The 46th National Sports Collectors Convention runs July 29 through August 2, 2026 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, and organizers are calling it the biggest edition since the show began. With more than 600 individual booths spread across roughly 500,000 to 600,000 square feet, The National remains the largest sports card and memorabilia show in the world, and this year brings a genuine change to how collectors access Topps' show-exclusive packs.
Between five full days of buying, selling, grading, and pulling, The National puts more cards through more hands than almost any other event on the collecting calendar. That volume is exactly why protection matters more here than at a typical local show: a card that gets graded on-site or pulled from a show-exclusive pack still has to survive four more days of a crowded convention floor before it gets home.
This guide covers what's confirmed about this year's show, what's changed with Topps' exclusive packs, and which EVORETRO products make sense if you're spending multiple days on the floor.
This year's show runs July 29 through August 2, 2026, with advance tickets priced at $25 through June 30 and $30 afterward, matching the onsite price.
As with any show this size, expect specific booth lineups and daily schedules to keep firming up as the dates approach, so check official National channels for final details before you go.
In past years, getting into Topps' National-exclusive pack program meant buying hundreds of dollars in hobby boxes first through a Wrapper Redemption process. This year, Topps is skipping Wrapper Redemption entirely. Instead, National-exclusive packs will be available to buy directly at the Topps booth, without the earlier spending requirement.
That's a meaningfully more accessible setup than previous years, and it's likely to mean more collectors walking away with show-exclusive product than when the redemption program gated access behind a bigger upfront purchase.
PSA is running on-site grading at the show again this year, with two paid tiers:
Submissions close Saturday at noon, so plan your grading drop-offs earlier in the week rather than waiting until the final days of the show.
A single-day local show is a different logistics problem than a five-day event spanning 500,000-plus square feet. Cards graded early in the week need to survive being carried around the floor for the rest of the show, and pulls from Topps' new exclusive packs are just as exposed to convention-floor wear as anything else you bring home. The sheer scale of The National means more walking, more crowding, and more chances for a card to get bumped, scuffed, or crushed before you're back in your car.
A card that just came back from PSA's on-site Express or Super Express service is at its most vulnerable the moment it's handed back to you. EVORETRO's magnetic one-touch card holders give a freshly graded slab or a standout raw pull secure, display-ready protection you can apply right at your table before heading back into the crowd.
A show this size means collectors are often carrying multiple days' worth of graded slabs, sealed packs, and show-exclusive pickups at once. EVORETRO's waterproof wheeled card case holds up to 160 graded slabs and is built for exactly this kind of multi-day show travel, keeping everything protected on the trip back instead of loose in a bag.
Between Topps exclusive packs, dealer-table finds, and everyday pulls, five days at The National adds up to more cards than most collectors bring home from a typical show. EVORETRO's 9-pocket binder with elastic closure gives the rest of your haul an organized home without needing individual cases for every single card.
If you're heading to The National this year, start with these:
The 46th National Sports Collectors Convention runs July 29-August 2, 2026 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.
Topps is skipping Wrapper Redemption for 2026. National-exclusive packs are available to buy directly at the Topps booth without the earlier hobby-box purchase requirement.
On-Site Express is $229 per card ($2,500 max insured, ready by show's end), and On-Site Super Express is $399 per card ($5,000 max insured, same-day if dropped off by noon). Submissions close Saturday at noon.
Cards graded or pulled early in the week still have to survive several more days of crowded convention-floor handling before you're home, which makes travel-ready protection more important than at a single-day event.
The National 2026 is shaping up to be the biggest edition of the show yet, with a more accessible path to Topps' exclusive packs and the same high-volume PSA on-site grading collectors expect from Rosemont. Whether you're submitting cards for grading, chasing exclusive packs, or just working the floor for five days straight, having protection ready for whatever comes home with you is the easiest way to make sure the show's excitement doesn't cost you card condition.
Keep an eye on official National Sports Collectors Convention channels for final booth details and schedules as the show approaches.
If you want to learn more about protecting sports card releases and travel, these guides may also help:
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