Nash-ional Card Show

by Admin on February 9, 2025

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The Nash-ional Card Show, located at the Fairgrounds near downtown Nashville, TN, is one of the largest and greatest card, memorabilia, and collectibles show events on the planet. Boasting 800+ tables of sports cards, sports memorabilia, and fantasy trading cards (Pokémon, YuGiOh, Magic: The Gathering, and other trading card games (TCG)) taking up over 60,000 sqft. of venue space, this is truly a show to behold.

Upon arrival at the Nashville Fairgrounds, you will notice a beautiful venue: the 30,000-seat stadium of Geodis Park, Nashville’s newest sports and entertainment venue and home to the Nashville Soccer Club (NSC).

Upon entry to the Nash-ional Card Show, you will be greeted by friendly staff. The adult entry fee is only $10, and kids under 10 gain entry free. When planning your visit, plan to show up early. Free swag is often available, but this is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.

When entering the venue, if you are a collector, vendor, or enthusiast on any level, you will quickly realize you have entered a trading card paradise. The sheer volume of tables, cards, and merchandise filling every possible sub-niche imaginable can initially be overwhelming. The first thought that came to mind is WOWWW! I had no idea that this amount of cards and memorabilia was available. From gratuity cards that some vendors would provide free up to cards well in excess of $10,000. No matter the budget, no matter the interest, if it was sports or fantasy card related this show has it.

Bringing in my grandson and International Collectors Association youth ambassador, I was immediately well-received by vendors. At first, we tried the meandering approach but soon realized that if we hoped to experience the full benefits the show had to offer, we were going to need to be more pragmatic. We switched to the more sensible method of row-by-row navigation.

When prepping for the show, if you wish to enjoy the full experience, some tips we have are to wear comfortable walking shoes and clothes and to bring a small backpack, bag, or case to store your haul. Plan to attend a minimum of 3-4 hours, which alone will not be enough to take in all the show has to offer. To take in the full show, you need a good 8 hrs. or even split your visit up among the multiple days the show is held. While at the show you will get hungry. No worries, as food and snacks are available on-site.

Meeting the vendors. Typically, as collectors shows go, you will find various vendor mindsets. Some are engaged, some are not. Some are well prepared, some are not. Some are friendly, some are not. Being a successful vendor at any show requires engagement, preparedness, and friendliness. Thankfully, at the Nash-ional Card show, this was the standard, more so than the exception.

When evaluating any show, I deeply engage with vendors. I want to know and understand their business, history, motivations, and their show experience. Every show I attend, I get a mixed response, ranging from those who are excited and eager and showing positive results to those who wonder why they wasted their money on a table and bemoan their participation. Without fail, those who are not engaged, prepared, and friendly miss out on the great rewards and opportunities shows offer. To be forward, there is no greater place for a vendor to access the sheer volume of potential buyers who are laser-focused on what they want. Show-goers go to shows with a purpose and with stacks of cash. If you are a vendor and a show is not giving you positive results, before blaming the promotor, consider looking inward first. Are you really putting your best foot forward? Do potential customers feel welcomed and that you want to fill their needs and interests?

As mentioned, thankfully, at the Nash-ional Card Show, the majority of vendors were friendly and eager to help. Most had a well-organized layout, so finding the precise item one sought was easy. Most knew their selection of inventory, and if the show-goer was not able to find what they were looking for, the vendor had a good command of their setup to point them in the right direction.

As a show-goer, go with the mindset of being ready to barter. If you are uncomfortable with bartering, shows are a great time to practice. Remember, vendors are there to sell, and their first order of business is to recover their initial costs. For those who are experienced at bartering at shows, they understand the two best times to show up is when a show opens and the last day, just before the vendors are packing up to leave.

For those still uncomfortable with bartering, vendors are always happy to take full price.

Having my grandson, who is a sports fanatic and math wizard this was my opportunity to teach him the skill and value of bartering. Seeing his trepidation as an 8-year-old going up against full-grown adults was an interesting experience. For him, this was truly a David and Goliath moment. He is never one to back down, though, so with a little cajoling, he threw out a 50% offer on a 22-karat gold Ken Griffey, Jr. card. The kid is bold, but that offer surprised me and the vendor alike. OFFER ACCEPTED! Dragon slayed! For a kid who honestly earns his own money and is frugal in his spending, this was a huge win and a great life lesson.

Included pics below are of his haul along with some other great pics we took while attending.

As a special shoutout, I would like to personally thank the following Nash-ional card show dealers for going out of their way to accommodate my requests. These are but a small fraction of the many great vendors in attendance.

Nashville Sports Cards and Collectibles and Nash-ional Card show promoter Jeff Roberts

C&J Cards

SouthernSportsStore

Consider It Dunne Trading Co.

Sportscard Machines

The Supply Guy

Hollywood Collectibles

Scott Hill

Smyrna Everything Sports Cards & Collectibles

Hometown Sports Cards

Donald Lester

Mintage Sports Cards