Panini America launched the Caitlin Clark Collection of trading cards Monday, according to a news release from the company. The collection features highlights from her record-setting career at the University of Iowa.
The collection consists of 24 cards (four cards per pack with six packs) and will be sold on Panini’s website and at Target (NASDAQ: TGT) immediately, with later expansion to other retailers. Autographed cards will be inserted into random packs. Clark worked with Panini to create a 15-card subset within the series that commemorates moments in her career.
“We wanted it to take on a feel of Caitlin and the things that were important to her, so she was very instrumental [in the process],” Jason Howarth, Panini America’s senior vice president of marketing and athlete relations, said in a phone interview. “We asked her to talk about 10 to 15 moments that stood out to her, that were meaningful to her during her time at Iowa and that was how we built that set.”
Clark, who was chosen first during April’s WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever, became the first female athlete to have an exclusive multiyear partnership for trading cards and autographed memorabilia with Panini America. She will receive more than $1 million in the first year of that deal, according to someone familiar with the terms who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Former LSU star Angel Reese, who was drafted by the Chicago Sky with the seventh pick, became the second female athlete with an exclusive partnership.
Clark’s brief time in the WNBA, which has a partnership with Panini, so far has delivered record ratings and attendance at the arenas where the Indiana Fever have played. She owns a few collectibles records, too.
Clark’s Panini Instant Blue Viper signed card, a one-of-one, was purchased at Panini America’s website for $24,921, the highest-selling WNBA card publicly sold. According to Cllct.com, the prior WNBA record was $10,800 for a 2020 Panini Prizm Sabrina Ionescu card graded a 10 by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA). Cards graded a 10 are a “virtually perfect card,” according to PSA’s website.
A 2022 Bowman University Superfractor Clark rookie card sold for $78,000 at PWCC Marketplace in January. It is the highest-selling women’s basketball card on record.
PSA has seen increased grading submissions from collectors of Clark memorabilia, according to PSA data provided to Sportico. It recently launched its trading card vault in June with the hope of simplifying transactions and card grading. PSA saw a 1,781% increase in monthly Clark cards graded from October 2023 to April 2024.
Before Clark signed with Panini America, she was with Fanatics-owned Topps, Panini’s biggest rival and opponent in an active legal battle where it alleged Fanatics committed antitrust violations.
(This story was updated in the third paragraph with a comment from Jason Howarth, Panini America’s senior vice president of marketing and athlete relations. The chart was also updated after Panini America updated its data.)