The R & B Sports Card and Memorabilia Show returns to the Ottawa Memorial Auditorium in Ottawa, Kansas on Saturday, November 14, 2026. This is a semi-annual show with deep local roots, run by Chris Raby and Mark Butterworth, and it has the character that only a long-running small-town show develops — the same dealers year after year, fair pricing, and a room where people actually talk to each other rather than staring at their phones checking comps.
The focus is squarely on sports cards and memorabilia, as the name says. Expect MLB running from 1950s and 1960s Topps through current Bowman prospects, with strong Royals and Cardinals representation reflecting the split loyalties of eastern Kansas. NFL is well stocked in November with Chiefs season inventory — rookies, autographs, inserts — alongside vintage Kansas City football. NBA, NHL and college material fill out the sports side, and the Kansas Jayhawks and Kansas State sections are better than you would expect for a show this size. Raw vintage is the room's real strength; graded slabs appear but do not dominate. Memorabilia dealers bring signed baseballs, photographs and jerseys, programs, pennants, bobbleheads and game-used pieces. A smaller number of tables carry Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh! singles for collectors who cross over.
Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 14 — six hours, one day. The room fills quickly after opening and stays steady through early afternoon. With a compressed window like this, the last hour is your negotiating opportunity, but waiting is genuinely risky on anything you want.
Admission is free for everyone, with no tickets and no advance registration. Walk in any time during open hours. Free entry is part of why this show has held its audience for as long as it has.
The Ottawa Memorial Auditorium is at 301 S. Hickory Street in Ottawa, Kansas, roughly fifty minutes southwest of downtown Kansas City straight down I-35. Parking is free on the surrounding streets and in nearby lots. The auditorium is a historic municipal building with a single open floor, easily navigated, and downtown Ottawa's restaurants and coffee shops are within a short walk — which makes a nice break in the middle of the day.
This show suits vintage collectors and memorabilia hunters above all. It is also a comfortable first show for families and newcomers: free, small enough not to overwhelm, and staffed by dealers who are happy to explain what they have rather than rushing a sale. Anyone selling a collection should come early and ask around; the organizers know who is buying.
Some practical advice: bring cash in small bills, because a show of this vintage runs on it and the discount for cash is consistent. Bring a loupe if you are buying raw pre-1980 material. Make one full pass of the floor writing down prices before you commit, then negotiate on the second lap and bundle where you can. Ask dealers what is still in the case or in the car — at long-running small shows a surprising amount of the best material never reaches the tabletop unless someone asks for it specifically.
For show dates, table reservations and general questions, contact Chris Raby at 785-242-7229 or Mark Butterworth at 785-241-9843. The Ottawa Memorial Auditorium also lists the show on its own events calendar.
