Collecting 101
The National, FFNYC ramp up security for big card shows; dealer and collector tips for avoiding theft
These are scenarios that play out every weekend around the country.
A card show is winding down and a collector is leaving the venue. A lanyard still hanging around their neck, they are carrying a black case filled with valuable trading cards and possibly wads of cash. Once the collector steps outside, they are vulnerable.
After a show has wrapped up, a dealer—with their hands full of inventory and cash—is headed to their vehicle to drive home. It’s been a long weekend, and they let their guard down. Once the dealer steps outside, they are vulnerable.
Both the collector and dealer have bullseyes on their backs. It can be thieves’ ideal situation.
With so much money circulating in the hobby these days, thieves and scammers are around every corner. No one is immune.
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Last year at the National Sports Collectors Convention, there were 10 thefts reported, noted Larry Ross, director of security and operations for The National.
“Do I see more thefts? Yeah, because the business has blossomed so much,” Ross said. “You used to have like 20,000-30,000 people attend the show, now you’ve got over 100,000. Well, it brings out some elements.”
The heart of the card show season is approaching with Fanatics Fest in New York City July 16-19 and The National in Rosemont, Ill. July 29-Aug. 2. With safety being paramount, SCD spoke with a combination of dealers, a collector and a security specialist about what measures can be taken to minimize the risk of becoming a victim.
DEALERS GET HIT
June 28, 2026 is a date Evan Wong won’t ever forget. And not for a good reason.
Wong was a dealer at the Woodbridge Card Show in Woodbridge, N.J. After the event ended, Wong and his father walked out of the venue at about 4:15 p.m. With around seven to 10 other dealers loading up their cars in the parking lot, the lives of the Wongs changed in a matter of seconds.
“Two men jumped out of a white BMW X3. One individual wearing a Nike black shiesty [mask], a black puffer coat and black joggers being held up by an off-white belt, came out pointing a gun at my father demanding my Zion Case,” Evan Wong told SCD. “He proceeded to shove my father against the car and on the ground when my father refused.
“On the other hand, a different Black male individual with dreadlocks came to me and attempted to wrestle my money bag off my chest. I gripped it tightly since they already took my case. When the assailant with the gun noticed that, he pointed at me and I stopped fighting, but my father tackled him. He fought back, elbowing and hitting my father in the eye until he threatened to shoot, and I begged them not to.”
As the robbers jumped in their get-away car driven by a third accomplice, the Wongs were left in shock. Their inventory and cash, estimated at around $250,000, were quickly gone.
Wong shared the incident on his social media channels.
“I’ve received a ton of backlash for not fighting for my inventory or not carrying a weapon with that kind of inventory,” Wong said. “But when they come out blazing, they won’t give you a chance to pull out a gun and arm yourselves. You are risking getting shot the moment you fight back.
“As for the state, in New Jersey, you can conceal carry. But it is a retreat at all costs state, instead of defending your ground. The cops have directly told me I’d be arrested if I brought out a gun.”
The Wongs are working with the Woodbridge Police Department, but the assailants have not been identified and the stolen items have not been recovered.
Wong believes he and his father were either cased by the robbers during the show or they were chosen because they looked like the easiest targets out of everyone in the parking lot at that time.
“I wholeheartedly believe I was attacked because we were Asian, I am fat, my father is elderly,” Wong said. “We probably looked like easy targets who wouldn’t fight back and we had a lot of inventory.”
Getting robbed at gunpoint has certainly changed how Wong will be approaching future shows.
“I will be separating my inventory. As silly as it is, I want my high-end inventory to be mixed in separate compartments and bags now,” Wong said. “I’m going to get air tags or trackers for all my bags. I will also be keen on not being the most expensive dealer at a show, which we weren’t but definitely on the higher scale. Lastly, I will record shows and I will aim to get a license to carry regardless. I don’t feel safe anymore.”
Rick Giddings, owner of Gizmo’s Sportscards, was a victim of theft at the 2022 National in Atlantic City.
Russell Porter from Willoughby, Ohio, had been a customer of Giddings at The National for the previous five to six years. Porter asked Giddings if he could take a stack of cards, 29 in all, for a little while. In turn, Porter asked an employee of Giddings’ to hold onto his bag that he said contained $100,000. Porter took the cards a couple booths away and then disappeared. Since it was the last day of the show, Giddings told Porter he needed the cards back. Giddings received a text at the end of the show from Porter saying he would see him in the morning.
