The New Mexico Card Show returns to Expo New Mexico on Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11, 2026 for the fall staging of the state's largest dedicated trading card and memorabilia weekend. Run by Ryan Maxwell, this edition takes over the Manuel Lujan Jr. Exhibit Complex — the Lujan Building — on the Expo New Mexico fairgrounds, and it lands at the single best time of year to be a collector in the Duke City. October in Albuquerque means Balloon Fiesta crowds, cool mornings, and a hobby calendar stacked with fresh football and basketball releases. Out-of-town collectors already in the city for the balloons routinely build a Saturday morning around this show.
The floor is deliberately broad rather than niche. Sports tables run deep on MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, UFC, boxing, and soccer inventory across every era — pre-war tobacco and Goudey, 1950s and 1960s Topps and Bowman vintage, the endlessly affordable junk-wax era, and modern Panini Prizm, Donruss Optic, Select, Mosaic, Topps Chrome, and high-end Immaculate, Flawless, and National Treasures. Regional inventory moves fast here: New Mexico Lobos football and basketball, Albuquerque Isotopes, New Mexico United, plus Cowboys, Broncos, Nuggets, Suns, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Raiders, and Golden Knights. Trading card game dealers bring Pokémon singles and sealed from WOTC-era Base Set through current Scarlet and Violet product and Japanese imports, Magic: The Gathering Commander and Standard staples, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Disney Lorcana, Dragon Ball Z Fusion World, Riftbound, Digimon, Star Wars Unlimited, and Flesh and Blood. Locked cases hold PSA, BGS, SGC, and CGC slabs, and the room also carries signed memorabilia, comics, Funko Pops, and supplies.
Hours are simple and identical both days: Saturday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Mountain Time, Sunday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Mountain Time. Vendors load in Friday evening and tear down Sunday from 5:00 PM, so the public floor is fully stocked from the moment doors open Saturday. Admission is free for everyone — no ticket, no wristband, no VIP tier. Expo New Mexico does charge for parking on the fairgrounds, so bring a few dollars for the gate. JSA will be on site to authenticate autographs, and MaxPax accepts CGC grading submissions as part of a group submission at the show.
The venue is at 300 San Pedro Drive NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108. Enter at Gate 3, at San Pedro and Copper — that entrance puts you closest to the Lujan Building. Interstate 40 at San Mateo or Louisiana is the easiest approach. The hall is climate-controlled, ADA-accessible, and laid out with wide aisles that stay walkable even at Saturday peak.
This show suits nearly everyone: families with kids, first-time attendees who have never worked a show floor, casual Pokémon buyers, modern flippers, prospectors, vintage hunters, and dealers scouting inventory. To get the most out of it, arrive right at 10:00 AM Saturday when tables are freshly stocked, then come back Sunday afternoon when sellers would rather cut a deal than pack a box. Bring cash — it still buys the best price — plus Venmo and Zelle as backup, a written want list, penny sleeves, top loaders, and a hard case for anything you buy raw. Questions and vendor table inquiries go to [email protected], or follow @newmexicocardshow on Instagram and Facebook.
