KC Collectors Con takes over the Johnson County Fairgrounds in Gardner, Kansas on Saturday, October 3, 2026, billing itself as Kansas City's fastest-growing collectibles convention — and the growth is real. What started as a modest fairgrounds show has expanded into a full-day event that pulls dealers from across eastern Kansas and western Missouri, and the fairgrounds setting gives it far more floor space than the hotel ballrooms most metro shows are squeezed into.
The convention casts a wider net than a pure card show. Sports card dealers bring MLB spanning vintage Topps and Bowman through current prospect product, with reliable Royals and Cardinals depth. NFL is well stocked with Chiefs rookies, autographs and patch cards heading into October. NBA, NHL, college and soccer all have tables. Graded slabs from PSA, BGS and SGC fill the display cases, while raw vintage sellers work 1950s through 1980s material in collector grades. Trading card game vendors handle Pokemon singles and sealed product, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Lorcana and Dragon Ball Z. Because it presents as a convention rather than strictly a card show, you will also find comics, toys, Funko Pops, vinyl, video games, signed memorabilia and general collectibles dealers who would not set up at a card-only event.
Hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 3 — a full eight-hour day, single day only. The nine o'clock open is early for this market and the first hour is where the sharpest buyers work. Traffic peaks late morning through early afternoon, and the final ninety minutes bring the most flexible pricing as dealers weigh what they want to load back into the truck.
Admission is $5 at the door. Children are admitted free. There is no VIP tier and no advance ticketing required — pay and walk in during open hours.
The Johnson County Fairgrounds is at 136 E Washington Street in Gardner, Kansas, about thirty-five minutes southwest of downtown Kansas City and fifteen minutes past Olathe on I-35. Parking is free and abundant in the fairgrounds lots. The exhibition buildings are single-level with wide aisles, easy for strollers and wheelchairs, and there is typically food available on site. Gardner's restaurants along Main Street are a couple of minutes away.
The convention format makes this an unusually good family outing. A collector hunting vintage baseball, a kid after Pokemon, and someone browsing for comics or retro video games can all find something in the same building, which is not true of most card shows. First-timers will find the fairgrounds atmosphere relaxed and the $5 entry low-risk. Serious buyers should still take it seriously — regional shows outside the metro core are exactly where underpriced material tends to surface, because the competition for it is thinner.
To get the most out of the day: arrive at nine with cash in small bills. Walk the entire building before you buy anything, since the mixed vendor types mean cards can turn up at tables you would otherwise skip. Bring a want list and a loupe for raw vintage. Bundle your offers instead of negotiating one card at a time. And talk to dealers — at a growing show, several are still building their local reputation and will deal accordingly.
Show announcements, vendor lineups and future dates are posted on the Kansas City Collectors Convention Facebook page.
