, historically known for its multi-tiered base set incorporating distinct parallels and rarities.

It is notable that only Origins will be released during the WNBA season, though this has come to be expected by WNBA collectors. 2023 Prizm was released last year in early October, while Origins hit the market closer to Halloween. 2022 and 2020 WNBA Prizm were both released in October, and 2021 Prizm was early to the party with a September debut.

Will prices of Clark’s collegiate cards plummet once her WNBA cards arrive?

This is perhaps one of the more animated debates currently taking place in the hobby.

Historically across a variety of sport properties, once a pro uniform card is released of an athlete, any cards featuring their collegiate career tend to drop considerably in price and demand. For example, the value and demand of a Panini Draft Picks card of a football player will drop when NFL Prizm or Select is released featuring that athlete in his new NFL uniform.

However, there is reason to believe that this may not hold true for Caitlin Clark. First, Iowa’s brand equity is larger than that of the Indiana Fever. Clark may do historic things in a Fever jersey, but she certainly cemented her legacy connected to the Hawkeyes.  Secondly, women’s college basketball may resonate more for casual collectors than the WNBA. Viewership for the WNBA has been growing steadily, but is nowhere near the record audience for NCAA Women’s March Madness set by this year’s Iowa vs. South Carolina championship game.

What will the market consider Caitlin Clark’s “rookie” card?

Ah, the classic “rookie” card debate, just ask this among Michael Jordan collectors and watch the fight begin.

Most observers tend to believe that attitudes will fall into three camps:

First, there will always be a minority of collectors that will view Clark’s 2021 Sports Illustrated for Kids card as a true rookie. They will back this up by arguing this card was her first, appearing in the November/December 2021 magazine, a full six months prior to her Bowman Chrome release. There is precedence for SI for Kids credibility in the market, with Serena Williams and Mia Hamm’s SI cards given coveted “rookie” status by buyers.

Clark’s 2021 SI for Kids card. (Photo: eBay)

However, these voices will be outnumbered by those advocating for her 2022-23 Bowman University Chrome Basketball card (and its 24 parallels) as her true rookie. This card includes the traditional “1st Bowman” stamp, which carry a premium in other products, particularly for baseball. I would anticipate this trend continuing with women’s sports card collectors.

Clark’s 1st Bowman base card. (Photo: eBay)

The third group will be generally dismissive of any collegiate card, stating unequivocally that her rookie can only be her first WNBA jersey release, with preference given to one available in hobby/retail packs. That brings us to the recent card release of Caitlin Clark decked out in a Fever uniform in Panini’s annual silver and gold VIP packs exclusively available at The National Sports Collectors Convention. While the silver NSCC packs are part of promo and wrapper redemption program, the coveted gold VIP packs are distributed at the company’s exclusive party held each year. For the 2024 edition, both checklists included WNBA rookies featured in their pro uniforms, including Clark. Autographs and short-printed parallels — including several 1/1s in the set — topped $20,000 on eBay auctions. How collectors view these non-traditional cards long-term is a bit of a mystery, as the inclusion of WNBA players in these sets is a new phenomenon.

A preview image of a Clark autographed insert card in 2024 Panini Origins. (Photo: Panini)

What about Panini’s “Caitlin Clark Collection” set?

In the race to capitalize on Caitlin Clark’s consumer appeal, Panini released a player-specific set, packaged as retail blasters (a box containing six packs). Dubbed the “Caitlin Clark NIL College Collection,” it features a 20-card base set, with numerous inserts showcasing her rise from childhood to NCAA superstar. Autographs are in the product, but they’re a rare pull. To add to the overall product checklist, Panini released retailer-specific blasters and parallels, including Target, Hy-Vee, Panini online, and iCollect.

While shorter print chase cards, including an On Campus insert, reached eBay sales over $350 soon after initial release, demand and prices have noticeably fallen as supply has seemingly caught up with demand. How these releases will stand the test of time alongside more traditional collegiate offerings from Bowman is still to be determined.

One of the On Campus inserts in the Caitlin Clark College Collection set. (Photo: eBay)

Will Caitlin Clark’s print-to-order cards hold value long term?

Trading card companies, in an effort to maximize revenue opportunities, create direct-to-consumer, print-to-order cards that celebrate various player, team, and sport milestones. Often these cards are brought to market in the hours after the event, with a limited window for consumers to order. To add extra incentive to purchase, more limited parallels and autographs may be inserted randomly into orders. Topps Now/Bowman U Now and Panini Instant have become the biggest players in print-to-order cards, and both have featured numerous cards of Caitlin Clark, including autographs. While the history of these types of cards featuring women’s basketball players is relatively limited, often these products do not have long-term price stability. Moreover, with many more traditional pack-pulled of Clark being available, these offerings may hold less value than other flagship rookie cards.

Clark’s Panini Instant Draft Night card, print run: 45,316. (Photo: eBay)

While many of the debates surrounding Caitlin Clark’s cards continue, one thing is certain: her presence in the league and interest from collectors has provided enough incentive for Panini to release three flagship WNBA products in 2024, triple its offerings from just two years ago. With new fans, flippers, breakers and everyone in between discovering WNBA cards, it has never been a more interesting time to collect.

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