The 2021 Panini Prizm baseball set featured many rookie cards and parallels of top prospects that have skyrocketed in value since the cards were released last year. Panini Prizm is one of the hottest modern card brands on the market known for its flashy refractors and colorful parallels. The 2021 edition contained several prizes that are now worth significant money for savvy collectors.
One of the biggest risers has been Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco’s prizm rookie cards. Considered a can’t-miss superstar, Franco debuted in 2021 and had an incredible season that affirmed his status as a future perennial All-Star. His most sought-after rookie card is the base prizm which has reached upwards of $300 in top-graded PSA 10 condition. Even raw and lower-graded copies in PSA 8 or 9 condition sell for $100-200 now.
Prizm also inserts special parallels like silver prizms, greens, blues, and reds that are serially numbered to appeal to collectors. Franco’s silver prizm rookie /99 has reached over $1000 raw while elite PSA 10 copies command $3000-4000. His blue prizm /50 and red prizm /10 rookies sell for even higher premiums in the thousands of dollars each due to their extreme rarity and status as coveted gem mint collectibles.
Rays teammate and fellow standout rookie Shane Baz has also seen huge increases in his prizm cards. While not as heralded as Franco initially, Baz’s breakout late season performances cemented his status as a future ace. His prizm base rookie sells for $50-100 across all grades, with a PSA 10 reaching as high as $250 currently. Baz’s silvers, greens, and numbered parallels follow a similar valuation scale to Franco based on parallel and serial numbering rarity.
Detroit Tigers flamethrowing pitcher Tarik Skubal burst onto the scene in 2021 with impressive strikeout totals. His prizm rookie cards gained traction and sell in the $25-50 range across all grades raw, with a PSA 10 reaching the triple digit price point around $150-200. Skubal’s color prizms like silvers and greens command higher prices in the $50-100 range based on serial numbers and demand from Tigers fans excited for their future ace.
Looking past rookies, the 2021 Panini Prizm set featured the return of Giants catcher Buster Posey, who opted out of the 2020 season but came back for one more year before retiring. With his legendary career culminating, Posey prizm cards spiked in popularity and value. His base prizm sells for $10-25 raw across grades but a gem mint PSA 10 can fetch up to $100 now from dedicated Posey collectors commemorating his career.
Evaluating the long term potential and performance of rookie players seems to be key to determining which 2021 Panini Prizm cards hold significant value. Superstar talents like Franco and emerging standouts like Baz, Skubal are driving prices much higher than issue for their prizms as collectors speculate on long term upside. Meanwhile, career-culminating insert cards of stars like Posey also gain admiration and worth over time. The 2021 class appears to hold many hits still rising in value after just one year.