The police were called and they opened the bags Porter left at Giddings’ table; the boxes were marked $50,000 on the outside.
“We cut them open and there were 500 $1s in each box. It was a setup,” Giddings said.
Porter was caught and charged with two felonies in New Jersey. He later took a lesser charge and was sentenced to one year probation and ordered to pay just $10,000 in restitution.
“The problem is this industry’s gotten too big and when people see lots of cash, they’ll screw you in a heartbeat,” Giddings said.
That experience has made Giddings extra vigilant when it comes to protecting his inventory and himself.
One tip Giddings has for dealers is to learn their customers. Giddings thought he knew the collector who stole from him, but he was a known “fleecer.”
On the show floor, Giddings makes sure his cards stay in glass display cases and they are locked at all times.
“These guys work in packs. They have Bluetooth on. The minute you turn your back and open up a showcase—I open up one showcase at a time, and everybody has been instructed to open one at a time,” Giddings said.
“We lock our inventory inside the bags inside the center after hours. I’m real careful. I usually have my son there, he’s 40. Ricky’s an ex-state place winner in wrestling, and he’s solid.”
Giddings isn’t a fan these days of people being able to take videos on their phones. It certainly can be advantageous for thieves, especially when a number of them are working together.
“One guy might be five tables away talking to the guy at a booth and say, ‘Hey, he’s turned his back, get him now,’” Giddings said. “Lock all your showcases at all times and only deal with one person at a time as much as possible.”
Giddings suggests that when a dealer has to walk their inventory away from their booth, have at least one other person come along.
Carrying mace or bear spray—something to shoot into a robber’s eyes—is also a smart idea.
“There are other legal ways in certain states to protect yourself,” Giddings hinted.
“Just be smart. Have your eyes in the back of your head. Always be aware of where you’re at and what you’re doing. If you feel uncomfortable, turn around and go back or get in front of someone else where someone else can see or help you.”
SAFETY MEASURES
Mike Moynihan is a veteran of attending some of the biggest shows in the hobby: The National, Dallas Card Show and Strongsville Sports Collectors Convention.
The Texas native takes measures to stay safe inside and outside a venue.
“The biggest thing is to be nondescript. Don’t be flashy,” Moynihan said. “The poorer you can look, the better.
“Everybody’s carrying a backpack, so people don’t really know what’s in your backpack. It’s highly likely there’s cards in your backpack and/or cash but the reality is, just blend in.”
Moynihan said if a collector just wears a T-shirt, shorts and a backpack, no one knows if the collector is carrying a few hundred dollars or six figures.
“I’ve walked around with $100,000 in my backpack and have not lost a minute of sleep over it or worried about it,” Moynihan said. “Don’t be an idiot.”
Being vigilant and being aware of your surroundings hold utmost importance. Traveling with a group of people is ideal.
“Not going by yourself is always smart,” Moynihan said. “That’s kind of like simple logic, to the forehead kind of stuff. But always be traveling in a group of two at least, if you’re carrying expensive cards around.”
Hobby protective cases—such as Pelican and Zion cases—are extremely popular. They are perfect to fill up with cards and carry around. However, they certainly present drawbacks, noted Moynihan.
“I don’t carry one for the specific reason that that’s something easy to lose, get stolen, set down and forget, set down and have somebody switch it out,” Moynihan said. “They’re all pretty standard—so, if you’re going to have a Zion Case, my suggestion would be is have one that is a unique color or that’s branded with your name or logo or whatever. That way it can’t just be switched out for another generic, black Zion Case.”
Moynihan believes the best way to carry cards and cash at a show is with a backpack; it can be strapped to the person and they don’t have to fret about losing it.
“A lot of guys will carry their backpack on their front side just so they have everything literally in front and someone can come behind you and unzip your backpack and sneak out a card or whatever,” Moynihan said. “To me, the backpack is and always will be the way to go. I can fit a whole lot of cards in a backpack—as many as I can fit in a Zion Case. I put them in slab boxes, and it seems to work really, really well.”
SECURITY
With over 100,000 attendees expected at The National, the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont is going to be abuzz.
Ross and his security team will be fully equipped to handle any situation thrown their way.
