Victor Wembanyama 2023-24 Motif Rookie Auto Sale

2023-24 Topps Motif Rookie Relic Autographs Quad #MQA-VW Victor Wembanyama Signed Relic Rookie Card (#44/49) – PSA MINT 9

On May 22, 2026, Goldin closed a notable ultra-modern basketball sale: a 2023-24 Topps Motif Rookie Relic Autographs Quad #MQA-VW Victor Wembanyama, serial-numbered 44/49, graded PSA MINT 9, sold for $13,422.

For a young collecting market that’s still figuring out which Victor Wembanyama cards will become long-term cornerstones, this is a meaningful data point.

Card overview: what exactly sold?

Let’s break down the key details of the card:

• Player: Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)
• Season: 2023-24
• Product: Topps Motif
• Subset: Rookie Relic Autographs Quad
• Card number: #MQA-VW
• Serial numbering: #44/49 (only 49 copies produced)
• Attributes:
  • Rookie-year autograph card
  • Quad relic (four memorabilia windows)
  • Signed (autograph) on the card
  • Low serial number (limited print run)
• Grading: PSA MINT 9 (by PSA, one of the main grading companies)

Because it is a rookie-year autograph relic (a card with a signature and pieces of game-used or player-worn material from Wembanyama’s rookie season), most collectors will treat this as a key Wembanyama rookie auto, even though it’s not his absolute flagship (which usually refers to the main base rookie in the most widely followed sets).

Price context: how does $13,422 fit into the market?

The hammer price here was $13,422. To put that into context, it helps to think about three layers of the Wembanyama market:

1. Top-end grails – true RPA-style cards (Rookie Patch Autographs) from premium products, ultra-low serial-number parallels, or 1/1s.
2. Mid-tier premium rookies – limited autographs and relic autos like this Motif Rookie Relic Autographs Quad /49.
3. Accessible rookies and inserts – base rookies, common parallels, and lower-end autos.

This Motif Quad /49 in PSA 9 clearly sits in that mid-tier premium bucket. At this level:

• Prices tend to be driven by: brand recognition, print run (serial numbering), on-card auto quality, patch/relic appeal, and grade.
• A PSA 9, especially with a clean auto and good centering, is generally considered a strong copy—just one step below gem mint (PSA 10).

Recent comps and nearby benchmarks

Exact card comps for this specific Motif Quad /49 in PSA 9 are limited because:

• The print run is only 49.
• Not every copy is graded.
• Those that are graded may be split across PSA, BGS, and other companies.

However, when you look across the Wembanyama market at similar-tier rookie autos (on-card or high-quality sticker autos, low serial-numbered, from respected 2023-24 products), recent public sales have tended to:

• Cluster in the mid four-figure to low five-figure range for non-flagship, numbered rookie autos in strong grades.
• Push well above that for true RPAs from high-end brands or for 1/1s and extremely scarce parallels.

At $13,422, this Motif Quad /49 PSA 9:

• Falls into the upper band of what many collectors would expect for a non-RPA, numbered Wembanyama rookie auto from a recognizable release.
• Still sits below the prices reported for his most chased grails from the highest-end Panini releases and ultra-scarce one-of-ones.

In other words, this result is strong but believable within the broader Wembanyama rookie auto ecosystem: not an outlier record, but a healthy marker of what the market is willing to pay for a limited, nicely graded, non-flagship rookie auto relic.

Why this card matters to collectors

1. Wembanyama’s status

Victor Wembanyama sits at the center of the current ultra-modern basketball hobby. Key factors:

• Generational prospect: His combination of size, skill, and defensive impact has led many collectors to treat him as the most important rookie since at least Luka Dončić, with some backing him even more strongly.
• Immediate production: Early-career performances, advanced metrics, and highlight plays have created sustained demand rather than a short hype spike.
• Franchise context: The Spurs have a history of developing all-time great big men. That narrative matters: collectors like coherent long-term stories.

Because of this, almost every serious modern basketball collector is tracking Wembanyama’s key rookies, especially autographs and low-numbered issues.

