If Caitlinsanity was supposed to slow down after Caitlin Clark entered the WNBA, someone forgot to tell collectors.
So far in 2024, PSA has already graded 681% more Clark cards than in the entirety of 2023 — all in less than seven months.
This isn't exactly shocking news, after all, PSA's grading of Clark cards surged 1,781% month-over-month from the beginning of the NBA regular season last October through April 2024, nearly double the increase of the second-place basketball player (pro or college).
Panini has made a habit of releasing Panini Instant cards of Clark, the most expensive of which have routinely sold out in the blink of an eye, like her 2024 Panini Instant WNBA Blue Viper 1/1 Autograph, which sold for a little less than $25,000, a record for any WNBA card.
The craze over Clark's collectibles made her the fourth most-graded professional basketball player in May, behind only NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
From the moment of her first card release in May 2023, a Bowman University issue of her in her Iowa Hawkeyes uniform, PSA has seen a staggering influx of submissions from collectors.
In May 2023, PSA graded 34 Clark cards. In June 2023? 150. By February 2024, that number had climbed to nearly 2,000. In April, PSA registered its peak Clark grading output of 10,189. Across all sports, the Indiana Fever star was the 18th most-graded athlete in the world by PSA.
Considering Panini announced a 50-card set featuring the phenom's career highlights earlier this month and her trading card even inspired a NASCAR paint scheme, it's safe to say the questions regarding Clark's ability to maintain relevance in the hobby after concluding her college career has been answered with a resounding yes.
It's no longer up for debate.
This is no fad.
Caitlin Clark is here to stay, on the hardwood and on the cardboard.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.