Anna Leigh Waters has made history again . . . well, sort of.
To be exact, Anna Leigh Waters’ trading card made history, when someone bought it for USD $45,000 on eBay. Said item is a 2023 Leaf Pickleball Premier Edition card of the 18-year-old Waters, who is widely regarded as the pickleball GOAT on the women’s side.
Leaf itself confirmed in its verified X account that the sale is a “hobby record”, and is “one of the most expensive Leaf cards ever sold.”
“Anna Leigh Waters’ BEST ever card just sold for $45,000—a hobby record, and one of the most expensive Leaf cards ever sold,” the card manufacturer wrote on X. “Leaf is the home of the 1st ever Pickleball card, and the sport is only getting bigger!”
That Waters’ trading card sold for that much should not come as a surprise. The pickleball prodigy is already the winningest player in PPA Tour history with 168 career gold medals, and will likely add plenty more in the years ahead as she enters her athletic prime. Waters is also one of the most popular and charismatic players in the sport, and has become an ultimate ambassador of it.
The seller of the one-of-a-kind Waters trading card goes by the username “grimmbunny”, and has put another Anna Leigh Waters card—this time from NetPro—on sale. It can be bought for USD $60,000, or for the best offer. And if the card is anything like that of Leaf, then it just might set a new record.
