TCAT Expo XII, the Tucson Comic and Toy Expo, runs Saturday, October 3, 2026 for one day only at the Fraternal Order of Eagles hall on North Stone Avenue. Now in its twelfth edition, TCAT is one of the longest-running collector events in Southern Arizona and it has kept the same premise the whole way through: an affordable, unpretentious, family-friendly room full of comic and toy dealers, with no convention-center overhead baked into the ticket price.
The focus is comics and vintage toys first, with trading cards present as a meaningful secondary category. Dealers bring back-issue long boxes, key issues, graded comic slabs, and modern variants, alongside vintage action figures, Star Wars, Masters of the Universe, Transformers, G.I. Joe, Marvel and DC figures, Funko Pops, and assorted pop-culture ephemera. Card collectors should come with realistic expectations — this is not a 120-table card floor — but non-sport card sets, vintage Pokemon, and sports cards do turn up in dealer inventory, and because the room is comic-focused those cards are often priced by dealers who are not card specialists. That is precisely where bargains live.
Hours are 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, one day only. Six hours in a single hall means the room turns over quickly and the early crowd genuinely gets the best material — long-box diving is a first-two-hours game.
Admission is $5 per person for both kids and adults, one of the lowest doors of any collector event in Arizona. Every kid under twelve receives a FREE comic book at the door, which is a nice on-ramp for younger attendees. There is no VIP tier and no early-bird upcharge, so everyone walks in on equal footing at 9:00 AM.
The Fraternal Order of Eagles is at 1530 North Stone Avenue, just north of downtown Tucson and an easy shot off I-10. FREE parking is available directly outside the hall in the south side lot. Food and beverages are sold by the venue, and a cash bar operates for the entire length of the expo with inexpensive alcoholic and non-alcoholic options. Per venue rules, no outside alcohol is permitted.
TCAT is hosted by two Tucson-based operations: Lady T Comic Keys, run by Morris the Professor Palter and Lady T, and Chappy Comics and Toys, run by Will Ure. Bookmans Entertainment Exchange sponsors the expo. The show is explicitly a labor of love rather than a commercial circuit stop, and the vendor relationships reflect that.
Who should go: families with kids, comic readers, vintage toy hunters, and collectors who prefer a relaxed room over a crowded convention floor. Card collectors should treat it as a treasure-hunt stop rather than a primary buying show — and note that Hobby Hangout Tucson runs the same Saturday at Kino Event Center, so you can hit TCAT at open, finish by noon, and be at Hobby Hangout for the afternoon.
Tips: arrive at 9:00 AM, bring cash in small bills, bring bags and boards if you are buying comics raw, and take one full lap before spending. Questions go to [email protected] or the contact form at tcatexpo.com.
