The University Presbyterian Church sports card show returns to Tempe on Saturday, October 3, 2026, and it remains one of the best-kept secrets in the East Valley. Church-hall shows have a reputation for being small, but this one runs around ninety tables at full capacity, which puts it among the largest recurring free-entry shows anywhere in metro Phoenix. Collectors who have been in the Arizona hobby for years tend to treat it as a must-attend.
Sports cards are the heart of it. Baseball tables carry vintage Topps and Bowman from the 1950s forward, mid-century stars, deep 1970s and 1980s inventory for set builders, team lots, and modern MLB rookies with numbered parallels and autographs. With the NFL season underway, football tables are active, offering rookie patch autographs, Prizm and Optic parallels and vintage stars. Basketball tracks the new NBA season, and hockey, UFC, boxing and soccer each get genuine table space rather than a token box. Graded slabs from PSA, SGC and BGS are spread across the hall, sealed wax is available from several dealers, and nearly every table keeps dollar, quarter and dime boxes underneath. Pokemon is the main trading card game presence, with singles and sealed product, and you will also find memorabilia, signed baseballs and photos, vintage programs, comics and collectible figures.
This is a single-day Saturday show. Admission is free, with no early-buyer upcharge and nothing to book ahead. Children are welcome with an adult, and the bargain boxes make it a legitimately good outing for kids rather than a chore. Door hours at this venue have historically been a morning-into-early-afternoon window; confirm the exact times with the organizer if you are planning a tight schedule, since the church publishes them closer to each date.
University Presbyterian Church sits in Tempe near the Arizona State University campus area, with free on-site parking in the church lot. The hall is air-conditioned with level access throughout and wide aisles, which matters at a ninety-table show where foot traffic peaks mid-morning. Tempe location also means you are minutes from Mill Avenue and a long list of restaurants and coffee shops for a post-show stop.
The audience is a genuine cross-section: serious vintage collectors working the room methodically, East Valley dealers buying and selling between each other, families with kids digging through commons, and ASU students wandering in. If you are new, this is an ideal first show, because the scale is large enough to be exciting but the free admission and church-hall setting keep the pressure off.
To do it right: arrive at the open, since ninety tables of fresh inventory get picked over quickly and the sharpest deals do not survive the first hour. Bring cash, which earns real discounts. Carry a want list with ceiling prices, plus penny sleeves and top loaders for raw pickups. Do one full lap before buying anything, because at this size you will find the same card at three different prices. Ask dealers what they are hunting, since trades move constantly here.
The next date at this venue follows on December 5, 2026. Check the show listing for confirmed hours and table availability.