The National 2026 Opens Its Doors: A Record Crowd, 600-Plus Dealers, and a First-Timer's Day One Playbook
The 46th National Sports Collectors Convention opens today in Rosemont with a record 500,000-plus square feet, 600-plus dealers, and up to 150,000 attendees expected. Here is what to know before you hit the floor.
Doors Open in Rosemont
The 46th National Sports Collectors Convention opens its doors today at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, and dealers on the floor are already calling it the biggest edition in the show's 46-year history. The National runs July 29 through August 2, and everything about this year's footprint points to a record week for the hobby's marquee event.
By the Numbers
- 500,000+ square feet of continuous floor space, the largest in show history.
- 600-plus dealers spanning vintage baseball to ultra-modern basketball and everything between.
- 125,000 to 150,000 attendees expected across the five-day run, according to longtime dealers on the floor.
- 150-plus autograph signers inside the dedicated Tri-Star pavilion, mixing Hall of Famers with current stars.
A First-Timer's Day One Playbook
If this is your first National, opening day rewards a plan more than it rewards wandering:
- Walk the full floor before you buy anything. With 600-plus dealers, the first booth rarely has the best price on a card you will see a dozen more times.
- Bring your short list, not your whole collection. On-site PSA grading is available all week, but lines build fast, so know exactly which cards are worth the premium before you get there.
- Budget for the autograph pavilion separately. With 150-plus signers on site, it is easy to blow a weekend budget on autographs before you have shopped a single case.
Dealers who have worked every National since the 1990s say the same thing every year: the best deals happen in the final two hours of the final day, when nobody wants to pack a case back into a van.
Our Read
A record floor plus a record crowd usually means strong prices for sellers and patience required for buyers. If you are heading to Rosemont this week, treat day one as reconnaissance and save your bigger purchases for when the initial rush thins out.