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Toronto Sport Card Expo attracts big crowd of U.S. collectors
The National Sports Collectors Convention is the sports collector’s convention everyone in the hobby looks forward to each July. However, as more regional shows sprout up across the country and abroad, collectors today have more options than ever before.
In recent years, one of the biggest shows—especially for those not afraid to leave the U.S.—has been the Toronto Sport Card Expo. In fact, Canada’s largest show has become a hit with a growing number of American collectors, dealers and content creators.
The Expo has grown tremendously—in terms of both size and popularity—since 2022. Held twice each year at the International Centre in Mississauga, near Toronto Pearson Airport, organizers have also expanded the Expo to other Canadian cities, including Montreal, Quebec City and Edmonton.
Mikey Singer, who has helped organize the Expo since 2018, said the Toronto show has seen extraordinary growth and that it “has nearly doubled since the pandemic.”
Singer said the fall show was spread out across 200,000 square feet in three halls—making it the biggest in Expo history—that included 500 tables, an autograph pavilion and a stage where sports stars were interviewed. Some 50,000 people paid to attend the show.
“U.S. attendance, both exhibitors and attendees, has increased,” said Singer, who did not cite specific numbers. “That also includes many U.S.-based creators who have made a habit of coming north of the border for each show.”
At the same time, the show’s corporate areas were also filled with U.S.-based companies like Upper Deck, who always has a big presence at the Expo, eBay, PSA, Heritage and Goldin. The autograph pavilion was sponsored by Ultra Pro.
Canada may be a short flight or drive for many Americans, but it’s still another country. That means having to deal with a passport, customs officials and a different currency.
“Bring your U.S. dollars. Canadian dealers will be more than happy to accept U.S. dollars and you will find it has significant buying power at the show,” Singer said. “However, getting used to converting prices from Canadian to U.S. dollars will require practice.”
Joe Carter, who played for the Toronto Blue Jays, was among the list of former baseball signers to appear at the show. Carter, famous for his walk-off home run to win the 1993 World Series for the Blue Jays, remains one of the most-beloved American athletes to ever play baseball in Canada.
“Toronto, to me, is like a second home,” the former outfielder said.
Carter was among the most popular signers at this fall’s show. He said his best memory of playing in Toronto was “all the fans.”
“I have a lot of friendships here,” added Carter, who was greeted with cheers and applause when he approached the stage to sign autographs. “I can’t wait to get back here every time I have to come back. Coming across the border, some people say it’s a hassle. For me, no! It’s like coming home.”
The fall Expo also coincides each year with two annual traditions: Hockey Hall of Fame inductions and the release, just a few weeks earlier, of Tim Hortons hockey cards made by Upper Deck.
The inductions guarantees that hockey fans and collectors will flock to Toronto from across North America. It is also a chance to get these new inductees to show up as signers, an area of increased growth and popularity for the show.
This year’s Hall of Fame class featured five players, many of them making a pit stop at the Expo to sign autographs and meet fans. This year’s inductees included: Colin Campbell, Natalie Darwitz, Pavel Datsyuk, David Poile, Jeremy Roenick, Shea Weber, and Krissy Wendell.
Roenick, Weber and Darwitz made appearances at the Expo. The biggest name from the class, by far, was Roenick, a 20-year NHL star who played with the Chicago Blackhawks, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. He also spent 10 years working as an analyst for NBC Sports.
“You can get autographs of former NHL stars who don’t sign in the U.S. at shows like the National,” said Allen Van, who flew to the show from Denver to meet Roenick. “The experience at this show is always great.”
New Hall of Famers aside, Americans who made the trek north also got a chance to get their hands on Tim Hortons cards, an annual set made by Upper Deck available only at the restaurant’s Canadian locations.
“It’s really a wonderful time, especially for hockey fans,” said Rob Johnson, a collector from Buffalo, N.Y. who attended the show. “I make it a tradition to come to the show each fall, get some autographs at the show and load up on Tim Hortons cards whenever I get coffee.”
While the Expo’s Toronto edition, which has been held since 1991, is known for its abundance of hockey cards, the four-day show has grown to include a growing assortment of other sports and both American and Canadian athletes.
The next Toronto Expo will take place next April. The specific dates have yet to be set.
“The Sport Card Expo is the best hockey show in the world,” Singer said, “but as the second largest hobby show in the world, everything is on sale in huge quantities. This includes grading onsite with both PSA and Beckett, large TCG sections and younger dealers who really focus on basketball and soccer.”
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Clemente Lisi
