The Waukesha Card Show sets up at the Waukesha County Expo Center on Saturday, September 12, 2026, and by table count it is one of the largest recurring shows in Wisconsin — more than two hundred dealer tables staffed by over a hundred different dealers, all under one roof for a single Saturday. Collectors in the western suburbs treat it as a standing appointment, and dealers drive in from across Wisconsin, northern Illinois and the Chicago collar counties because the Expo Center floor gives them room the smaller community-hall shows cannot.
What you find here is a genuinely balanced mix of vintage and modern rather than a room tilted one way. Baseball dealers stock 1950s and 1960s Topps and Bowman, 1970s and 1980s sets by the box, junk-wax commons priced for set builders, and modern Panini Prizm, Optic, Select, Mosaic and Topps Chrome. Football is a heavyweight category in this part of the state — Green Bay Packers material fills multiple tables, from vintage Bart Starr, Ray Nitschke and Paul Hornung through Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love and current rookie inventory. Basketball dealers carry Milwaukee Bucks alongside league-wide modern product, and there are hockey, UFC, boxing, soccer and racing specialists working the room. Trading card game vendors bring Pokemon singles and sealed spanning WOTC-era classics through current Scarlet and Violet sets, plus Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Disney Lorcana and Dragon Ball. Locked cases hold PSA, BGS, SGC and CGC slabs at every tier, and the room also carries autographed memorabilia, signed jerseys and helmets, comics, Funko Pops and hobby supplies.
Hours are a tight, high-energy block: 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM Central, five hours only. That compressed window is worth planning around, because it means the floor is busy from open to close rather than trickling. Admission is two dollars for adults, children twelve and under get in free, and entry becomes free for everyone after 1:00 PM — a nice touch that brings a second wave through the door. There is no VIP tier and no advance ticket to buy; pay at the door and walk in. A portion of every show's admission is donated to HAWS, the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha, which has made this show a genuinely well-regarded community fixture.
The Waukesha County Expo Center is at 1000 Northview Road in Waukesha, about twenty-five minutes west of downtown Milwaukee off Interstate 94. Parking is free and ample, and the organizers ask that you park and enter on the east side of the building — following that instruction saves you a long walk around the perimeter. The hall is level, climate-controlled and ADA-accessible.
This show works for nearly everyone: families drawn by free kids' admission, casual collectors, Packers fans, set builders, competitive TCG players and serious dealers restocking cases. Given the five-hour window, strategy matters more here than at a longer show. Arrive at 10:00 AM sharp for first crack at fresh inventory, take one fast lap to map the room before you spend anything, and circle back for negotiations in the final hour. Bring cash first — with a hundred-plus independent dealers, card readers are hit or miss. Carry a want list sorted by sport, player and TCG title, and pack penny sleeves, top loaders and a hard case. Vendor questions go to [email protected].
