The Maplewood Mall Sports Card Show has long been one of the Twin Cities’ most reliable hobby anchors, and this latest edition was a reminder of why it continues to thrive. It’s a multi‑day event held three times per year (end of February, mid‑October, and right before Christmas) and it’s organized by The Hawke’s Nest Sports Cards out of Woodruff, WI.
I visited this past Sunday and the balance was perfect. I counted 149 total tables: 70 sports, 68 TCG, and 11 mixed. Years ago this show was almost entirely sports, but as Pokémon surged and One Piece exploded, the mix shifted into a true 50/50. A dealer who has been setting up here for 14 years described the change as dramatic and healthy, keeping foot traffic steady and diverse. Every dealer I spoke with said Saturday was especially strong.
Most tables leaned modern, but the vintage presence was impressive. Around a dozen booths had deep, high‑quality vintage selections that would stop any old‑school collector mid‑stride. What stood out even more was how many dealers catered directly to set builders—a group that often gets overlooked. One table had rows of shoeboxes filled with vintage baseball sorted by year and number, including true vintage like ’52 Topps.
The mall setting gives this show a feel unlike any other in the state. All tables are lined around the mall’s three upper‑level interior balconies, overlooking the open atrium below. That layout creates two competing dynamics: plenty of room to move, but the naturally dispersed crowd softens the overall “buzz”. It’s not better or worse—it’s simply a different vibe, and navigation was smooth with sports and TCG sections mostly grouped together. Vendors traveled from a broad range of places, including dealers from Des Moines and several from across Wisconsin. Every dealer I talked to spoke highly of the turnout and the energy.
My lone pickup was the 2021 Topps Baseball Update set for $15, and it hit differently. That was the first set my son and I collected together when I returned to the hobby during Covid. We finished Series 1 and 2, but had moved on to another sport by the time Update released, so we never completed it. Finding it here felt like closing a loop—finishing a chapter that mattered.
The Maplewood Mall Sports Card Show continues to evolve with the hobby instead of resisting it. It’s still rooted in sports, but it embraces TCGs, set builders, modern chasers, and vintage purists all at once. It may not be the loudest show in Minnesota, but it’s one of the most consistent, balanced, and collector‑friendly.