A retired Atlantic City police captain, this will be the 26th straight National he has worked. As the director of security and operations, a lot falls on his shoulders. But Ross runs a well-oiled machine. It helps that The National has been held at the convention center in Rosemont 12 of the last 24 shows. Ross uses a lot of the same security personnel—mostly experienced, local police officers—year in and year out.
“I’ve got undercover officers, I’ve got a SWAT team, I’ve got bomb dogs,” Ross said. “I’ve got $100,000 that I spend just on uniform security from the local security companies.”
Ross said the security team will log 3,800 billable hours during the show. There will be another 1,500 hours for police officers, SWAT and K-9.
“We bring in 12 armed, undercover guys that work for us. Then I hire the locals,” Ross said. “I hired a company called Monterrey Security, and they’re armed. They’re all Rosemont cops. And then I went to another guy because I needed more people.”
It’s all-hands-on-deck for security at The National. And every inch of the convention center hall is monitored around the clock for the duration of the event.
“I probably have at any given time 30 armed people on the floor, and that’s not counting private security,” Ross said. “Heritage will bring in their own, eBay will bring in their own. They all have to be 218 certified and I’ll vet them to see what their credentials look like.”
In all, Ross figures there are 75 armed security personnel at fixed posts, walking around and undercover. For example, TRISTAR Productions is bringing in Mike Tyson for a signing, and they have hired a bodyguard just to protect the boxing legend.
“We’re a soft target. I’m not going to lie. People carry backpacks in—cases with cards. I deal with maybe a couple hundred thousand pounds of freight. Is it perfect? No. Is it the best we can do? We can always be better. These new [show promoters] have really enhanced the end of security. They brought in private camera companies and we’re working with better badging systems. They really have enhanced it tenfold with what’s been going on.”
Having security folks omnipresent and visible gives collectors and dealers peace of mind and detracts thieves.
Ross is happy to offer suggestions to collectors to try to help them avoid being a victim of robbery and theft.
“I always tell them first off, ‘Take off your credentials. Don’t be a target,’” Ross said. “Those black cases, the locked case, I wouldn’t be carrying that around either. That’s a target.
“I try to give them a little advice. If you’re going to move a large amount of cash, and some of them do, if I can, I will either have one of my officers or I can walk them across the street to a hotel. I’ll walk them across the street.”
Ross stresses that collectors need to stay lowkey.
“The issue with this now is it’s a lot of cash,” Ross said. “I’m watching these kids on trade night throw out $20,000, $30,000. I’m like, where the hell are these parents? I don’t get it.”
People need to know their surroundings at all times and try to be with other collectors. The most important message Rose said he conveys to collectors is not to carry anything they’re afraid to lose.
“The good thing about Rosemont is it’s a pretty safe town. It’s got a good reputation. You don’t have a lot of street urchins walking around,” Ross said. “You don’t have like the inner-city element that other cities have.”
For dealers, unloading and loading inventory is a busy time. They need to stay on their toes and be ready for the unexpected.
“After a long week, your radar senses are tingling the first three, four days, then the last day you’re thinking about packing, you’re thinking about getting home and you’re not as sharp as you were when you got there,” Ross said.
For additional security during a show, Ross said some dealers have started setting up small cameras around their booth to keep an eye on their inventory. Ross also has hundreds of cameras set up throughout the event hall and additional cameras in the lobby to catch thieves entering and leaving the show.
Dealers and corporate companies are also adding an extra layer of protection when the show is wrapped up for a day. Renting safes and body bags with locks are becoming much more common. According to Ross, there have been 85 safes rented for The National.
“You protect yourself by being smarter than the thief,” Giddings said. “I hate to say this, but you have to think like the thief in order to protect yourself from the thief.”
FANATICS FEST SECURITY
The annual Fanatics Fest at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Manhattan will be coming up on July 16-19. This is the third year of the event, and more attendees than ever are expected to attend.
According to Fanatics, it has beefed up security from its past shows. Fanatics Fest has over 700 security professionals on-site at any given moment, with a large presence from the New York Police Department and New York State Police.
The Javits Center Command Center has eyes on the show floor and all areas of the convention center via over 3,000 high-definition cameras that are looking for bad actors and helping to resolve potential theft issues. All public facing entrances have weapons detection, X-Ray machines, and K-9 units.
