Walter Clayton Jr. rookie card: key RCs, checklist and collector interest
Walter Clayton Jr.'s first licensed base rookie card is the 2025-26 Topps #218. The first chromium rookie card is the 2025-26 Topps Chrome #268. Walter Clayton Jr.'s rookie season was 2025-26.
Walter Clayton Jr.MEM PG
1st round, 18th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards; rights traded to the Utah Jazz.
Walter Clayton Jr. card market
Collector attention: up 22% this week, down 18% over 30 days
Attention measures how much people are looking up this player, a leading indicator collectors watch. It is not a price. Source: Wikipedia pageviews through 2026-10-14.
Walter Clayton Jr.'s key rookie cards, by our criteria
- First licensed base RC: The licensed base rookie card from the earliest year in the player's checklist. Where an Upper Deck Young Guns card exists, that card.
- First chromium RC: The licensed chromium (Chrome, Prizm, Optic and the like) rookie card from the earliest year in the player's checklist.
- Scarcest licensed RC autograph: Among licensed rookie-card autographs in the player's checklist, the one with the lowest stated print run.
- First prospect card: For a player whose rookie cards are not out yet, or a baseball player's Bowman 1st: the earliest prospect card in the player's checklist. Not a rookie card.
Which Walter Clayton Jr. card is the real rookie card
Topps took over the NBA card license from Panini on October 1, 2025, so his 2025-26 rookie cards are Topps products. His flagship RC is 2025-26 Topps #218 and his first Topps Chrome RC is #268. All of his 2025-26 rookie cards show him with Utah, even though he was traded to Memphis on February 3, 2026. He signed for the main rookie autograph lines, including Topps Flagship Real One and Topps Chrome rookie autographs.
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Walter Clayton Jr. rookie card checklist with card numbers
8 rookie cards, each confirmed on the linked pages. Not every parallel is listed.
| Card | Type | Print run | RC | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 Topps #218flagship base rookie; set released October 23, 2025 | Base | Not numbered | Yes | [1][2] |
| 2025-26 Topps Chrome #268base rookie; set released December 18, 2025 | Chromium | Not numbered | Yes | [1][2] |
| 2025-26 Topps Chrome Update #168base rookie; set released August 6, 2026 | Chromium | Not numbered | Yes | [1][2] |
| 2025-26 Bowman #18NBA base rookie (RC), not a college 1st Bowman card; set released April 22, 2026 | Base | Not numbered | Yes | [1][2] |
| 2025-26 Bowman Chrome (Base Chrome) #BCV-18Chrome version of the Bowman base rookie | Chromium | Not numbered | Yes | [1] |
| 2025-26 Topps Flagship Real One Rookie Autographs #TFRR-WCno serial on the base version; numbered parallels listed | Autograph | Not numbered | Yes | [1][2] |
| 2025-26 Topps Chrome Autographs Rookies #TCAR-WCJno serial shown on the checklist | Autograph | Not numbered | Yes | [1][2] |
| 2025-26 Bowman Base Chrome Autographs #BCA-WCno serial shown on the checklist | Autograph | Not numbered | Yes | [1] |
Walter Clayton Jr.'s career, in brief
- Played at Iona (2021 to 2023), where he was MAAC Player of the Year, and Florida (2023 to 2025).
- In 2025 he was a consensus first-team All-American and Final Four Most Outstanding Player as Florida won the national title.
- Started his rookie season with Utah and was traded to Memphis on February 3, 2026, averaging 9.7 points and 5.7 assists in 24 games for the Grizzlies.
Career facts: [1]
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Grading Walter Clayton Jr. cards
A PSA 10 (Gem Mint) or BGS 9.5 is the top grade most collectors look for; it means sharp corners, clean edges, centered printing and an unmarked surface. A graded card and a raw one are different cards to look up.
How PSA, CGC and Beckett grade
PSA
- Top grades:
- Gem Mint 10, then Mint 9 and NM-MT 8.
- Half grades:
- 1.5 through 8.5 since February 2008; there is no PSA 9.5.
One overall grade on the label. Centering weighs heavily in it.
CGC
- Top grades:
- Pristine 10 (virtually flawless, 50/50 centering), then Gem Mint 10 and Mint+ 9.5.
- Half grades:
- Yes, from Fair 1.5 up to Mint+ 9.5.
Authentic (AU) for a genuine card that cannot take a number; Authentic Altered (AA) for one that was altered.
Source: CGC grading scale
Beckett (BGS)
- Top grades:
- Pristine 10; a Black Label Pristine 10 has a 10 in all four subgrades.
- Half grades:
- Yes, 1 to 10 in half points.
Four subgrades on the label: centering, corners, edges and surface.
Source: Beckett grading
Grading scales as each grader describes them, checked Oct 16, 2026.
Population by grade
A population report counts how many copies of a card a grader has graded at each grade. Search 2025-26 Topps #218 on PSA Population Report or CGC Cards Population Report.
How to identify your Walter Clayton Jr. card and check what it sold for
- Find the year and maker on the back of your Walter Clayton Jr. card, and the card number, usually top or bottom on the back.
- Check the front and back for a serial number (for example 23/99) and for a colored or patterned finish: those mark a parallel, which is a different card from the base version.
- Look for the RC logo or the word Rookie. A card from before the first pro season, such as a Bowman 1st or a college card, is a prospect card, not a rookie card.
- Note any grade on the slab label (PSA, BGS, SGC, CGC). A raw card and a graded one are different listings.
- Search sold listings for that exact year, set, number, parallel and grade. What a card sold for is a better guide than any asking price.
Check Walter Clayton Jr. rookie cards in eBay's sold listings or eBay's price guide for that exact card.
Walter Clayton Jr. cards for sale now
Walter Clayton Jr. card questions
- What is Walter Clayton Jr.'s rookie card?
- Walter Clayton Jr.'s first licensed base rookie card is the 2025-26 Topps #218. The first chromium rookie card is the 2025-26 Topps Chrome #268. Walter Clayton Jr.'s rookie season was 2025-26.
- What year is Walter Clayton Jr.'s rookie card?
- Walter Clayton Jr.'s rookie season was 2025-26, so the rookie cards carry that year.
- How many rookie cards does Walter Clayton Jr. have?
- Our checklist lists 8 Walter Clayton Jr. rookie cards with card numbers, each from a cited source. It is not every parallel or color variation.
- Does Walter Clayton Jr. have a licensed rookie autograph?
- Yes. Our checklist lists 3: 2025-26 Topps Flagship Real One Rookie Autographs #TFRR-WC; 2025-26 Topps Chrome Autographs Rookies #TCAR-WCJ; 2025-26 Bowman Base Chrome Autographs #BCA-WC.
- How much is a Walter Clayton Jr. rookie card worth?
- Parlae does not print card values. Find the year, set, card number, parallel and grade on your card, then check eBay sold listings or eBay's price guide for that exact card.
- Are collectors watching Walter Clayton Jr. right now?
- Collector attention is rising: Wikipedia lookups of Walter Clayton Jr. are up 22% this week. That is attention, not a price.
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Card facts checked 2026-10-16. Parlae prints no card values. Set and brand names belong to their makers; Parlae is not affiliated with them.
By the Parlae deskCard data updated Oct 16, 2026 at 11:19 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number