Caitlin Clark card shatters records as the WNBA superstar transforms the women’s sports trading cards landscape

The GIST: The Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark has shattered records once again — or at least her likeness has. Last Thursday, a signed one-of-one Panini trading card depicting Clark sold for $660K, beating the previous $366K record set by another of Clark’s Panini cards in March. Let’s explore how Clark has recalibrated the memorabilia market with her unparalleled WNBA stardom.

The Caitlin Clark effect: Clark’s arrival has transformed the trading card market for women’s basketball, starting with her exclusive multiyear Panini deal that made her the first woman athlete to sign with the brand. With Panini cornering the Clark market from the get-go, the brand has been able to rake it in.

• There’s been an overall boost to the WNBA trading card marketplace — PSA graded 62% more WNBA cards YoY in March — but the Fever star’s cards are leaving all others in the dust. Over 105K Clark cards were graded by PSA in that timespan compared to 7.2K for runner-up Angel Reese and 6.4K for third-place Paige Bueckers.

• Clark’s cards are also outperforming NBA athletes: She was the first woman athlete to break the PSA’s top 10 most-collected basketball athletes in 2024, and in May, only NBA star Victor Wembanyama produced more sales than Clark within a 30-day period. Ballin’.

The market effect: While Panini directly profits from these sales, other platforms in the ecosystem are benefiting as well. Clark was the third most-searched athlete on eBay in April, and two of her Panini Prizm cards were among the four most-transacted sports cards online.

• In the year between May 2024 and 2025, only four WNBA or women’s college basketball athletes cracked the top 80 most-purchased basketball player cards. But in the 30-day span before this year’s WNBA Draft, nine W players appeared in the top 80 with Clark ranking third overall.

Lingering thoughts: According to Just Women’s Sports, 10 of Clark’s official trading cards have surpassed $100K at auction, while 14 have sold for more than her $78K WNBA salary this year. In fact, the most recent sale is worth more than her entire four-year, $338K contract with Indiana.

• That observation further inflames the league’s discussions around pay, especially when it’s unclear exactly how much Clark earns from all of this. But with her cards holding their own among basketball legends like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James, it seems Clark could have quite the leverage in negotiations next time around. Stacked in her favor.