Kaboom inserts are hot again. A 2024 Panini Revolution Kaboom of Giannis Antetokounmpo just posted a $2,429.99 sold price in a PSA 10, with raw copies around $738.81 and PSA 9s near $1,099. That's real money for one insert card. The 2023 Crown Royale version sits lower, $1,352 graded and $660 raw. When a card class runs this fast, ask the only question that matters. Who buys it from you when you're ready to sell?
We watched this movie in 2021. Prices spiked. Then they corrected, hard. This surge feels similar, and it's worst on chase inserts for very good players who aren't generational talents. Giannis is a real superstar, so a graded Crown Royale Kaboom near $1,352 holds up fine. The danger shows up when mid-tier names start fetching the same numbers. That's FOMO, and FOMO is the part that snaps back on you.
The Overheated and The Overlooked
A rising tide lifts every boat. Some boats leak. Ultra-modern chase inserts for good-but-not-great players are the leaky ones, because most of those cards already posted their biggest gains. You'd be paying top dollar for upside that's mostly spent. The smarter money is one aisle over, on proven players whose base and mid-tier parallels never caught the hype in the first place.
Justin Jefferson is the cleanest example I've got. His 2025 Panini Select base and Silver Prizm move for about $1.75 raw, and a graded copy sells for $38.68. The Pink Prizm Shock runs a touch higher, $1.99 raw against $40.96 in a 10. Pocket change for a top-three receiver. Now look at the chase end: his Zebra Prizm carries an $85 raw tag and clears $419.62 graded. When the rare parallel commands four hundred bucks and the base sits under two, the base is the value.
Specific Names Worth Tracking
Start with Jefferson. Any clean rookie-era raw card, or a graded PSA 9 of his Select parallels, is a strong hold. He produces every single season. His prices haven't exploded the way the flashy quarterbacks and NBA names have, and that Silver Prizm spread, $1.75 raw into a $38.68 ten, rewards patience.
Next, Sam LaPorta. He closed his rookie year as a top-tier tight end, which almost never happens that fast at the position. His 2023 Panini Prizm rookies are still cheap. The base goes for $1.55 raw and tops out at $19.99 in a PSA 10. His Silver brings $4.64 raw and $45.17 graded, while the Red White Blue runs $3.31 into a $32 ten. Watch the pop reports here. A clean grade on a low-population rookie that broke out this hard tends to hold its premium.
Third, Tyrese Haliburton. He's not a rookie anymore, and that's exactly the point. His prices stay calmer than the volatile young NBA names, and the value lives in his second-year parallels. The 2020 Optic base goes for $2.15 raw and $39.97 graded, while the Holo jumps to $10.30 raw and clears $95.16 in a 10. His 2021 Optic base is cheaper still, $0.63 raw into a $19.95 ten. For a floor general who keeps getting better on a winning team, those graded numbers read low.
None of this is about catching a moonshot that goes 100x overnight. That's a lottery ticket. Plenty of collectors have torched their bankroll buying them. The play is smart entries on proven talent at prices that make sense. Maybe the Kaboom market keeps climbing, and good luck to anyone ripping high-end boxes for it. I'd rather buy real talent before the rest of the hobby starts screaming about it. Check the comps. Stack the right names. Build something that holds its value.