The Caitlin Clark effect has hit the collectibles market. A trading card autographed by the Indiana Fever’s Rookie of the Year sold for $84,000 on Thursday, a record for any WNBA card.
The “Blue Viper” variant of Clark’s Panini rookie card shows the WNBA star holding her jersey after being selected with the top pick in April’s draft.
The shiny new card is the second most expensive women’s sports card ever sold, trailing an autographed “NetPro” patch card featuring tennis superstar Serena Williams.
Clark, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, started setting records during her collegiate career at Iowa and continued her historic success at the professional level.
The 22-year-old set the WNBA single-season assist record and the record for points by a rookie. She was unanimously selected as the league’s Rookie of the Year on Sunday, just hours before her postseason debut against the Connecticut Sun.
The WNBA has had its most-watched season ever, thanks in large part to Clark and fellow rookie Angel Reese. The Fever’s regular-season finale against the Washington Mystics was the most attended game in the league’s history —- 20,711 people flocked to Capital One Arena on Thursday.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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