Something completely new happened to me at a card show last month. My WNBA dollar boxes outsold my MLB, NHL, and NFL boxes. My high-end WNBA autographs of Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Juju Watkins sold faster than any Elly De La Cruz, Bobby Witt Jr., or Jayden Daniels cards I had in my showcase.
Truthfully, I only put together a women’s basketball dollar box as an afterthought because I had some free space. I’ve been going to card shows for years and have never seen a WNBA dollar box. I assumed the demand wasn’t there.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Walk into your local Target or Walmart and head to the card aisle. You’ll find a wide array of MLB, NFL, NBA, and maybe even some Pokémon if you’re lucky. What you won’t find are cards from the WNBA, PWHL, or women’s tennis. Not because they don’t exist — but because they’re sold out. Something has permanently changed in the marketplace.
Caitlin Clark: The Spark
For Upper Deck President Jason Masherah, the moment women’s collectibles are having isn’t surprising — but the intensity is.
“Everything changes in different sports when you have a transcendent athlete, and I think Caitlin Clark has brought a lot of attention into women’s sports in general,” Masherah told me. “If you look back at history, Magic and Bird changed the trajectory of the NBA, Gretzky did it for the NHL. Caitlin has kind of taken that torch that Alex Morgan once held.”
What makes Clark’s impact even more striking is how small the WNBA’s digital footprint still is compared to other leagues. According to social analytics firm Mondo Metrics, the NBA has 25 times more followers than the WNBA — 237.6 million to just 9.59 million across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter). That’s just 4% of the NBA’s following, 8% of the NFL’s, and less than half of MLS.
Clark’s dominance on the court and in pop culture has ignited a surge rarely seen in trading cards. On eBay, Clark accounted for all 10 of the highest-selling WNBA cards in 2024, according to company data. Her 2024–25 Prizm Rookie Autograph Gold /10 sold for more than $30,000 in February, and a month later, Goldin sold one of her cards for $366,000, and less than four months later Fanatics Collect sold a Caitlin Clark card for $660,000, setting a new record.
Her prices also tower over her male counterparts. Data provided to me by ALT.XYZ shows Clark’s Prizm Silver PSA 10 is valued around $2,400, compared to $270 for NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, $200 for Jared McCain, and $150 for Alexandre Sarr. All five of last year’s top NBA rookies combined don’t come close to Clark’s average Silver price.
Even sealed product reflects the shift. A 2024 WNBA Prizm Hobby Box sells for about $1,600 on ALT, compared to just $400 for the NBA equivalent — the first time in history WNBA wax has outpaced the NBA.
Upper Deck’s Long Game
While Clark’s meteoric rise supercharged demand, companies like Upper Deck have been laying groundwork for years. From Mia Hamm and Michelle Akers in its 1994 World Cup set, to Cheryl Miller in USA Basketball, to Serena Williams, Coco Gauff, and Naomi Osaka in Goodwin Champions, Upper Deck has consistently created entry points for women collectors.
But even Masherah admits the current wave is different. Their new PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League) set sold out immediately upon release.
“Selling out was a great surprise,” he said. “You never know if consumers are going to eat it up, or if they’re just going to look at it. But they showed us that the market is there.”
And that market isn’t just recycled from the men’s side.
“There is naturally some overlap but I do think you are seeing new collectors. We’re seeing that with the PWHL,” Masherah explained. “There are very passionate PWHL hockey collectors and they don’t collect much of anything else. They may collect a little bit of NHL, but they’re really into the PWHL.”
He also believes representation matters in ways the hobby had long ignored. “So much of what we’ve done is targeted towards boys,” Masherah said. “As a dad of three girls, when you’re trying to connect with them and get them excited about trading cards, if they play soccer, hockey, or volleyball, they want to see women athletes on cards.”
The Seller’s View
For sellers, the shift isn’t just theoretical, it’s reshaping how they run their businesses.
Val Coleman or Valcano on WhatNot, primarily sells WNBA, she said more than 90% of her sales are women’s basketball cards. Her channel has grown from 2,300 followers in May to 3,600 today, and her average show draws up to a 100 concurrent viewers.
“The 2024 retail blaster product has gone from $35 on the shelf to nearly $90 resale,” she explained. “Hobby went from $800–$1000 to $1500–$2100. I have to be very strategic when purchasing now to make sure I’m making a little ROI after fees.”
She points out that innovation in women’s sports cards — especially relics like game-used tennis racket parts or jerseys — could bring even more collectors into the space. “I think women’s tennis cards will increase even more with the rise in popularity of the sport with so many Americans in the top 10 and everyone’s love for Osaka and Sabalenka,” she said.
For her, women’s cards aren’t just viable, they’re the foundation of a business model.
By the Numbers: The Women’s Collectibles Boom
The data backs up what collectors, companies, and sellers are experiencing.
