CGC Cards Grades a Serena Williams Card Worth Thousands

Posted on 6/12/2024

Released years before any of her traditional collectibles, this rarity is from the earliest years of a pro tennis career that many regard as the greatest of all time.

When it comes to legends of any sport, it is common for early collectibles tied to their career to be valuable and highly coveted by collectors, even when the items may not be produced by mainstream collectible brands. Some call these "pre-rookie cards," and examples include Babe Ruth's 1914 Baltimore News cards and Michael Jordan's 1984 Star card.

Before Serena Williams' meteoric rise as a tennis icon in the late 1990s, she too had a pre-rookie card that has garnered the attention of collectors and can be worth five figures in top condition. CGC Cards™ grading experts were recently entrusted to certify an example of this rare early collectible. The 1999 Sports Illustrated for Kids #814 Serena Williams earned a grade of CGC 9, making it worth at least four figures.


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The rarity was released four years before her first mainstream card, which makes this by far the earliest card of her pro career. The non-traditional card did not come in packs or as an advertisement, and instead was inserted into the July 1999 issue of SI for Kids. The collectible was part of a sheet of nine cards with perforated edges, which meant each card had to be cut or torn to separate it from the sheet.

In addition, the SI for Kids cards lacked the quality of mainstream sports cards. Being thinner than regular card stock and due to the nature of perforated cards, this made it common for surviving examples to incur damage. Since it was a magazine geared towards younger readers, most of the sheets were likely not handled with care. So, it's no surprise that it is hard to find this early Serena card in superb condition like the recently graded CGC 9 example.

The front of the SI for Kids #814 shows Williams in action with her signature beaded braids from the early years of her career. The back features a short bio, including her name, sport, height, weight, birthday and birthplace. There is a tennis trivia question at the bottom and a short summary of her career to date, which states that "Serena is the hottest rising star in women's tennis."

Williams would not only become a tennis star, but arguably the greatest women's player of all time. Her unique combination of power and athleticism helped her win 23 Grand Slam women's singles titles, which is the most Grand Slam titles won in the Open Era and the second-most ever. To this day, she is the only player to win a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles play, which includes victories in all four major tournaments and gold in the Olympics.

The tennis legend was ranked the No. 1 player in the world for 319 weeks and is tied for the record of being top-ranked: 186 consecutive weeks. Sports Illustrated named her Sportsperson of the Year in 2015 and she was named the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year a record four times. Williams won 73 career tournament titles, which ranks fifth all time, and she is the highest-earning woman athlete of all time with almost $95 million in tournament earnings.


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