At The Buzzer In 2024, Jayden Daniels Best Rookie Card Was Pulled
Panini inserts have become a key feature of their basketball and football products over the past few years. To encourage collectors to open some of their less popular products, such as Donruss and Absolute, Panini introduced the Kaboom and Downtown inserts. The Kaboom insert debuted in the 2013-14 Innovation basketball set.
The popularity of Kaboom inserts is consistent across both sports, with 7 versions of the card selling for over $100,000 and 34 sales surpassing the $50,000 mark.
The Rookie of the Year award seemed to be locked up for Jayden Daniels, but late-season performances by other rookies have made the race more competitive. Throughout the season, Daniels has been the most impressive rookie, so it will be interesting to see who ultimately wins the award. Notably, the 1/1 green Kaboom of Daniels was pulled just weeks after the product’s release.
🏈 JUST PULLED 🏈
— Sports Card Investor (@SportsCardInv) December 31, 2024
Jayden Daniels’ 1/1 Green Kaboom has surfaced, as it was pulled by @Sandssportscard! pic.twitter.com/bNvLJC5D4r
Why Is Panini Putting The Rookie Logo On Non-Rookie Cards?
In September 2024, the CJ Stroud 1/1 Kaboom sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $72,000. Gauging player popularity year to year can be challenging, but Daniels is certainly on par with Stroud. It will be fascinating to see where Daniels’ card eventually sells. Meanwhile, the Anthony Richardson 1/1 Kaboom sold for over $36,000 through Goldin Auctions in September.
Looking at last year’s top Kaboom sales, you might notice another 1/1 CJ Stroud card. This is because, a few years ago, Panini added variations to the Kaboom checklist. In 2023, the checklist included 40 players, but it also featured a horizontal variation, which had both a gold version numbered to 10 and a green 1/1.
Panini May Have Just Leaked Their Next Big Card
This year’s checklist is quite similar, with 41 players on the base checklist and 16 players on the horizontal variation checklist. Daniels appears on both checklists—the vertical and horizontal—meaning there is another green 1/1, just as there was with CJ Stroud last year.
Based on historical sales, the vertical version of Kaboom cards tends to sell for higher prices. This makes the green 1/1 vertical Daniels Kaboom likely to be one of the highest sales from the 2024 Panini Absolute set once the card hits the market.
Adam has been a sports content creator since 2016, initially focusing on creating sports-related graphics for his Instagram page. In 2018, he transitioned to writing and podcasting about sports cards. Since then, he has worked both independently and with companies within the industry, producing podcasts, videos, and written content on sports cards.