The Waukesha Card Show closes its 2026 season at the Waukesha County Expo Center on Saturday, December 19, 2026 — the last Saturday before Christmas and, by a wide margin, the final major card show of the year in southeastern Wisconsin. Two hundred-plus tables and over a hundred dealers, six days before the holiday, makes this the region's last-call shopping run for anyone with a collector on their list. It is also, for that same reason, one of the most energetic rooms of the entire year.
Dealers know exactly what this date is and they stock for it. Expect an unusually heavy concentration of giftable material: sealed Pokemon and other TCG product, inexpensive graded slabs, complete vintage and modern sets, player lots, starter collections and framed memorabilia. That does not crowd out the serious inventory. Baseball tables carry 1950s and 1960s Topps and Bowman, 1970s and 1980s complete sets, deep commons boxes and modern Panini Prizm, Optic, Select, Mosaic and Topps Chrome — and the baseball offseason means prices are at their softest, which is why savvy buyers do their MLB shopping in December. Football is at its emotional peak: Green Bay Packers material across every era, from Lombardi-era Bart Starr, Ray Nitschke and Paul Hornung through Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love and current rookies, with the full NFL represented as the playoff picture finalizes. Basketball dealers carry Milwaukee Bucks and league-wide product, hockey is mid-season, and UFC, boxing, soccer, golf and racing specialists all work the floor. TCG vendors bring Pokemon singles and sealed from WOTC-era through current Scarlet and Violet plus Japanese imports, alongside 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 perimeter carries autographed memorabilia, signed jerseys and helmets, comics, Funko Pops and hobby supplies.
Hours run 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM Central. Admission is two dollars for adults, free for children twelve and under, and free for everyone after 1:00 PM. There is no VIP tier and no advance ticketing — pay at the door. As at every Waukesha show, a portion of admission goes to HAWS, the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha, which makes the December date a fitting one to give a little extra.
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 abundant; the organizers ask that you park and enter on the east side of the building, which is well worth following in December weather. The hall is level, heated, climate-controlled and ADA-accessible with wide aisles.
Last-minute gift shoppers, families, Packers and Bucks fans, set builders, TCG players and dealers making their final buy of the year all belong here. With five hours and a big crowd, plan ahead: arrive at 10:00 AM, take one orientation lap, hit your priority categories, then browse. Bring cash first, since card readers are inconsistent across a hundred-plus independent dealers. Carry a want list by sport, player and TCG title, and pack penny sleeves, top loaders and a hard case. The last hour, once admission goes free, is when December sellers get most flexible. Contact [email protected] for vendor information.