- Searches for “WNBA” rose 480% year-over-year between January and April 2025 (eBay).
- WNBA jersey sales increased 170% year-over-year in 2024 compared to 2023 (eBay).
- The number of WNBA trading cards sold grew 650% between 2020 and 2024 (eBay).
- Caitlin Clark averaged 1,300 searches per hour globally on eBay in March 2025 (eBay).
- On April 6, when Paige Bueckers led UConn to their 12th national championship, sales of her cards on eBay spiked 200% overnight (eBay). The same day, searches for Azzi Fudd rose 850%, while Sarah Strong saw an increase of 250% (eBay).
- During the NCAA Tournament, the five most-searched NCAA basketball players on eBay were all women: Bueckers, Juju Watkins, Sarah Strong, Hailey Van Lith, and Hannah Hidalgo (eBay).
- Marie-Philip Poulin PWHL Young Guns Gold Outburst 1/1 sold for $20,000 in February 2025, smashing previous PWHL records.
- Aryna Sabalenka saw her 2024 Topps Graphite Autograph PSA 10 prices jump %116 after she successfully won back to back US Open titles, the first woman to do so since Serena Williams. (SlabStox)
How do these numbers compare to the NBA rookie stars in 2025? ALT reports Clark’s Flawless RPA sold for $660,000, while the most expensive card for NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle capped out at $52,460 — more than 10x less.
eBay’s View from the Center
Adam Ireland, VP and GM of Global Collectibles at eBay, says the momentum in women’s collectibles is one of the most striking shifts he’s seen in recent years.
“As the largest global online marketplace for trading cards, we see these trends unfold in real time and we’re uniquely positioned to connect fans with the collectibles they’re seeking — it’s all available on eBay,” Ireland told me. “Over the past few years, we’ve partnered with women’s basketball stars like Sabrina Ionescu, Candace Parker, and Sue Bird to highlight the range of collectibles available on eBay — and the momentum has only accelerated with Clark, Reese, and Bueckers.”
He sees the success of women’s cards as part of a larger cultural trend. “Collecting has always reflected culture — now, that influence is bigger and more global than ever,” Ireland said. “It’s inspiring to see athletes and sports gaining recognition, and we’re committed to shining a light on them. Our goal is simple: keep buyers informed, give sellers opportunity, and make eBay the home for every collector.”
What’s Next
The market is already looking ahead. Paige Bueckers doesn’t even have a true rookie card outside of Prizm Draft Picks, yet her market cap on Alt.xyz sits at $1 million. For comparison, NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle — who has a full year’s worth of rookie releases behind him — has a market cap of $672,000. That’s not a typo. Her inclusion as a rookie in upcoming WNBA products including Donruss, Select and Prizm are going to make products fly off the shelves.
The same goes for Caitlin Clark. Second-year cards don’t typically move markets, but the appetite for Clark collectibles shows no signs of slowing. Donruss WNBA just launched with established hobby staple “The Downtown”. WNBA Donruss Hobby boxes are selling for $800 at release, an unprecedented number for a women’s product in its first year.
And it’s not just the WNBA. Other opportunities are emerging fast. The Unrivaled Basketball League, founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier just secured a massive funding round, represents a fresh lane for collectors and manufacturers to explore. If they can establish strong licensing relationships, it could become the next big frontier for women’s trading cards.
Still, growth comes with risk. As Upper Deck President Jason Masherah cautioned in our interview, the industry walks a fine line between feeding demand and oversaturating the market.
“The biggest dilemma for any of the companies is how do you balance not putting too much into the market with maybe oversupplying,” Masherah said. “Nobody wants to see their brand or an athlete’s signature devalued because you end up upside down. It’s not easy.”
Yet Masherah is optimistic about the long-term trajectory, especially as the spotlight expands beyond basketball and soccer.
“If I had to make a prediction, it’s a broader representation of women’s sports going forward,” Masherah said. “As these athletes get more attention, it will be easier to make cards — and the stories of incredible athletes in softball, volleyball, tennis, and beyond will finally be told.”
A Market Here to Stay
The women’s collectibles boom isn’t just about short-term hype. Clark’s, Reese and Bueckers rise has accelerated demand, but the infrastructure now exists, from PWHL sets to live-stream sellers to major platforms like eBay and ALT, to sustain it.
As I prepare for my next card show, I’m planning something I never would’ve imagined two years ago, nearly half my table will be dedicated to women’s collectibles. And if recent trends are any indication, I expect those singles and slabs to outperform everything else I bring.
For someone who grew up in this hobby, that shift feels monumental. What once felt like a niche corner of collecting is now a driving force, pulling in new fans, new sellers, and new energy. The moment is real and I’m betting my table space on the fact that it’s here to stay.
