Victor Wembanyama Rookie Cards: Values and Collectibility in 2023
Nikole Stewart
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Rookie cards are one of the most popular sports collectible cards that collectors search for. And because of this, they cost a pretty penny to get a hold of them.
One set of rookie cards that are a great find for collectors are Victor Wembanyama’s rookie cards. If you’re wanting to find the best, most expensive and rare Victor Wembanyama rookie cards, read more to find out.
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Everything You Need to Know About Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama is a French professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs and is considered one of the greatest prospects of his generation. He was selected first overall by the Spurs in the 2023 draft.
He began his professional career in 2019 with Nanterre 92 of the LNB Pro A, and two years later moved to ASVEL and won the Pro A title with his only season with the team.
The 2022-23 season, Wembanyama signed with metropolitans 92 and became the youngest player to win the Pro A MVP award, all while earning Pro A Best Defender honors and leading the league in scoring, rebounds and blocks.
He was also named LNB All-Star twice, winning All-Star Game MVP once and is a three-time Pro A Best Young Player.
Standing at 7 feet and 4 inches, he ties with Boban Marjanović, a Serbian professional basketball player for the Houson Rockets, as one of the tallest active NBA players.
Are There Any Victor Wembanyama Rookie Cards?
Yes, there are!
Due to Wembanyama being in the NBA for years now, he has several rookie cards, with more coming out in the 2023-2024 season.
How Much Did the First Victor Wembanyama Basketball Card Sell For?
Final sale price on this Victor Wembanyama SuperFractor Signed and Inscribed "1st Ever" Rookie Card (#1/1): $67,333
— Goldin (@GoldinCo) August 31, 2023
An all-time high on any @wemby card. 🏀🙌 pic.twitter.com/fXC1lpUg80
The first, signed rookie card of Victor Wembanyama’s sold for $67,333 at a Goldin auction.
10 Most Expensive Victor Wembanyama Basketball Cards in 2023?
Let’s check out some of the most expensive Wembanyama basketball cards that you can find right now in 2023, and some auctions that are live for those that want to try and snag a couple.
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10. Bowman’s Best University Victor Wembanyama #51, $3,331
The 2022-23 Bowman’s Best University Basketball Victor Wembanyama card is a colorful card that is more affordable when it comes to his cards. Sitting a bit over $3,000, this is the more inexpensive and better options to start with when collecting his cards.
However, with it being more affordable, there are more than a dozen parallels that can be found with varying price range. Thankfully, there have been several purchases lately at around $137 for MINT 10, it’s an easy card to pick up.
9. Bowman’s Best University Victor Wembanyama #BOAVW, $3,482
PSA values this card at around $3,482, with a MINT 10 recently being purchased for over $1,500. Of course, what makes this card a bit pricier is the autographed associated with it.
It also has several refractor parallels that are worth even more than the price listed above, making it one of the most expensive Victor Wembanyama cards around right now.
8. Topps Now Basketball Victor Wembanyama #D-1, $6,866
While Topps doesn’t have the NBA license, they still created several cards for the 2023 NBA draft picks, Wembanyama being one of them. Over 72,000 copies were bought during the limited sales window, and parallels were handed out during random orders.
The GEM MT 10 cards have been bought recently for only $50 recently, but PSA values the card at over $6,800.
7. Bowman Inception University Victor Wembanyama #BIA-VW, $7,287
Wembanyama was a late addition to the 2022-23 Bowman Inception University checklist, being his first appearance in the traditional pack-driven North American Product.
Although he doesn’t have a base card, he does have an autograph card.
6. Victor Wembanyama #101 Prospect Autographs, $8, 975
With a PSA value of $8,975, and recent purchases of a MINT 10 being upwards to $2,000 and a MINT 9 being just as much, this is one of the pricier selections when it comes to his expensive cards.
The most expensive, most recent sale is in August of 2023 for almost $4,000, which is a huge jump from the previous entries.
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5. Victor Wembanyama #D1A Autograph, $13,525
Another autographed entry is this Topps Now Basketball Autographed card which is just an autographed version of the #D1 and was available through a seperate sale.
All autographs were put into packs so collectors didn’t know whether they were getting a base version numbered to 199 or one of the parallels that were available.
4. Slam Deck Collection Equipes De France Victor Wembanyama, $23,778
While the PSA value for these cards reaches over $23,000, they can be found on eBay easily for decent prices between $70 or so.
This a more obscure early Victor Wembanyama card, not a traditional trading card, as it’s part of a game released in France with players from the French national team, which makes it a worthwhile card for your collection.
