The Middle Tennessee Sports Spectacular & Collectibles Show returns to the James E. Ward Agricultural Center on Friday and Saturday, May 15–16, 2026 for one of the most reliable spring sports card weekends in the greater Nashville region. Held in Lebanon — roughly thirty minutes east of downtown Nashville along I-40 — the Sports Spectacular pulls collectors from Nashville, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville, Mt. Juliet, Cookeville, and across Wilson and Smith counties, and is a long-standing favorite for vintage sports card hunters and seasoned dealers.
The vendor floor leans hard into sports cards but covers the full hobby. Sports dealers stock deep MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, UFC, boxing, and soccer inventory across every era — vintage Topps, Bowman, Fleer, Goudey, Play Ball, and Cracker Jack runs from the 1950s through the 1980s, junk-wax 1990s staples in monster boxes by the thousand, and modern Panini Prizm, Donruss Optic, Select, Mosaic, Topps Chrome, Bowman Draft, and premium Topps Dynasty, National Treasures, Flawless, and Immaculate. Tennessee Titans, Nashville Predators, Tennessee Volunteers, Vanderbilt Commodores, Memphis Grizzlies, Nashville SC, and University of Tennessee inventory is reliably deep, with supplementary product on the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons, and Memphis Tigers. TCG tables stock Pokémon singles and sealed from vintage WOTC through modern Scarlet & Violet, Magic: The Gathering Commander and Standard staples, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece TCG, Disney Lorcana, and Dragon Ball Z Fusion World. Locked cases display PSA, BGS, SGC, and CGC graded slabs from low-end to grail-level vintage, alongside autographed memorabilia, signed baseballs and footballs, vintage comics, Funko Pops, and hobby supplies.
Friday hours run 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM CDT and Saturday hours run 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM CDT. General admission is typically $5 at the door for adults, kids 12 and under enter free with a paying adult, and a small VIP early-entry option gives collectors a head start Friday afternoon. Door prizes and pack giveaways are distributed throughout the weekend while supplies last, and many dealers offer Friday-only deals to thin out their inventory before Saturday's bigger crowd.
The James E. Ward Agricultural Center is located at 945 East Baddour Parkway, Lebanon, TN 37087, just off I-40 at Exit 238 and a short drive from downtown Lebanon's restaurants and shops. The venue is climate-controlled, ADA-accessible, and laid out on a single level with wide aisles. Free on-site parking is plentiful — a major upgrade over Nashville's downtown parking pricing — and the venue is a quick rideshare from the Lebanon Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express for out-of-town buyers.
This show fits every collector type. Serious buyers love the small-show feel where you can actually have a real conversation with each dealer instead of fighting the convention-floor crush. Flippers and breakers restock binders, swap case-break hits, and live-stream from the floor. Families love the relaxed pace, free child admission, and the chance for kids to meet local hobby shop owners and breakers in person. Vintage hunters consistently report this show as one of the best in the region for raw vintage sports cards at fair prices.
For the best experience, arrive early Friday afternoon for first dibs on fresh inventory, bring cash plus Venmo and Zelle backups, and carry a detailed want list sorted by sport and player. Pack penny sleeves, top loaders, and a sturdy carrying box. Save the last hour Saturday for negotiation — dealers typically cut prices before packing up. Follow the show's TCDb listing and local Middle Tennessee card show Facebook groups for vendor previews and 2026 schedule updates.