The Northern Colorado Cards and Collectibles Expo lands at The Drake Centre in Fort Collins on Sunday, August 16, 2026, bringing more than 100 dealer tables to the northern end of the Front Range corridor. For Denver-metro collectors, this one is worth the hour up I-25. Northern Colorado has a distinct dealer base — shops and private collectors out of Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland, Windsor, and Longmont who rarely haul their inventory down to Denver or Aurora shows. That means the cards in these cases have not already been picked over by the same buyers circling the metro every weekend, and the prices reflect a market that has not been arbitraged flat.
The floor covers the full range. Sports card dealers stock MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, UFC, boxing, and soccer across all eras, from 1950s and 1960s Topps and Bowman vintage through 1970s and 1980s Topps, Fleer, and Donruss, into 1990s insert-era product and modern Panini Prizm, Donruss Optic, Select, Mosaic, Topps Chrome, and Bowman Draft. Colorado Rockies, Denver Broncos, Denver Nuggets, and Colorado Avalanche inventory is well represented, and Colorado State and University of Colorado alumni collectors will find local-interest material that simply does not surface at bigger shows. Trading card game tables carry Pokemon singles and sealed wax spanning vintage WOTC through Scarlet and Violet plus Japanese sets, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Disney Lorcana, Digimon, and Dragon Ball Z. Locked cases display PSA, BGS, SGC, and CGC graded slabs, and additional tables offer autographed memorabilia, comics, Funko Pops, vintage toys, and hobby supplies.
Show hours run 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM Mountain Time — a later start than most Front Range shows, which conveniently means Denver collectors can drive up mid-morning without setting an alarm. Admission is $5 at the door. Children's pricing is typically free or discounted with a paying adult; confirm with the organizer. VERIFY: children's admission policy not independently confirmed.
The Drake Centre is an event facility in Fort Collins with ample free on-site parking, a single-level accessible layout, and climate control — all appreciated on a mid-August afternoon. Fort Collins itself makes the trip easy to justify: Old Town is a short drive from the venue with a dense concentration of restaurants and breweries, so a card show can reasonably become an afternoon out rather than an errand.
This expo suits vintage hunters, set builders, and anyone tired of seeing the same inventory rotate through metro Denver shows. Dealers and breakers use northern Colorado shows to source material at prices that still work when resold south. Families will find the $5 entry and relaxed pace approachable, and TCG players get a chance to buy from stores they would not otherwise encounter.
Practical tips: bring cash, since northern Colorado shows skew toward cash-preferred private sellers. Carry a want list and a price reference on your phone. Bring sleeves, top loaders, and a box for transport. Arrive near the 11:00 AM open for first pass, and budget a second lap after 4:00 PM when dealers loosen up. Check the Card Groove listing for confirmed table count and hours before driving up.