Diamond in the Ruff closes out September with a third Sunday date at the Sun City West Foundation building on September 27, 2026. By the end of the month the series has cycled through most of its rotating dealer roster, which makes the final Sunday interesting for a specific reason: dealers who have worked two or three dates already are motivated to move remaining inventory rather than haul it home again, and that is when the negotiating gets genuinely good.
The floor is sports-card-first. Baseball anchors the room with vintage Topps and Bowman, mid-century stars, 1970s and 1980s set fodder, team lots and modern MLB rookies with parallels and autographs. Basketball and football tables carry Prizm, Optic and Select inserts, rookie patch autographs and vintage rookies, while hockey, UFC, boxing and soccer keep a smaller but consistent footprint. Graded slabs from PSA, SGC and BGS are distributed across the room, and several dealers deal primarily in raw vintage that has never been submitted, which is the best hunting ground at this show for anyone comfortable grading with their own eyes. Pokemon singles and sealed product cover the trading card game side, and you will also find signed baseballs and photos, vintage programs and ticket stubs, comics and collectible figures.
Hours are 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, a single afternoon block. Admission is free for everyone, with no early-buyer tier and nothing to book in advance. Children are welcome accompanied by an adult, and the dime and quarter boxes most dealers keep under the table are the reason kids actually enjoy this show rather than enduring it.
The show occupies the Webb and Powell Rooms of the SCW Foundation building at 14465 W RH Johnson Blvd, inside the R.H. Johnson recreation complex just off Grand Avenue in Sun City West. Parking is free and abundant in the surrounding lot, the building is fully air-conditioned, and access is level throughout with wide aisles between tables. It is an easy venue to navigate with a rolling case or a stroller.
Who should come? Vintage hunters and set builders get the most out of this room. Families come for the free admission and the low-key pace. Newcomers get a friendly education, because the Sun City West dealer base is patient and talkative. And dealers should watch this venue closely, since the surrounding retiree population means long-dormant collections surface here regularly and often price to sell.
To work the afternoon well: show up at 1:00 PM, do one full pass without buying, then circle back with a plan. Cash still wins the best price at a free community show. Keep a want list with ceiling prices in your pocket, carry sleeves and top loaders for raw pickups, and bring a bright light or loupe if you are inspecting vintage corners and centering. Ask dealers what they are chasing, because trades move as much material here as cash does.
Contact organizer Joey at 602-908-1597 or [email protected] for tables and future dates. The series continues October 11 and 18, November 22 and December 6.