Women's Fastbreak On SI

Fans Aghast at WNBA Card Prices for Box Featuring Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Rookies

The price of a recent Panini card set featuring Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese on the box is driving some WNBA fans insane.

Grant Young

Jul 20, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Team WNBA guard Caitlin Clark (left) and Angel Reese against the USA Women's National Team during the 2024 WNBA All Star Game at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Jul 20, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Team WNBA guard Caitlin Clark (left) and Angel Reese against the USA Women's National Team during the 2024 WNBA All Star Game at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Global sensations Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese going from college basketball to the WNBA this year heightened the sport's entire profile.

The WNBA has countless fans today who might not have been able to name five players in the league just one year ago. And this heightened attention and interest has surely made the WNBA a ton of money.

But added intrigue doesn't always work out well for fans. A great example of this is ticket prices skyrocketing at many WNBA games, making it difficult for many fans to afford to witness Clark, Reese, or some other player's greatness live.

Another example of this surfaced on Saturday when X user @ericwhiteback broke the news that sports trading card company Panini has priced their new WNBA boxes at $3,000, as part of what's called a Dutch Auction.

For those who are unaware of online auction nuance, a Dutch Auction is, per cardlines.com, when "the price starts at a very high number. It then decreases at consistent intervals. Eventually, when the price hits a 'fair market value,' the product will sell out."

In other words, the initial price is set extremely high before it gets gradually lowered until someone purchases it.

The floor price (which is the lowest amount the card set can be bought at) is set at $750.

But the exorbitant starting point is this specific card pack shows that Panini expects high demand, given the stature of Clark, Reese, and the rest of the 2024 WNBA rookie class.

Despite this, fans are still stunned by the price of these trading cards.

"The players couldn't even afford a box 🤣," X user @extramediumDET joked.

Another fan said, "Damn you used to be able to buy a wnba franchise for that".

A third fan posted a GIF of an exasperated Ryan Reynolds.

While this initial price might seem absurd, there's a good chance some Clark or Reese fan out there is willing to pay it.

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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