September's Northeast Kansas Card Show returns to the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds in Lawrence on Sunday, September 13, 2026. This is the edition that opens the football season for northeast Kansas collectors, and the timing shows on the tables — dealers load up on NFL rookies and Chiefs inventory ahead of the first few weeks of the season, and the college football material comes out in force.
What you will find spans most of the hobby. The sports core is MLB from vintage through current Bowman prospects, NFL with unusually deep Chiefs and Kansas Jayhawks selections, NBA, NHL, and a college section carrying Kansas and Kansas State memorabilia, media guides and team-issue sets. Graded slabs sit in the center cases; raw vintage stars and 1970s and 1980s wax line the perimeter. Trading card game dealers handle Pokemon singles and sealed product, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Lorcana, and a couple of generalist tables carry comics, unopened boxes, signed photographs and pennants.
The show runs 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 13 — one day only. Sunday timing is the series' signature advantage: dealers who worked a Saturday show in the Kansas City metro arrive with inventory that did not sell the day before, and they are motivated. Mid-morning brings the biggest crowd; the last hour and a half is the softest for pricing.
The operator has not published an admission rate for this date. Prior shows in the series have run free or charged a small door fee, with accompanied children admitted at no cost. There is no advance ticketing — pay at the door if a fee applies. Confirm before making the drive from Kansas City.
The Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds is on the north side of Lawrence with free parking in a large lot adjacent to the exhibition building. Everything is on one level, wide aisles, easy for strollers and wheelchairs. A concession window usually operates inside. Lawrence's downtown restaurant district on Massachusetts Street is a ten-minute drive if you want a proper lunch.
This edition suits football collectors above all, but it works for anyone. Families appreciate the low-pressure fairgrounds atmosphere and the abundance of cheap boxes to dig through. First-timers will not feel outmatched here. Regional dealers use the Sunday slot to restock. Serious vintage buyers should come early, because the good pre-1975 material moves within the first ninety minutes.
Practical advice: carry cash in small bills, and expect a discount for using it. Bring a loupe if you buy vintage raw — fairground lighting is not kind to centering and corner assessment. Make one full pass of the room writing down prices before you commit to anything, then negotiate on the second lap. Ask about bulk deals on commons and about anything the dealer has not put out; plenty of good material stays in the case until asked for.
Up-to-date listings for this and the October edition, plus organizer contact information, are on cardshows.io. Kansas City metro collector groups on Facebook post floor photos and day-of updates.
