The Monterey Bay Card Show is the Central Coast's flagship two-day collectibles event, and the 2027 edition runs Saturday, January 23 and Sunday, January 24 at the Monterey Conference Center. Where the region's monthly hotel shows are compact affairs, this one takes over a purpose-built convention facility in downtown Monterey and pulls dealers from the Bay Area, the Central Valley and Southern California. If you only make one Central Coast show a year, make it this one.
The conference center's floor space allows a dealer roster that smaller venues cannot support. Sports cards anchor the show: baseball, basketball and football across every era, with serious vintage presence — pre-war tobacco, 1950s and 1960s Topps and Bowman, star rookies from every decade — alongside modern Prizm, Optic, Select and Chrome parallels and sealed hobby wax. Hockey, soccer, golf, boxing, UFC and racing all get dedicated tables. Graded inventory is deep, with PSA, SGC, BGS and CGC slabs across the price spectrum. Trading card game vendors bring Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece and Disney Lorcana. Rounding it out are game-used memorabilia, autographed jerseys and balls, comics, Funko Pops, vintage toys and hobby supplies.
The two-day format gives you options. Saturday, January 23 opens at 10:00 AM and is the fuller day — every dealer is set up, the crowd is largest, and the selection is at its peak. Sunday, January 24 also opens at 10:00 AM and runs a similar length, but the character shifts: fewer buyers, more room to talk, and dealers who are visibly more willing to negotiate rather than pack inventory back into the van. Serious buyers hit Saturday morning; bargain hunters come Sunday afternoon.
Admission pricing for the 2027 edition has not been published. Regional two-day shows of this size typically run a modest per-day general admission with a discounted weekend pass, children admitted free or reduced, and sometimes an early-bird ticket. Confirm before traveling.
The Monterey Conference Center is at 1 Portola Plaza in downtown Monterey, adjacent to Portola Hotel and Spa and steps from Fisherman's Wharf and Custom House Plaza. Parking is available in the East and West Garages beneath and beside the center at hourly rates, with additional downtown lots nearby. The facility is fully accessible, climate-controlled and easy to navigate, with on-site restrooms and food service. January on the Monterey Peninsula is cool and quiet, hotel rates are at their annual low, and the aquarium and Cannery Row are minutes away — which makes this an easy show to build a weekend around rather than a day trip.
This show rewards preparation. Serious collectors and investors should come with comps ready and a budget defined. Set builders will find the vintage depth worth the drive. Families will do fine — the venue is comfortable and there is plenty of affordable material — but the floor skews toward committed collectors. Dealers treat it as a major regional restocking stop.
Tips: attend both days if you can. Walk Saturday, note what you want and what it is priced at, then buy Sunday if it is still there. Bring cash and small bills. Bring a hard case for anything valuable. Book lodging early despite the off-season, because a two-day show fills nearby hotels. And check the vendor list ahead of time if the promoter publishes one.
Details are listed on the Trading Card Database and Treasure Hunter.
