The Twin Cities Sports Collectors Club runs its December show at the Bloomington Armory on Saturday, December 12, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This is the club's holiday date, and it is the single best card show in the metro for anyone shopping for a collector. Free entry, free parking, roughly sixty tables of sports material and a dealer base that prices for collectors rather than speculators makes for a far better gift-buying experience than a retail shelf full of overpriced blaster boxes.
The floor stays true to the club's sports focus. Baseball leads, with vintage Topps and Bowman, junk wax era product, star rookies, complete and near-complete sets and decades of accumulated Minnesota Twins material. Football tables cover Vikings history alongside current NFL rookies and inserts, and December is peak football interest in this market. Hockey is genuinely exceptional here, reflecting the state's relationship with the sport: Wild inventory, Minnesota North Stars nostalgia, vintage O-Pee-Chee, and high school, junior and college material that rarely appears anywhere else. Basketball, boxing, racing and Olympic collectibles fill the remaining space, along with autographed baseballs and photos, game-used relics, pennants, programs, yearbooks, unopened wax and hobby supplies.
Entry is free with no ticket and no VIP tier, and parking is free in the armory lot. Table inquiries go to longtime organizer Dave Bonde at 651-338-1539.
The Bloomington Armory is at 3300 West 98th Street in Bloomington, a few minutes from Interstate 494, Highway 100 and the Mall of America. In December that proximity is a practical advantage, since you can pair the show with other holiday errands in one trip. The drill floor is a big open room with high ceilings, strong lighting and level concrete, easy to navigate with a stroller or a wheelchair and well suited to inspecting cards properly. Restrooms are on site and there is abundant dining minutes away along the 494 corridor.
This remains a club show rather than a promotional event, and the difference is real. The people behind the tables collect too, the material skews regional and deep, and nobody is working an angle. Set builders, vintage hunters, player collectors and Minnesota sports history buffs should build the date into their calendar. It is also an easy show to bring kids to, with free admission and plenty of boxes they can afford to dig through.
Arrive at nine if you want the best of it. Sixty tables get picked over quickly, and December brings both gift shoppers and regulars through the door early. Bring cash, which is strongly preferred and often discounted. Bring team and set checklists. Bring penny sleeves and top loaders for raw purchases. If you are shopping for someone else, tell the dealers what the recipient collects and how much you want to spend, because club dealers are usually happy to point you to something appropriate rather than upselling you.
The series continues into 2027 with additional Saturday dates. Check the Trading Card Database Minnesota listing for the next confirmed show.
