Card Show Weekend Recap May 16 to 17: Tri-Star Houston, Collect-A-Con Phoenix, Dallas, San Jose, and Mile High Pokemon Pulled Big Crowds
Five major card events ran this weekend across Houston, Phoenix, Dallas, San Jose, and Denver. Here is what foot traffic, dealer floors, and PSA-alternative submissions told us about the state of the hobby in mid-May.
This weekend put a punctuation mark on a busy May for the hobby, with five major card events running across the country and the Mile High Pokemon and TCG Expo carving out its own lane in Denver. Here is the rundown of what happened on May 16 and 17, and what the foot traffic and floor chatter are telling us about the state of the hobby.
Tri-Star Houston Brings the Memorabilia Heat
The Tri-Star Collectors Show returned to NRG Center for a three-day run from Friday, May 15 through Sunday, May 17. Tri-Star has built its reputation on its autograph guest lineups, and this stop delivered, packing one of the strongest non-National rosters of the spring. The dealer floor leaned heavily into vintage baseball and football memorabilia, and several Houston-area shops told The Card Shop Finder that pre-war and 1950s Topps inventory moved faster than expected.
Collect-A-Con Phoenix Owns the West
Collect-A-Con landed at WestWorld of Scottsdale on Saturday and Sunday with more than 500 dealer tables, celebrity appearances, on-stage panels, and live concerts. Collect-A-Con's blend of trading cards, anime, manga, and pop culture continues to attract a younger crowd than traditional sports-only shows, and the Pokemon and One Piece sections were the busiest aisles for most of Saturday afternoon.
Dallas Card Show Hits Allen
The Dallas Card Show rolled into Allen, Texas with 700 plus vendor tables, onsite grading, and a Saturday night trade event. Dallas is now firmly the largest recurring card show series in the country, running six times a year, and the May edition saw a notable uptick in graded modern Pokemon submissions thanks to the prerelease energy around Chaos Rising.
Silicon Valley Card Show Returns
The Silicon Valley Card & Collectible Show returned to Westgate Center Mall in San Jose on May 16 and 17 with free admission and free parking. That accessibility has made the show a magnet for casual collectors and parents bringing kids into the hobby. Tech-industry money in the Bay Area continues to push prices on high-end graded slabs, and dealers reported strong sales on PSA 10 Charizards and modern Bowman prospect rookies.
Mile High Pokemon and TCG Expo Owns Denver
The Mile High Pokemon and TCG Expo took over the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center on May 16 and 17 with a Pokemon-and-TCG focus. With Chaos Rising prereleases in full swing and Pokemon TCG Pocket continuing to draw a younger crowd, the Mile High show is shaping up as one of the largest Pokemon-centric events in the Mountain West.
What This Weekend Tells Us About the Market
- Modern Pokemon is leading floor traffic. Five different show organizers reported that Pokemon dealers had the longest sustained lines all weekend.
- Vintage baseball is consolidating with serious money. Pre-war and 1950s Topps inventory at Tri-Star Houston moved at strong prices, continuing the trend we have been tracking since late April.
- Free-admission shows are growing the hobby. Silicon Valley and several smaller markets are bringing in new collectors faster than ticketed mega-shows.
- NoPSAMay is real on the floor. Multiple dealers told us they are routing submissions to SGC, CGC, and TAG this month rather than PSA, and CGC has been on-site at more events than ever.
Next weekend the calendar quiets down before the Chaos Rising launch, but the National is now less than two months away. If you are planning a show road trip, the next major weekends to circle are May 30 to 31 and the run-up to the National in Chicago.
Find a show near you on our events calendar, and let us know which weekend stop you hit.