There is no denying it anymore: the WNBA has hit the mainstream of American sports. The ratings are up, and so is attendance. Even the Sports Center has begun to pay significant attention to women’s games consistently. And rightfully so. The game has never been better.
Panini is trying to capitalize on this development, which has come at a good time from their perspective. The company is losing its exclusive license to produce NBA and NFL cards to their rivals at Fanatics. However, they have a solid exclusive contract with the WNBA.
Therefore, Panini will try to bring its enviable selection of products to market and increase its audience. Select is one of Panini’s better-loved products.
Therefore, a lot is riding on the WNBA version of this release. So is it a good one? Find out in our 2024 Panini Select WNBA Basketball review.
Shop for 2024 Panini Select WNBA Basketball boxes on eBay
They probably regret that decision now, but Panini has never issued a Select product for the WNBA before this season. Instead, they have focused on the Prizm WNBA product. But we will certainly see the company widen its offering for the sport, and Select is a natural place to start. Aside from Prizm, they produce no other product for many sports and leagues.
The first Select product to ever appear on shelves was the 2012-13 Basketball release. The company billed it Prizm, which had more autographs and memorabilia.
With such a flimsy premise, it could have been more successful, and the line took time to establish itself as a collector favorite. It had nothing notable to set it apart from other releases and was ignored. Well, almost nothing.
The distinctive and memorable Select logo and general aesthetic were already in place. It remains one of the best in the Panini catalog in that regard. Though not immensely popular, Select did well enough to continue production, and in 2014, the first NFL versions of the cards were released.
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The breakthrough for the set was the 2015-16 release. That year, the checklist was divided into three tiers: Concourse, which was found at a rate of three per pack; Premier Level, which was found at 10 per box; and Courtside cards, which appeared at a rate of 1:6 packs.
The odds would change over the years. But that division into three rarity tiers ultimately transformed Select from an also-ran in the Panini catalog to one of the best-loved products in their roster.
It remains to be seen if that success can be translated into WNBA gains. With the sport’s popularity skyrocketing thanks to Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese (among others), there is a good chance it will work.
This product was released on October 23, 2024. The 2024 WNBA season ran from May 14 to September 19, so it hit the shelves over a month after the end of the season. Of course, this is a suboptimal outcome. There are no previous releases that we can compare this outcome to.
The silver lining is that the Panini roster will soon include far fewer sports. The NBA and NFL will either be discontinued or become less important to the schedule. If the Panini executives are savvy, they will place WNBA releases at the head of the queue or close to it. Then, the dates will improve.
Shop for 2024 Panini Select WNBA Basketball boxes on eBay
In the last few years, Select has moved from a hobby-only release to a retail one as well. We are not entirely sure what the extent of the retail release for 2024 Panini Select WNBA Basketball will be.
Right now, we are confident there will be blasters for the release, but not of anything else. It will be interesting to see what surfaces here.
It has rookie cards of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. The two are massive stars with a rivalry that makes headlines, which is good for any product.
Some people have complained that other Select releases have been confusing. There have been products with four or even five levels of rarity. That was too much and muddied the waters on traditional select’s clean and appealing three-level structure. Panini seems to have heeded this criticism and has only three levels for this release: Concourse, Premier Level, and Courtside. Thank you, folks.
The design. I am not sure that Select’s classy and completely distinct look gets enough credit. But think about it for a second. As soon as you see a card with that black and gold shaded color scheme, you immediately identify the brand. Meanwhile, it is also very aesthetically pleasing and, therefore, a big win for Panini.
There is nothing particularly unique about the 2024 Panini Select WNBA Basketball design. But it has its own take on the familiar concept and is solid and appealing. Every card I have seen from this release works visually.
Not everyone agrees with me, by the way. While I like the fact that there is a reliable “Select” look with variations, some think they are just recycling, and there is a downward trend with designs. But I think these cards look fantastic. It is a good thing that these cards are so attractive because they sure cost enough. And that brings us to the cons.
Shop for 2024 Panini Select WNBA Basketball boxes on eBay
The price right now is a big obstacle for many collectors. The level of interest and the long-term market for the WNBA are not clear. Therefore, spending $1,000 for a box of not even high-end cards is a lot to ask.
A good parallel for the situation with WNBA cards right now is where soccer was during the pandemic boom. There was a lot of buzz around soccer cards, and people were paying exorbitant prices for wax and singles.
But after a couple of years, it became clear that the sustainable market for the sport was not that big. The buzz greatly outweighed it. The question is, will WNBA face the same issues? It is a big chance to take at $1,000 per hobby box.
Aside from that big issue, there is a sense that Select has jumped the shark. It was a big step when they became a retail release during the pandemic. While that did increase Select’s visibility and popularity, it also lessened the exclusivity of the offering.