3. Panini National Convention Marketing Insert Victor Wembanyama #VW, $28,893
The sales on this card is a bit more than most of the list, with the recent sales reaching upwards to $2,000 for a MINT 10 and MINT 9, with a PSA value of over $28,000.
This is the first official card for him, as it’s also his first wearing a San Antonio Spurs uniform, making it a unique and must have for collectors.
2. Bowman Chrome University Victor Wembanyama #101, $33,214
PSA values this card over $33,000, with an average sale of the MINT 10 being over $1,000.
It doesn’t have any refractor parallels, just base versions, and is his first Bowman base card in the 2022-2023 Bowman Chrome University.
1. Sports Illustrated Kids Vicotry Wembanyama #1053, $87,341
At our number one spot for most expensive Victor Wembanyama cards is this entry sitting well over $85,000, valued with PSA. There have been recent puchases, with one being a MINT 9 exceeding $10,000.
This came in the January/February 2023 Sports Illustrated Kids magazine in a nine-card set. This was his only, and first, card for the longest time, making it obvious why it has such a high price tag.
When Will Other Victor Wembanyama Rookie Cards Arrive?
In the 2023-24 season, he will have dozens of different base RC plus parallels and lots of different inserts. Collectors will have a plethora of options when checking out the best rookie cards for Victor Wembanyama.
Victor Wembanyama Rookie Cards Coming in 2023
As of now, there is no news on which cards will be released or a look into whats to come in the 2023-24 season, besides the most recent release through 2023 Panini National Convention card, which was the third listing above.
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How to Get a Victor Wembanyama Rookie Card?
There are several ways to get ahold of Victor Wembanyama cards through various packs and secondary marketplaces. Read below to get your hands on these valuable cards.
You can find them on eBay for a hefty amount. You should expect to find more rookie card releases throughout the next couple of months, but as of right now, this is all we have.
What Packs Have Victor Wembanyama Cards?
Like mentioned, you should be able to get the 2022-23 Bowman Inception University collection as Wembanyama was a late entry.
The NBA 2K23 End Game Pack should also feature Victor Wembanyama, which is a recent pack as part of the Season 8 content.
Where to Buy Victor Wembanyama Rookie Cards?
Second marketplaces are one of the best ways to get sports cards, like eBay, or auction houses like Goldin. eBay has become a great place especially since they launched their Authentication for Trading card programs.
Under this program, eBay offers a guarantee on any ungraded card sold on its platform for $250 or higher. The grading system is provided by CSG (Certified Sports Guarantee), a newer grading competitor in the sports card industry.
When purchasing a card, the card will be sent to CSG where it will be examined to check for authenticity. If they determine that the card is authentic, they will ship it to the buyer with a sleeve with a bar code confirming the authenticity.
However, if it’s denied as authentic, the card will be shipped back to the seller, and the funds are then transferred back to the buyer to ensure you aren’t wasting your money. This is a great way to keep the market true and clean of fakes.
Will Victor Wembanyama Rookie Cards Be Valuable?
With his first card already reaching a substantail amount of $80,000, it’s very likely that his future, and past, cards will be extremely valuable, and even more so going through the years.
With only being in the professional world for a short time, he has created quite a reputation, which hopefully means that he’ll soon be a name that people will want to collect, making his cards even more valuable.
Victor Wembanyama Rookie Cards Investment Potential
Due to how young he is and how he is already a beast, it’s likely that he’ll create an even bigger name for himself on the years to come, which means the rookie cards that you have now will be worth a lot more once his fame grows.
That being said, there is always a risk when investing in cards, but for a character like Wembanyama, it’s likely that you’ll see a decent return if you’re wanting to invest in his cards.
How to Spot a Fake Victor Wembanyama Rookie Card?
Unfortunately, reprints do exist, but thankfully they can be pretty easy to spot if you know how to look for it. From the printing quality to the coloration, to even the position of the lettering, there are several ways to check for a true rookie card.
Even checking the copyright date will help indicate if the card is a reprint. But the best advice that you should have is to always compare an authentic card to a prospective card to pick out any details that might seem faulty.
Should you Buy Victor Wembanyama Rookie Card Autographs?
Of course, it comes down to preference, but usually autographed copies of cards hold more value, which means if you’re trying to invest, it is worth the price.
The Bowman University cards have a lot of autographed copies, yet they can be harder to find. however, if you come across one with a decent price, you should definitely go for it.
Conclusion
Rookie cards in general are worth a lot of money, and are a great way to invest money, as well as find a great hobby in collecting.
Whether you’re passionate about the sport or just enjoy finding the best, more rare cards around, Victor Wembanyama has some of the most worthwhile additions for any collection. Make sure to learn how to spot fakes and keep track of the market for any dipping or rising value.
