On February 27, 2021 the Trading Card Expo debuted their 1-day show of all things trading cards. Featuring sports, entertainment, CCG cards, and even playing cards, the show was perfect for any card collector whether they’re new to the hobby or have been invested in the industry for decades!
With trading card sales booming and big box stores (and even some local hobby shops) limiting the number of trading cards that customers can purchase, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find hot sets at retail. So it was great to see nearly 50 vendors (almost 70 tables) in attendance with a wide range of products available: lots of loose sports & Pokemon (Happy 25th Anniversary today!), comic book & pop culture cards, graded cards (PSA, Beckett, SGC), full base sets, and brand new highly desired hobby boxes.
Popular dealers like Pokemon Puller, Coast 2 Coast Treasures, and Santiago Sports were drawing tiny crowds to their booths filled with vintage & modern hits. But make sure to keep your eyes peeled throughout the entire Vendor Hall because you might find that grail you’ve been searching for! And though there weren’t any supplies available for purchase, you could still find all kinds of related products like dice, mats, and counters (and the occasional board game or Funko Pop).
But the main draw is and always will be cards at the Trading Card Expo. All day, fans were super busy flipping through binders and working out deals with vendors to score the best deals on the hottest football rookie cards or maybe just a single pack of the sold out McDonald’s Happy Meal Pokemon cards. Do you know what you’d look for?
In addition to the Vendor Hall, the Trade Room had a lot of buzz as well! This is where you can break, trade, swap, and work something out with a fellow collector! It’s not everyday you get to see a setup like this at a show.
And it’s important to note that because of COVID-19 restrictions, capacity was capped at 250 at all times (in addition to masks & social distancing guidelines being enforced). So if you mind the wait (which potentially got long), then the 8-9am Early Bird hour for $20 might be the way to go. Otherwise, there’s still tons of great finds during regular admission for just $5 from 9am-2pm.
All in all, the Trading Card Expo made it as worry-free as possible so that you could safely have the best experience doing what you love. For additional information & upcoming show dates, be sure to check out the official Facebook page or their organizer’s (Veteri Productions) website.
LesDudis 