The Cardboard Collecting Show sets up at Guildhouse in San Jose on Sunday, September 20, 2026 for a long single-day run. Sunday-only shows are relatively rare on the Bay Area calendar, which gives this one a useful niche: collectors who spent Saturday at a bigger event elsewhere in the region can still get a second show in, and locals who work Saturdays finally get a date that fits. The nine-hour window is unusually generous for a one-day show, so there is no need to rush the door.
The floor covers a broad slice of the hobby. Sports tables carry MLB in the final week of the regular season, NFL three weeks into the schedule, NBA as media week approaches, plus NHL, UFC, boxing, and soccer. Inventory ranges from 1950s and 1960s Topps and Bowman vintage through 1970s and 1980s set-builder runs, junk-wax dollar boxes, and modern Panini Prizm, Donruss Optic, Select, Mosaic, Contenders, Topps Chrome, Bowman Draft, and Stadium Club. San Jose Sharks material is a genuine local specialty here, alongside deep San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Golden State Warriors, and Oakland Athletics stock. Trading card game vendors bring Pokémon singles and sealed across vintage and modern eras plus Japanese exclusives, along with Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Disney Lorcana, Dragon Ball Super, and Digimon. Locked cases display PSA, BGS, SGC, and CGC graded slabs, and remaining tables carry autographed memorabilia, comics, Funko Pops, retro video games, and supplies including sleeves, top loaders, and one-touch magnetics.
The show runs Sunday only, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific — a full eight-hour session with no VIP tier and no timed entry. Admission price was not published at the time of listing, so treat it as VERIFY and confirm with the promoter before travelling; shows at this venue typically charge a low walk-up door rate with accompanied children admitted free.
Guildhouse is a San Jose gaming and events space, and the early 9:00 AM start is a deliberate nod to serious buyers who want first look. Parking is available on site and on surrounding streets at no charge, and the venue is indoors, climate-controlled, and accessible. San Jose's restaurant density means food options are minutes away in any direction, and the location is straightforward from Interstates 880 and 280 and Highway 101.
This show suits South Bay collectors who cannot make Saturday events, second-day shoppers extending a show weekend, set builders and vintage diggers who appreciate an unhurried room, TCG players restocking, and dealers looking to buy collections.
For the best experience, take advantage of the 9:00 AM open — an early single-day start means the sharpest buyers are through the door before most people have had coffee, and the raw vintage moves in that first hour. Bring cash for negotiating leverage, a want list organized by sport, team, and year, sleeves and top loaders for raw pickups, and a box to carry your finds. Because the day runs long, plan a mid-afternoon return sweep; dealers restock and reprice as the session goes on, and late-day offers are often better than opening prices.