Panini’s Kaboom insert line is one of the hobby’s powerhouse brands in modern times. Their loud and bold, comic-style designs are what I, and many other collectors, love, and the rarity of the SSP cards make them even more attractive.
The most expensive base Kaboom card is the 2018-19 Panini Crown Royale Luka Doncic Kaboom, which mixes player status, his rookie year, and rarity to make it so valuable; I’ve covered that, and the other most expensive Kaboom cards ever, below.
Table of Contents
The Best And Most Expensive Base Panini Kaboom Cards
I’ve ranked only base versions, because not every Kaboom set comes with the numbered parallels that Panini introduced for some in 2018.
The Gold (/10) and Green (1-of-1) parallels are worth much more than any base Kaboom card, for obvious reasons, but they’re excluded from the list.
In the interest of variety, a player will only appear on the list below once, with their most valuable option, which is often their first base Kaboom card.
10. 2018 Panini Rewards Kaboom Tom Brady #TB
Football’s GOAT, Tom Brady, is one of the most collectible names in the sports card hobby, and his first Kaboom card, from the 2018 Panini Rewards set, is one of his multiple valuable Panini Kabooms.
Despite it being on the list as one of the most valuable base Kabooms of all-time, it’s perhaps still undervalued when compared to debut Kabooms from names of a similar stature, which is perhaps due to supply levels compared to, for example, the first LeBron James Kaboom insert.
In 2021, a PSA 10 graded copy of this one sold for $14k.
The Gold and Green parallels are worth far more, but it’s one of the most popular and sought-after base offerings.
Parallels:
Gold (/10)
Green (1-of-1)
9. 2019-20 Panini Crown Royale Kaboom Ja Morant #10
Ja Morant was one of the most exciting rookies to come to the NBA in recent memory, and his first Panini Kaboom insert was released during his rookie season, in the 2019-20 Crown Royale set, so naturally it’s a valuable one.
Morant is a big name both on the court and in the basketball card hobby – His impressive 2021-22 season helped take the value of his first-year Kaboom to new levels, and makes it one of the most valuable Kaboom cards of all-time.
A copy, graded PSA 10, sold for $14.5k, back in 2022 – There aren’t any parallel versions for this one.
Parallels:
None
8. 2023 Panini Absolute Kaboom C.J. Stroud #K12
Speculation and hype play a big role in sports card prices, and C.J. Stroud came to the NFL in 2023 with a lot of that.
The 2nd pick of the 2023 NFL Draft’s impressive rookie season meant that by the time his first Kaboom cards were released in the 2023 Panini Absolute Football set, they were in high demand among collectors.
Stroud had both a vertical and horizontal Kaboom card in the set, and an ungraded copy of the vertical version sold for $15k in 2024.
Player hype, brand name, and rarity all come together to make it one of the most expensive base Kaboom cards ever.
Parallels:
Gold (/10)
Green (1-of-1)
7. 2020 Panini Absolute Kaboom Justin Herbert #KJH2
Justin Herbert has two slightly different Kaboom inserts in 2020 Absolute Football, both with similar values, but it’s the KJH2 version that edges it.
The 2020 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year had seen some big hype in the football card hobby during his early years, so it’s no surprise these first-year cards command such high value, given the brand popularity and the rarity of them.
In 2023, a PSA 10 graded copy of the base KJH1 version sold for $15k, and in 2022, a BGS 10 graded copy of the KJH2 version sold for $16.8k
They both come with the more valuable, numbered Gold and Green parallels.
Parallels:
Gold (/10)
Green (1-of-1)
6. 2013-14 Panini Innovation Kaboom LeBron James #18
This LeBron James Kaboom insert, from 2013-14 Innovation Basketball, has the added significance of not just being his first, but also being from the very first Kaboom release.
It’ll come as no surprise that one of the most valuable base Kaboom inserts belongs to one of the greatest ever. It rarely surfaces, so when one does come up for sale, it goes for big money.