2. Rookie Relic Autographs as a category

This card is part of the Rookie Relic Autographs Quad subset in 2023-24 Topps Motif. For newer collectors, a quick definition:

• Relic card: A card that contains a piece of memorabilia (jersey, patch, or other material) embedded in the card.
• Autograph card: A card containing the player’s signature, usually certified by the manufacturer.
• Rookie-year: Released in the player’s rookie season, which typically makes it more significant than later-year autographs and relics.

When you combine all three—rookie year, relic, and autograph—you get a type of card that often acts as a centerpiece in a player collection, even if it’s not from the single most chased product.

The “Quad” part refers to the four separate relic windows, which adds visual appeal. Collectors who appreciate design and memorabilia combinations often gravitate toward these multi-relic layouts.

3. Scarcity: serial-numbered to 49

Serial numbering (e.g., /49) tells you exactly how many copies of a card were produced.

• With only 49 copies made, this is objectively scarce in the context of modern mass-produced product.

• Once you filter down to:

  • copies that are graded,
  • copies that receive a PSA 9 or better, and
  • copies that stay in long-term collections,

  the practical availability is even lower than 49.

This scarcity supports pricing above more common autos and rookies, especially when a player’s market is as deep as Wembanyama’s.

4. PSA MINT 9 significance

For collectors newer to grading:

• PSA is one of the leading third-party grading companies; their grades materially influence market value.
• MINT 9 means the card is nearly perfect to the naked eye, usually with only very minor flaws.

With ultra-modern cards, a large share of serious buyers prefer graded examples for:

• Condition certainty.
• Liquidity (graded cards are easier to compare and transact).
• Registry collecting (some collectors compete to build the best graded sets).

For a low-numbered, rookie-year auto relic like this Motif Quad, PSA 9 is generally seen as a desirable long-term grade, especially when PSA 10 examples are likely to be significantly more expensive and rarer.

How this sale fits into the broader Wembanyama market

The Wembanyama market is still in its price discovery phase. That simply means the hobby is still figuring out long-term hierarchies and price tiers across:

• Base rookies vs parallels vs SPs (short prints).
• Autographs vs relic autos vs non-auto inserts.
• Different brands and licensing situations.

Within that context, this Goldin sale on May 22, 2026, provides a clear datapoint for:

• Mid-to-high-end rookie autos: It helps anchor expectations for limited, graded Wembanyama rookie autographs that are not the number one flagship card but still clearly important.
• Topps Motif’s place: Motif is not the flagship basketball release, but this result signals that collectors do recognize and value its better rookie auto content.

As more of these Motif Rookie Relic Autographs Quad cards surface in graded form, they’ll likely help shape a more precise range for this subset across PSA 8, 9, and 10 grades.

Takeaways for collectors and small sellers

A few practical observations, not financial advice, just hobby context:

1. Quality rookie autos remain central. Even outside of the most premium RPAs, clean, low-numbered rookie autographs from recognized products continue to attract strong bidding when the player is elite.

2. Grading matters. For a card like this, the PSA 9 grade almost certainly helped clarify value and build bidder confidence. Raw copies can still do well, but grading reduces uncertainty.

3. Know the hierarchy within a player’s rookies. Wembanyama has many rookie cards. Understanding where a card sits—flagship base, premium auto, mid-tier insert—is key to setting expectations.

4. Auction house visibility helps. Results from major houses like Goldin are closely watched, and they often become informal reference points for future private and marketplace deals.

Final thoughts

The $13,422 sale of the 2023-24 Topps Motif Rookie Relic Autographs Quad #MQA-VW Victor Wembanyama (#44/49) in PSA MINT 9 at Goldin on May 22, 2026, is another steady marker in the ongoing story of Wembanyama’s rookie market.

It doesn’t rewrite the record books, but it does reinforce a few themes:

• Limited, rookie-year Wembanyama autos from respectable products continue to command healthy premiums.
• Condition and grading remain central to value in the ultra-modern era.
• Even outside the absolute top-tier RPAs, there is strong collector appetite for well-presented, low-serial rookie autograph relics.

For collectors tracking Wembanyama or building a focused rookie auto portfolio, keeping an eye on results like this—especially when they’re graded and sold through major houses—can help you better understand where different cards sit within the broader landscape of his hobby market.