2026 National Recap

The 2026 National Sports Collectors Convention

The 46th National Sports Collectors Convention or “The National” (not “Nationals”) was bigger, busier, louder and more active than ever. Within the first couple days of the show, collectors and industry insiders were already calling it the largest most attended in its history.

Personally, this was the 10th National that I have attended, going back to 2000. And without question, 2026’s edition was the biggest sports collectibles event I have ever seen.

Here are some of the basic facts of the show:

• Ran from July 29 to August 2 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL
• The 600,000 square foot facility held nearly 1,000 dealers and exhibitors
• Unofficial estimates put the five-day attendance above 150,000, though The National hasn’t confirmed that number yet
• A new International Pavilion featured 50 dealer tables representing 8 markets
• Three official Trade Nights, from 6 PM to 11 PM, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, covering more than 50,000 square feet

Card manufacturers made up a big part of the sponsor and exhibitor list, including Topps (Fanatics), Panini, Upper Deck, ONIT, Leaf, VeeFriends, Wild Card, and Kakawow. Marketplaces like eBay (and eBay Live), Fanatics Collect, Whatnot, Ludex, COMC, Alt, and TikTok Shop were also prominently on hand, along with auction houses Goldin, Heritage Auctions, and Pristine Auctions. Grading companies rounded things out, with PSA, SGC, Beckett, CGC (working alongside JSA), and MBA (Mike Baker Authenticated) among those represented.

Each day opened with long lines, packed aisles, and an energy that makes The National feel more like a hobby celebration than just a big card show. Typically, the Wednesday and Thursday are the lighter days of the show, but not this year. The crowds from Wednesday to Saturday were all quite similar.

This wasn’t just a show about buying cards. All elements of the hobby convened in one place for five days of collecting fun.

The dealer floor was a big story on its own, especially for collectors chasing high-end modern and rare vintage pieces. Among the athletes collectors wanted most, the all-time greats topped the list: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Tom Brady, and Shohei Ohtani. Showcases were packed with some of the rarest and most iconic cards of these legends.

Dealers and buyers reported strong traffic, with the floor staying busy well past the usual peak hours. Action came from both sides of the table, with dealers and collectors buying and selling. Many dealers with fairly priced inventory also came close to getting their full asking price on sales and trades.

Typically, with the NFL season only weeks away, The National is a show with heavy demand and transactions of  football cards and young quarterback prospecting, not so much this year. A lot of the football action was for future and current Hall of Famers.

PSA’s on-site grading numbers showed just how much that traffic translated into business. At the 2025 National, PSA took in about 10,000 pieces for grading. We confirmed with PSA that this year, on Wednesday alone, that number jumped to 17,000.

Live selling companies eBay Live and Whatnot (who had a whole dedicated section of the show) were prominent players around the show. Adding almost a theme park feel to the floor, with their giveaways, arcades and vending areas.

Autographs and athlete/celebrity appearances remained a core draw. A deep lineup of Hall of Famers, current stars, and special signers filled out the VIP events and autograph programs. For many attendees, that mix of open floor access and scheduled signings is what separates this event from a normal card show. It gives collectors a chance to shop and also meet athletes in the same visit. In addition, many athletes were seen walking the floor as collectors and sports fans.

The auction and headline card side of the hobby grabbed plenty of attention too. Heritage and Goldin had a strong presence, and buzz built around several elite modern and vintage cards. The sale of the 2026 Shohei Ohtani Dual Gold MLB Batter Logo Autograph card for $11 million became one of the most talked about sales of the week.

On the hockey side, the 2024-25 Upper Deck Young Guns Gold Outburst 1-of-1 of Macklin Celebrini was prominently on display at the Goldin booth. Fanatics Collect also had many of their up-coming Premier Auction items on display at their booth in a museum-style setup.

The Trade Nights, one of the true draws of The National, drew packed crowds in the evenings from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM, Thursday through Saturday.

On-site grading was another big pull. PSA, BGS and CGC all took submissions for end-of-day, same-day or same-weekend turnarounds. SGC was taking submissions for standard grading, not on-site. Lines were long, but the services ran pretty smoothly overall and all grading companies had record-breaking shows.

The audience itself has grown wider than ever. The floor wasn’t just older vintage collectors anymore. It included younger buyers, breakers, modern prospect chasers, memorabilia fans, and people building content around the hobby as a business. Each group brings its own vibe, budget and expectations, and that mix is a big reason the show keeps growing year over year. Of course, there are always areas for improvement, but this was without a doubt the biggest and best sports card show of all-time.

More Sights From The 2026 National

Manga display at the Panini booth

Dr. James Beckett in discussion with Tim Getsch and Julia Agostine of COMC

CGC allowed attendees to slab themselves as a Pristine 10

CGC also had Keith Olbermann’s restored T206 Wagner on display, it is up for auction at Love of the Game

Chicago Blackhawks museum at the Upper Deck booth

Mike Tyson a special guest of Ludex

Popular YouTuber Kyle Kravitz (King of the Kards) had steady lineups with people wanting to make a deal or just to meet him

One of the most treasured modern Spider-Man cards, the 2017 Fleer Ultra PMG Gold 1-of-1, was on display at the Goldin booth and is currently up for auction

GRADEx’ Fabio Del Rio meets MLB All-Star LHP Johan Santana on the show floor

How The National Got Here

None of this happened overnight. The National Sports Collectors Convention began in 1980 as a small gathering in a Los Angeles hotel ballroom. Its roots trace back to the collector clubs, hobby magazines, and regional card shows of the 1960s and 1970s, when sports fans first found ways to connect beyond their local trading card shops.

From the start, the show set itself apart with one idea: it needed to actually be national, not just a bigger version of a local event. To pull it off, organizers moved the convention to a different host city each year. This brought in collectors and dealers from across the continent and abroad.

Over the decades, it grew from a basic dealer and collector meetup into a major industry event, complete with sprawling exhibit halls, celebrity guests, and thousands of attendees. It became something like an annual reunion for the hobby, where collectors hunt for cards, connect with dealers and content creators, and check out new products, signings, and vintage inventory all under one roof.

That long-term growth is a big part of why the show still carries so much weight today. Nearly half a century after its first ballroom gathering, it remains the hobby’s biggest in-person stage, proof that even in a market run largely through screens, collectors still show up in force for the real thing.