This weekend’s sports-card show near Dallas will feature dozens of cards worth $100K
In a typical year, the largest sports card show in the world is the National Sports Collectors Convention.
The National might have as many as 600 tables featuring vendors from all parts of the United States, and an impressive list of famous athletes on hand to sign autographs — for a fee, of course.
But 2020 hasn’t been a typical year, not by a long stretch, and The National was canceled because of COVID-19 like so many other events worldwide.
The card show being held this weekend in Allen is pinch-hitting for the National.
Promoter Kyle Robertson at DallasCardShow.com said that more than 400 tables have been sold for a three-day show at the Delta Hotel Watters Creek Convention Center. The show begins at 2 p.m. Friday and runs through Sunday.
“This will be the largest show in the United States this year, I guess in the world this year,” Robertson said. “This is by default, but we were a pretty big show anyway. Just because of everything that’s gone on, everybody’s heard about us. We went from more of a regional stage to more of a national presence.”
Vendors from as far away as Hawaii and Maine have purchased tables, and many of the biggest vendors on the West Coast will join them. Also expected to set up at show is Alt, a company started by the alternate asset fund that purchased rookie cards of LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo for $3.6 million a few months ago.
Josh Luber, the co-founder of the online clothing and sneaker re-seller StockX, is planning to attend.
Robertson speculated that the show could feature as many as 100 cards that are worth $100,000 apiece.
There is a genuine buzz about the show within the industry, which has created some rumors. One of them is that YouTube star Logan Paul, a connoisseur of Pokemon cards, is planning to attend. Another is that a California billionaire is headed to town with a briefcase full of cash.
“People are still calling me,” Robertson said. “They want in, the more and more they hear about it the more and more the big players in the game start jumping in.”
The show will also feature autograph signings, featuring Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famers Bob Lilly, Drew Pearson and Randy White on Saturday. Ed Jones, Tony Casillas and Lincoln Coleman are scheduled for Sunday.
A single-day pass into the show costs $10. A three-day VIP package can be purchased for $45, and those who have it can bypass any lines in case the convention center becomes too crowded for the protocols for COVID-19.
Robertson said that facial coverings will be mandatory and that hand sanitizer will be readily available. In order to pull off the country’s large card show of the year safely, everyone in attendance must adheres to protocols.
“Absolutely, masks,” Robertson said. “We’ll have people out watching. As long as we keep it safe, we should have a good show.”
