NetPro's Anna Leigh Waters card collection sells out within minutes
The release featuring the 16-year-old pickleball standout came a little more than a year after the trading card brand re-entered the marketplace with Carlos Alcaraz.
In late August of last year, NetPro returned to marketplace for the first time in nearly 20 years when it unveiled a set of Carlos Alcaraz tennis trading cards.
The timing of that launch couldn’t have been better, with the 19-year-old winning his first major title at the US Open to become the youngest world No. 1 in ATP history. While Alcaraz has expanded his trophy haul and fanbase, buyers opting to flip their investments have done well in the year that's followed.
Flash forward to this week, where another teenage sensation took the card hobby by storm. Anna Leigh Waters, pickleball’s most prominent player at just 16 years old, became NetPro’s next signee. Waters, who competes on the PPA Tour, is ranked No. 1 in the PPA Rankings for women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
Implementing key learnings from the Alcaraz experience, NetPro owner, Kris Vigue, made some adjustments. Among the changes: working with a new printer, spending more time on designs and re-printing the cards twice to achieve perfect centering for the all-important eye test of collectors.
“We really wanted this collection to be something that Anna Leigh and her family would be proud of, and something that her fans and the collecting community would appreciate for years to come,” Vigue told Baseline.
All eight of the cards offered sold out on Tuesday within minutes of going live on the company’s web shop. It entailed the transaction of 2,748 cards, ranging from a $900 autographed dual jersey numbered to 50, to a pair of $15 rookie cards each with a print run of 999. NetPro is currently accepting best offers for three unique 1/1 cards, headlined by an on-card autograph boasting a full FILA logo patch from the American’s match-worn outfit.
“I am so proud of these NetPro cards, and so excited that the response was so overwhelming!” exclaimed Waters.
The release wasn’t without its trials. Despite making upgrades, servers suddenly crashed when more than 50,000 visitors logged on at once to view the Waters collection.
"We learned a lot from the Alcaraz launch, ye this was another lesson that you can think you have everything covered perfectly, but there will always be unexpected challenges. Even with the technological mishaps, this is still a time of celebration for pickleball, Anna Leigh Waters fans and collectors of the NetPro brand," commented Vigue.
“We truly believed we created something special and that the cards would sell out over a two-to-three-day period. We never imagined the entire inventory would be gobbled up in 10 minutes.”
The Waters and Alcaraz collections ultimately involved varying price points and buyers seeking cards of the Spaniard had a cap on quantity when checking out. As NetPro wraps up processing orders of their latest product, Vigue remains confident in what was delivered to the public.
“Even though Anna Leigh already had some cards on the market, we knew our quality and eye appeal was unmatched by anything currently available,” he said.
“We must not overlook the fact that this is a clear indicator of the strong pickleball community, Anna Leigh’s growing star power, combined with our 32-year-old brand.”
When it comes to 2024 ambitions, Vigue intends to focus his efforts on tennis. Who will be next?