The short version: Messi's 1-of-1 Green Kaboom just sold for $99,000. Ten months ago it went for $192,000. Below: what happened, what a "comp" actually is, and why one-of-ones swing like pub doors.

Let's get into it.

In October 2026, Lionel Messi's 1-of-1 Green Kaboom sold for $99,000, just 10 months after it changed hands for $192,000 on Fanatics.

That's $93,000 gone. Or 48.4%, if you like your pain in percentages.

And it isn't the only Messi Kaboom coming in under its last sale. The hobby loves a record-breaking headline. This is the other kind, and to be fair, it teaches you more.

First Up: What's a Kaboom?

Kaboom is Panini at its loudest: comic-book artwork, bold colours and the word "Kaboom!" exploding across the card. Subtle, it is not.

It's an insert, which means a card that sits outside the main set, with its own design and much tougher odds.

Like most modern inserts, Kabooms come in parallels: colour versions of the same card with smaller print runs. The Green version of this Messi is a 1-of-1 (only one copy exists, anywhere). The Gold is numbered to 10.

The Numbers

• Green Kaboom 1/1: $192,000 on Fanatics, then $99,000 around 10 months later. Down $93,000 (48.4%).
• Gold Kaboom /10, PSA 10: $64,261 in February, then $57,480 in July. Down $6,781 (about 10.6%).

One sharp fall, one gentle slide, both heading the same way.

One sale is a data point. Two from the same set start to look like a pattern.

So What's a Comp?

A comp (short for comparable sale) is a recent sale of the same card, or a very similar one. It's how we work out what something is worth today.

Buyers check comps before they bid. Sellers check them before they sell. Auction houses quote them in every listing.

For most cards, there are loads. A base rookie in PSA 10 might sell dozens of times a month, so one weird result barely moves the needle.

A 1-of-1 is a different animal. There's exactly one copy, so the only true comp is the card's own last sale. After that, you're comparing it with other parallels from the set, which is a bit like valuing your house off the bungalow down the road.

Translation: the price is whatever the keenest bidder pays on the day. If two determined buyers fought over it last time and only one turned up this time, you get a very different number.

The Sticker

Between the two sales, the Green Kaboom picked up an MBA sticker. MBA (Mike Baker Authenticated) flags graded cards with exceptional quality and eye appeal. Basically, a gold star for good looks.

It didn't save the price.

Stickers, labels and premium slabs can add appeal. They can't create demand. Someone still has to want the card underneath.

Then Why the Drop?

Nobody knows for certain. But there are two obvious suspects.

Suspect one: the kit. These Messi Kabooms feature a non-licensed MLS kit. No league licence means no official club branding, so badges and logos get edited out. Some collectors couldn't care less. Others won't touch an unlicensed card, and that preference tends to show up in prices over time.

Suspect two: the first sale was high. Early sales often land when a card is brand new and everyone's shouting about it. A later sale in a calmer market can bring the price back towards what buyers will pay once the noise dies down.

Probably a bit of both. Could a different buyer on a different day have paid more? Maybe. That's the point: one sale is a snapshot, not a verdict.

What It Means for Collectors

Falling comps aren't a scandal. They're just the market doing market things. And they're useful if you know how to read them:

• Look at more than one sale. One result, high or low, rarely tells the whole story.
• Check the dates. Last year's comp reflects last year's market.
• Look across the set. If several parallels are moving the same way, that tells you more than any single card.
• Know what you're buying. Licensing, condition and eye appeal matter to the next buyer, not just to you.

The boring-but-important bit: card prices move both ways. Past sales are history, not predictions, and any card can sell for less than you paid. Buy what you love and understand, at a price you're comfortable with.

Records make headlines. Comps make collectors.