Card Collectors Anonymous MN brings its sixty-seven table card show to The Essence Event Center in Saint Paul on Sunday, September 13, 2026. The name is a wink at how deep the hobby gets, and the show has built a loyal following by hitting a sweet spot in size: big enough that you will find real inventory across every category, small enough that you can work the whole room properly in an afternoon without missing anything.
The vendor mix is deliberately balanced. Sports card dealers make up the core, with tables covering baseball, basketball, football and hockey in raw, graded and sealed form. Minnesota team material runs deep, so Twins, Vikings, Wild, Timberwolves and Gophers collectors should plan to spend time here. Alongside the sports tables you will find trading card game vendors handling Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh! and One Piece, plus dealers in sports memorabilia, autographed items, game-used relics, vintage wax and collectible supplies. Giveaways and raffles run during the day, which adds a bit of energy to the room.
The show runs from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free, with no ticket required and no advance registration, which makes this an easy show to drop into on short notice. There is no separate VIP tier, so everyone walks the floor on equal footing from the moment doors open.
The Essence Event Center is at 1217 Bandana Boulevard North in Saint Paul, in the Energy Park area just off Snelling Avenue and close to Interstate 94. It is a proper event hall rather than a gym or arena, which means good lighting, carpeted floors, comfortable temperature and clean restrooms. Parking is free in the surrounding lot. The location is convenient from both downtown Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and it is a straightforward drive for collectors coming from Roseville, Falcon Heights, Maplewood and the northern suburbs.
This show fits casual collectors and serious buyers about equally well. If you are new to shows, sixty-seven tables is a manageable introduction and the vendors are approachable. If you have been collecting for decades, the vintage and graded material that surfaces at this show is consistently better than the venue size would suggest, because several established Minnesota dealers treat it as a regular stop. Families are welcome and there is enough affordable material in the dollar and five-dollar boxes to keep younger collectors happy.
To get the most from the day, arrive near opening. Sunday shows in the Twin Cities tend to peak in the late morning, and the sharpest deals on vintage usually go in the first hour. Carry cash, since a number of tables discount for it. Bring your want list and, if you are trading, a sorted binder. Ask about anything you do not see on the table, because dealers at a room this size often keep their better stock in a case behind them or in a box at their feet. And if you find a dealer whose inventory matches your collecting focus, take a card and get on their list for future shows.
Card Collectors Anonymous MN runs this show on a roughly monthly Sunday rotation at The Essence Event Center. Check the CardSota calendar at cardsota.com for upcoming dates, table availability and vendor announcements.