Kaboom inserts have stayed consistent with their comic-style, but these earlier releases had an extra edge to them, which make the players look even more superhero-like, as you can see with this card.
James has numerous high-value Kaboom cards from across the years, some of which have numbered parallels, unlike this one, which are worth far more, but in terms of the base offerings, the 2013-14 Innovation Kaboom is number one.
In 2022, a PSA 10 graded copy sold for $17.4k.
Parallels:
None
5. 2019-20 Panini Crown Royale Kaboom Zion Williamson #18
Zion Williamson is another good example of hype and speculation driving the prices of sports cards; His first-year Kaboom insert was in high-demand in the hobby, and its highest previous sales make it one of the most expensive ever.
Zion’s rookie basketball cards had big price tags after being selected as the number 1 pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, and in 2021 a BGS 10 graded copy of this Kaboom sold for $18.6k – After his injuries, his card prices have seen big declines since then, including this one.
Parallels:
None
4. 2018 Panini Rewards Kaboom Kylian Mbappe #KM
The only soccer player to feature in the top 10 most expensive Kabooms is surprisingly not Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, instead it’s Kylian Mbappe with his first Kaboom card, released in the 2018 Panini Rewards set.
The first soccer Kaboom release came in 2017-18 Select, but it didn’t include Mbappe.
The hype around Mbappe, as one of soccer’s best young players at the time of release, as well as his FIFA World Cup win with France, where he played a vital role, a few months before the release of this card contributes to its high value.
A BGS 10 graded copy of this one sold for $19.2k in 2022.
Again, like the card’s above, from the same set, the Gold and Green numbered parallels are worth far more than this base version.
Parallels:
Gold (/10)
Green (1-of-1)
3. 2013-14 Panini Innovation Kaboom Kobe Bryant #9
Coming from the very first ever Kaboom release, from 2013-14 Innovation Basketball, Kobe Bryant’s first of many Kaboom inserts from subsequent years is his most valuable (excluding later parallel versions).
The card features the comic-style Kobe emphatically skying to the rim, and it’s one of his most valuable non-rookie cards, which comes as no surprise given the popularity of Kaboom and its rarity.
This doesn’t come with the numbered Gold and Green parallels that Panini introduced for Kaboom further down the line, but some of Bryant’s later Kaboom cards do, so they are certainly worth more than this base card.
Following Kobe’s tragic death in 2020, his most popular basketball cards saw some sharp rises in price, and in 2021, a PSA 10 graded copy of this 2013 Kaboom sold for $22.2k.
Parallels:
None
2. 2018 Panini Rewards Kaboom Patrick Mahomes II #PMA
Patrick Mahomes’ first Kaboom insert card came in the multi-sport 2018 Panini Rewards release, and it’s one of the most expensive base Kaboom cards of all-time, with multiple big-money sales in the past.
His multiple Super Bowl wins and NFL MVP awards, since the card was released, has helped its status and desirability, and while it’s not as scarce as some on this list, it still isn’t easy to find.
Back in 2021, a BGS 10 Black Label graded copy sold for $34.8k.
There are Gold and Green parallels, which are even more valuable.
Parallels:
Gold (/10)
Green (1-of-1)
1. 2018-19 Panini Crown Royale Kaboom Luka Doncic #23
A Mavericks star, and the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2019, Luka Doncic quickly established himself as one of the league’s best players, and the hobby took notice.
Although it’s not considered a traditional rookie card, Doncic’s first-year Kaboom release is one of his key NBA cards from his first season, and one of the most popular and valuable – It’s also the most expensive base Kaboom card ever.
It’s one of the rarest Kaboom cards ever released, with very few high-graded copies in existence, which helps contribute to the high value.
The scarce high-graded copies of this one have sold for tens of thousands of dollars multiple times, and in 2021, a PSA 10 graded copy sold for $36k.
There aren’t any parallel versions for this one.
Parallels:
None
