July 2021 WNBA Cards PSA POP Count Update
There's a lot of FUD in The Hobby. That's why we started tracking PSA POP counts early last year for every WNBA card set since 1997.
This is the first month we're releasing our findings to the public. We are doing this because we find that there's a lot of confusion about card population.
We know this greatly affects how collectors and investors view particular cards. We hope this helps bring clarity and the ability to make more informed decisions about your collection or portfolio.
As always, this is just one data point, so please make sure to do your own research before spending your hard earned dollars.
2011 Rittenhouse WNBA Sees the Biggest Jump as Maya Moore Rookie Cards Soar
Over the past 30 day period, there were over 409 WNBA cards graded by PSA. This brings the total POP count to 11,821 (still less than the number of base Prizm Luka RC's graded). A 3.58% increase.
2011 Rittenhouse WNBA saw the largest jump in total POP count, growing by a whooping 29%! This is thanks to people rushing to grade Maya Moore rookie cards, thanks to the soaring prices in the market.
It was no shock to see 2020 Panini Prizm WNBA see a big jump as well, growing its POP count by over 22%. This is the largest jump this year.
Rounding out the top five were 2010 and 2016 (Charles, Stewie, respectively) with 13% growth, and 2013 (Cambage, Griner, Vandersloot).
Here's a quick look at the top 10 sets and where they stand:
| Rank | Set | POP Count | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1997 Pinnacle Inside | 3749 | 3% |
| 2 | 1999 Hoops | 1956 | 0% |
| 3 | 2000 SkyBox Dominion WNBA | 1020 | 1% |
| 4 | 2020 Panini Prizm WNBA | 1015 | 22% |
| 5 | 2000 Fleer Ultra WNBA | 976 | 1% |
| 6 | 1999 Fleer Ultra WNBA | 906 | 0% |
| 7 | 2001 Fleer Tradition WNBA | 317 | 2% |
| 8 | 1998 Pinnacle WNBA | 314 | 0% |
| 9 | 2019 Panini Donruss WNBA | 259 | 1% |
| 10 | 2001 Fleer Ultra WNBA | 209 | 2.5% |
Sabrina Ionescu Climbs to #4 All Time (in POP Count)
With the largest increase in POP count this year, it was no surprise to see Sabrina Ionescu POP counts rise.
Her base Prizm Rookie is now the fourth most graded WNBA rookie card of the list of top 35 players we track. This is a tremendous feat for such a young player, given the players in front of her are all Hall of Famers.
Outside of Sabrina, Maya Moore rookie card population increased by double digits, but even with the increase is nowhere near the top 10 most graded WNBA cards.
Here's a look at the POP counts for the rookie cards we're tracking:
| Rank | Card | POP Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1997 Pinnacle Inside Sheryl Swoopes | 872 |
| 2 | 1997 Pinnacle Inside Cynthia Cooper | 787 |
| 3 | 1997 Pinnacle Inside Lisa Leslie | 601 |
| 4 | 2020 Prizm Sabrina Ionescu | 159 |
| 5 | 1997 Pinnacle Inside Rebecca Lobo | 144 |
| 6 | 1999 Ultra Chamique Hoidsclaw | 142 |
| 7 | 1997 Pinnacle Inside Tina Thompson | 119 |
| 8 | 2000 Fleer Ultra Becky Hammon | 107 |
| 9 | 2004 Ultra Diana Taurasi | 69 |
| 10 | 1999 Ultra Katie Smith | 61 |
| 11 | 1999 Ultra Yolanda Griffith | 59 |
| 12 | 1999 Ultra Dawn Staley | 56 |
| 13 | 2002 Authentix Sue Bird | 40 |
| 14 | 2002 Ultra Sue Bird | 36 |
| 15 | 2016 Rittenhouse Breanna Stewart | 32 |
| 16 | 2001 Ultra Tamika Catchings | 24 |
| 17 | 2008 Rittenhouse Candance Parker | 22 |
| 18 | 2008 Rittenhouse Sylvia Fowles | 21 |
| 19 | 2020 Prizm Satou Sabally | 20 |
| 20 | 2011 Rittenhouse Maya Moore | 19 |
| 21 | 2002 Authentix Swin Cash | 18 |
| 22 | 2013 Rittenhouse Brittney Griner | 18 |
| 23 | 2002 Ultra Swin Cash | 17 |
| 24 | 2013 Rittenhouse Elena Delle Donne | 15 |
| 25 | 2006 Rittenhouse Seimone Augusts | 13 |
| 26 | 2006 Rittenhouse Cappie Pondexter | 13 |
| 27 | 2001 Ultra Lauren Jackson | 11 |
| 28 | 2018 Rittenhouse A'ja WIlson | 10 |
| 29 | 2010 Rittenhouse Tina Charles | 8 |
| 30 | 2011 Rittenhouse Courtney Vandersloot | 8 |
| 31 | 2011 Rittenhouse Liz Cambage | 8 |
| 32 | 2013 Rittenhouse Skylar Diggins | 6 |
| 33 | 2017 Rittenhouse Kelsey Plum | 5 |
| 34 | 2012 Nneka Owgumike | 2 |
| 35 | 2016 Rittenhouse Jonquel Jones | 1 |
That's it for this month. It should be interesting to see if there's another large bump led by 2020 Prizm WNBA.
What do you think we will see?
Written by
Garrett Smith
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