Finally, who wants to buy a $1,000 box with sticker autos? I know that signatures are not the main point of Select, but come on!
Shop for 2024 Panini Select WNBA Basketball boxes on eBay
As we saw, the 2024 Panini Select WNBA Basketball release checklist is divided into three tiers. The base set has 250 cards, numbered #1-100 for Concourse, #101-200 for Premier Level, and #201-250 for Courtside.
There is, as usual, a fantastic list of parallels available. Aside from the three-tiered checklist, the unique list of parallels is another selling point for this release. The Disco and Zebra patterns are among the many inventive parallels that make this release a delight. However, if you are a rainbow chaser, it can make your life a bit more difficult.
Shop for 2024 Panini Select WNBA Basketball boxes on eBay
The 2024 WNBA rookie class may not be the best of all time. Most sports experts point to the vaunted 2018 class as the best ever due to the presence of A’ja Wilson, Ariel Atkins, Diamond DeShields, and others.
But there is no doubt that they have gotten the most media attention. Caitlin Clark, alongside Angel Reese, brought all this attention to the league. Others like Cameron Brink make this a very strong class, which is this product’s most vital selling point.
There is one massive insert in 2024 Panini Select WNBA Basketball. The Color Blast variant in this release has a Black Color Blast. This could be a fantastic card to chase as a different take on one of the best-case hits in the Panini arsenal.
It would be one of the best rookie cards for Clark or Reese. They are also very good-looking items.
Aside from that, there are a few other inserts in this release. They include All-Stars, which is a fairly nondescript and ugly set. The Caitlin Clark versions of this are going for about $80 raw.
The Unstoppable insert has a cool shiny look but is basically worthless. Snapshots is far better. It comes with beautiful action shots, a distinct design, and decent value.
The autos are not the biggest draw in Select. They are sticker autos and do not look all that great. A shame for a box that costs a grand. Nonetheless, the selection included is not too bad. The one that will be of particular interest, considering the strong rookie class, is the Draft Selections cards, which show the relevant player right after being selected.
The Courtside Action autos are also attractive and include an action shot as well as a portrait. The double auto series, Select Pairings, has one of the best-looking designs. It more than makes up for the sticker auto problem.
Shop for 2024 Panini Select WNBA Basketball boxes on eBay
There is no previous year data to draw our comparisons from. So, we will do our best based on other sports and the few sales of this product so far. But it was worth keeping an eye on its performance over the next few months.
Shop for 2024 Panini Select WNBA Basketball boxes on eBay
Since we don’t have a WNBA release, here are the recent NBA hobby boxes.
| 2020/21 Panini Select Basketball Hobby Box | $709 |
| 2021/22 Panini Select Basketball Hobby Box | $329.95 |
| 2022/23 Panini Select Basketball Hobby Box | $400 |
| 2023/24 Panini Select Basketball Hobby Box | $621 |
And there you have it. Not a single Select NBA hobby box sells for even close to $1,000 nowadays. Will Caitlin Clark’s presence make this product more worthwhile than any of its men’s equivalents in the long term? Doubtful.
Luckily, we have some actual data on this because this article was written a couple of days after the release of the product.
| 2024 Select WNBA Caitlin Clark Rookie Auto Silver Prizm (Raw) | $5,000 |
| 2024 Panini Select WNBA Courtside #218 Caitlin Clark (RC) Gold Prism 10/10 (Raw) | $1,999 |
| Diana Taurasi / Sue Bird (/25) Auto Select Pairings EXCH 2024 Panini Select WNBA (Raw Redemption) | $500 |
| 2024 Panini Select WNBA Angel Reese tie dye auto ROOKIE DRAFT SELECTIONS /25 SSP (Raw) | $405 |
| 2024 Panini Select WNBA Cameron Brink Rc Signatures Auto Silver Prizm (Raw) | $349 |
The picture is pretty straightforward, only the Caitlin Clark cards will get you back the value of the box. And the vast majority of her good ones are just worth a few hundred. You need to really score big. The good news is that the cards of some of the other players do well on the market. Just not well enough with that outrageously overpriced box.
This is a very nice and appealing product. You have an excellent rookie class and a beautiful design. There are even better inserts than you would expect from a Select release.
The value of singles is not phenomenal, but it is strong and could get more robust. However, there is no ignoring how ridiculously overpriced the boxes are. Select is not some high-end brand. It has sticker autos and retail boxes.
Furthermore, the WNBA is only now establishing itself as an important force in the hobby. There is no reason to assume that these boxes will do better than their NBA equivalents in the long term. Yes, Caitlin Clark is massive. But is she $1,000 worth for a Select box massive? That is a considerable risk to take.
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