Oct 17 Is the Busiest Card Show Saturday of the Fall

Of every date on the Card Shows Nearby calendar, Saturday, Oct 17 is the busiest. As of Oct 11, 36 shows are running that day across 20 states, and 32 of them start that day. Add Friday and Sunday and the weekend of Oct 16–18 has 50 shows. The runner-up is Saturday, Nov 7, with 35 shows running. Here is how to pick one.

The biggest rooms

Sixteen of the Oct 17 shows list 100 or more tables, and five list 200 or more. The largest is the Front Row Card Show at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center in Tacoma, WA: 480 tables on Oct 17–18, 11am to 5pm, with $10 admission (kids 10 and under free).

Next is the Sports Card and Pokemon Show at the Charles Chrin Community Center in Palmer Township, PA, with 275 tables, 9am to 3pm and $5 admission (10 and under free). The Northeast Sports Card Expo at the Portland Exposition Building in Portland, ME has 225 tables over two days: Saturday 9:30am to 6pm and Sunday 9:30am to 4pm, at $15 ($20 for early entry, under 12 free).

Two more shows list 200 tables: the Pittsburgh Event Center in Harmony, PA (Friday 1pm to 7pm and Saturday 9am to 4pm, admission listed as $12/5) and The Waukesha Card Show at the Waukesha Expo Center in Waukesha, WI (10am to 3pm, $2, 12 and under free). Augusta Card Fest 9 in North Augusta, SC lists 190 tables, 9am to 3pm, for $5 (17 and under free).

Where the cluster is

New Jersey has the most shows running that Saturday with 5, followed by Illinois and California with 4 each. Pennsylvania and Florida have 3 apiece, South Carolina and Connecticut have 2, and 13 more states have one. If you live in the Northeast, Midwest or Southeast, you are probably within a reasonable drive of at least one.

Free and low-cost options

Twelve of the 36 list free admission. Among the larger ones are the West Gate Hobby Market at West Gate Mall in Spartanburg, SC (150 tables, 10am to 4pm), the Sports Card & Collectibles Show at Maplewood Mall in Maplewood, MN (125 tables, Friday and Saturday 10am to 8pm, Sunday 11am to 4pm) and the North GA Collectables Show in Marietta, GA (120 tables, 9am to 3pm). At the low end, shows in Olney, IL and Broadview Heights, OH both list $2 admission with 100 tables each.

Beyond sports cards

Eight of the 36 are tagged for Pokémon. One example is the Auburn Grass Valley Nevada City Sports Cards & Pokémon TCG Expo at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley, CA, with 120 tables and admission of $3 to $5 (VIP $10). The Collectors Convention at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Pavilion in Tampa, FL runs Saturday 10am to 6pm and Sunday 10am to 5pm with 150 tables, at $5 online or $10 at the door.

Planning your day

A few shows open the day before, so check the hours for each day. The Harmony, PA and Maplewood, MN shows both start on Friday. Table counts, hours and prices come from each organizer and can change, so check the show page before you travel. If nothing on this list is near you, the This Weekend page on Card Shows Nearby shows every show listed for the current weekend, grouped by state.