Serena Williams has just broken her own record. The previous mark for the highest selling women’s sport card was $44,280. However a recent PWCC Marketplace sale has more than doubled that figure.
On Monday night a 1999 Sports Illustrated For Kids Series 4 Serena Williams rookie card sold for a whopping $117K. The card was graded a PSA 10, with only 8 known copies in existence to receive the grade.
Because the card came on a perforated sheet, most cards were easily damaged. That, coupled with the fact that the cards were shipped in the July issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids as opposed to in a pack and you can see why Gem Mint copies are hard to come by.
A second card, a 2003 Williams rookie, went for an additional $96K in the evening. Chris Callahan, who is the Director of Marketing at PWCC stated “The sales also highlight the rapid growth in women’s sports cards over the past year. Through 2021, we saw a few records set for women’s cards, but the $117,000 sale is definitely a major step up as it more than doubles the previous record.”
The 23 time Grand Slam champion is widely viewed not only as the greatest female tennis player of all time, but one of the best athletes of all time, period. Williams’ husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian was quick to applaud the sale, but also cheekily quipped that he felt the figures were “still undervalued”.
Still sidelined by injuries, fans are hoping that Williams will be able to take part in the French Open later this year.