In a remarkable event for the world of sports memorabilia, the Caitlin Clark Green Kaboom 1/1 NFT was sold for an astonishing $175,000 on Monday, setting a new record for the highest-priced NFT on the Panini Blockchain platform. This unique card, which is part of the highly anticipated 2024 Panini NFT WNBA Rookie Royalty release, was extracted from a pack just one day prior and promptly sold at its full asking price.
Before this transaction, the record for the most expensive card on Panini Blockchain was held by the $146,431 paid for the 2024 National Treasures Victor Wembanyama 1/1 Logoman last December. Additionally, prior to Monday’s sale, the highest price for a Clark card on this platform had been $51,248 for a Prizm Gold Vinyl 1/1 sold in February. In a related sale, a Clark Gold Kaboom, limited to just ten copies, was sold for $60,000 within an impressive 40 minutes following the Green Kaboom’s sale.
The buyer, Dingyu, a prominent collector based in Berlin who operates under the username “Spinotron,” expressed enthusiasm for the purchase, emphasizing the significance of Kaboom as a major insert within the hobby. “I feel like Kaboom is Panini’s best innovation and is universally embraced in the physical hobby,” he noted. Dingyu also added that he believes in the investment potential of WNBA teams, viewing his purchases as parallel investments at the hobby level.
Monday’s result marked a significant achievement for Panini Blockchain, which reported its most successful month in history, amassing $7 million in total transactions during August. With the recent sale included, the platform has already seen more than $4.4 million spent in September. This surge in activity has largely been fueled by the popularity of the WNBA Rookie Royalty release, as well as ultra-high-end collectors seeking some of the most sought-after NFTs available.
The WNBA Rookie Royalty packs, which contain just two NFTs each, were offered through a Dutch Auction on September 5, with prices ranging from a ceiling of $15,000 to a floor of $500. These packs eventually sold out at around $1,100, but they have since commanded an average resale price of $2,751, with some fetching as much as $4,211.
It will be intriguing to observe how the market for Caitlin Clark’s cards evolves following her announcement that she will not return for the current season. Over the past year, Clark’s market has seen explosive growth, increasing from under $100,000 to an impressive $660,000, with her high-end parallels and Rookie Patch Autographs finally reaching the auction block.
The digital version of the Rookie Royalty release has mirrored the success of its physical counterpart, which debuted in July. Like the NFT version, the physical set contained only two cards and was also sold via Dutch Auction with price points ranging from $30,000 to $3,000. Ultimately selling out close to that lower end, physical boxes have since traded hands for as much as $14,250 on platforms like eBay.
To date, the Rookie Royalty brand has produced three of the five highest sales related to women’s basketball NFTs on the Panini Blockchain, as well as three of the top four highest sales of physical Clark cards.
Featuring top-tier Rookie Patch Autographs and inserts, the physical Rookie Royalty release yielded the Clark Flawless Logowoman 1/1, which sold for a record $660,000 in July, making it the most valuable women’s sports card ever. According to the data aggregation tool Card Ladder, Clark has now achieved two public sales of $500,000 or more and 13 sales exceeding $100,000. The Green Kaboom NFT is currently the 10th-most valuable Clark card sold in the secondary market when including physical cards.
On Monday alone, Clark’s Green Kaboom played a pivotal role in making it one of the most successful days for Panini Blockchain, with over $1.265 million spent and 13 transactions exceeding $10,000 by 4 p.m. ET. Notably, the physical Green Kaboom is set to be sold as part of the 2025 Summer Goldin 100 auction later this month, reaching a current bid of $183,000, including buyer’s premium, with 16 bids already submitted.
When asked if he intended to combine the digital and physical versions of the Kaboom, Dingyu gave a straightforward answer. “Tempting but probably not.”
