Card Show Weekend Preview July 25-26: 95 Shows, Philly's Trading Card Con, and the Calm Before The National
Roughly 95 shows across 30 states run this weekend as the hobby catches its breath before The National opens July 29. Philadelphia Trading Card Con headlines, SDCC wraps in San Diego, and local dealers are ready to deal.
The Last Quiet Weekend Before Rosemont
This is it — the final card show weekend before The 46th National Sports Collectors Convention opens in Rosemont on Wednesday, July 29. With every major dealer in the country packing inventory for the biggest trade show in NSCC history (600-plus booths and more than 500,000 square feet), the July 25-26 slate skews local and regional. That is not a bad thing: roughly 95 shows across 30 states are running Friday through Sunday, and local shows the week before The National are historically where motivated sellers cut deals rather than haul inventory to Illinois.
Philadelphia Trading Card Con, July 24-26
The weekend's biggest dedicated event is Trading Card Con 2026 in Philadelphia — the three-day show formerly known as PokeCon — running Friday through Sunday. This year's edition features content creators COOP and Beard Dad, plus vendors, panels, and special appearances built around an all-things-Pokemon program.
Philly has quietly become one of the East Coast's most reliable TCG show towns, and with Black Bolt, White Flare, and Pitch Black product all still tight at retail, expect singles tables to do heavy volume.
San Diego Comic-Con Wraps Sunday
On the other coast, SDCC runs through Sunday with Topps, Upper Deck, and KAYOU all on the floor — we covered the card exclusives in detail separately, but if you are in Southern California, Sunday afternoon is traditionally when convention exclusives get discounted rather than packed up.
Regional Highlights, July 25-26
- Yakima, WA — Saturday, July 25: Yakima Sports Cards and Collectible Show at the Trinity Youth Center Gym, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. A classic single-day regional.
- Sunday slates in Massachusetts, Florida, and Ohio: the usual monthly rotations run as scheduled — check your state listings for the full rundown.
- Chicago: no major card show this weekend, but WNBA All-Star takes over the city Saturday night — and with the WNBA card market the fastest-growing category in the hobby, expect local shops to lean into it.
Strategy for This Weekend
If you are attending a local show this weekend, you have leverage. Here is how to use it:
- Dealers going to Rosemont want cash, not inventory. Reasonable offers on mid-range cards get accepted the week before The National more than any other week of the year.
- Dealers not going to Rosemont want your attention. The National vacuums up hobby spending for two weeks — local sellers know it and price to move.
- Sell your heat now. If you are holding hot modern cards, the market softens during National week as attention and budgets shift. This weekend is the exit window.
Next week, the entire hobby is in Rosemont. This week, the deals are wherever you already live. Use our directory to find shows and shops near you.