On Thursday night, Indiana Fever rookie forward Caitlin Clark’s WNBA draft autographed card sold at the Fanatics Collect Premier Auction after 77 bids for a record $84,000.
Her autographed card broke the record for the most expensive women’s basketball card. The previous record was set in January of this year, when an autographed 2022 Bowman University Caitlin Clark Superfractor (a 1/1 parallel) sold for $78,000.
The card in this latest sale is the 1/1 “Blue Viper” variation of Clark’s 2024 Panini Instant WNBA Draft card. In fact, the highly coveted Panini Instant cards were printed on demand. They sold for a limited time following the draft in April.
🚨Breaking News🚨 the Caitlin Clark 2024 Panini Instant WNBA Draft Blue Viper ROOKIE AUTO 1/1 CGC AUTH just sold in tonight’s Premier Auction and we couldn’t be more excited for the new owner 👀📈 #FanaticsCollect #CaitlinClark #WNBA #basketball pic.twitter.com/1iLOfdJD5L
— Fanatics Collect (@FanaticsCollect) September 20, 2024
“This issue from the Panini Instant line, which produces on-demand cards available for a limited time, commemorates the Indiana Fever taking Clark with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft,” the description reads on the Fanatics Collect site.
“And one lucky collector received this 1/1 autographed version of the card. Clark’s impact on the WNBA is apparent through sizable increases in attendance and interest. And there’s bound to be plenty of interest in this 1/1 of the No. 1 pick. … [She’s] become the number one attraction in women’s hoops.”
Caitlin Clark’s 2024 Panini Instant WNBA Draft Blue Viper autographed card features Clark holding up her Fever jersey
The Panini Instant 1/1 card features the No. 1 draft pick holding up her Fever jersey on stage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. The Blue Viper rookie RC card was also signed by Clark, “guaranteed” authentic by Panini America.
Additionally, the Panini Instant 1/1 edition marked Clark’s first card showing her with a Fever jersey. On draft night, the Blue Viper card sold for $10,000 in a Dutch auction.
In August, Clark became the first WNBA player to record at least 50 points and 25 assists over any two-game span. She also broke Diana Taurasi’s record for most 25-5-5 games as a rookie against the WNBA legend.
Clark finished the regular season with a league-record five games with at least 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
In 40 WNBA regular-season games (all starts) of her rookie season, the Iowa product averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 35.4 minutes per contest. Plus, she shot 41.7% from the field, 34.4% from 3-point range, and 90.6% at the free throw line.
