2021 National Sports Collectors Convention Attendee Guide – This year marks the 41st occasion that collectors, manufacturers, dealers and industry professionals will congregate for the hobby’s showcase event. This year’s National will take place between Wednesday, July 28th and Sunday, August 1st. The Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Chicago (Rosemont) IL will once again serve as the venue for the largest sports card and collectibles show on the planet!
The pent-up demand created by the unfortunate virus-related restrictions, which includes the cancellation of the 2020 National in Atlantic City, NJ, is going to make THIS year’s National Sports Collectors Convention unlike any other!
CHECK BACK FOR FREQUENT UPDATES AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE
The National Sports Collectors Convention is an opportunity for manufactures to showcase their latest and upcoming products. It also serves as a way to give back to loyal collectors in the form of giveaways, raffles and redemption programs.
This year, The National will play host to more than 600 dealers and distributors and 50 corporate displays while providing attendees more than 350,000 square feet of convention floor space. Here, collectors will be able to find everything from dead-ball era collectibles to modern day sports cards and sports memorabilia.
- EXHIBITOR LIST
- FLOOR PLAN (Check back for updates!)
This show provides collectors with, literally, a treasure trove of opportunities. From getting a great deal on unopened wax boxes to knocking out singles off want lists, the National is an ideal place to shop regardless of what you are looking for.
Use the tabs below for a complete guide to attending the 2021 National Sports Collectors Convention, including trading card manufacturer promotions, special attendee information and details about this year’s National Case Break Pavilion.
If you are planning to attend the 41st Annual National Sports Collectors Convention to catch all the action at the world’s largest annual sports and entertainment convention, you can buy your autograph tickets in advance. Scheduled to appear are over 100 legendary sports stars including numerous Hall of Famers, fan favorites, living legends, retired greats and MANY more. Additionally, many notable first-time signers are scheduled to appear, including: Bill Walton, Vida Blue, George Gervin, Ted Simmons, James Worthy, Andruw Jones, Horace Grant, Jim Plunkett and several others!
2021 National Sports Collectors Convention Attendee Guide
Show Details
| Dates and Times Wednesday, July 28th: 3:30pm – 8:00pm (Sneak Peek Preview) Thursday, July 29th: 10am – 6pm Friday, July 30th: 10am – 6pm Saturday, July 31st: 10am – 6pm Sunday, August 1st: 10am – 5pm |
Venue Location Donald E. Stephens Convention Center 5555 N River Road Rosemont, IL 60018 |
| Admission Pricing General Admission: $19 in advance, $22 at the show Children (12U): Free |
Manufacturer & Exhibitor Promotions
The following manufacturer/exhibitor promotions are available to all attendees of the 2021 National Sports Collectors Convention.
Boxes of the 30th Anniversary release of this iconic brand will be available at the National but only to the first 500 collectors who purchase a HOBBY box of 2021 Wild Card Matte at the show (Black or White version). They must bring it to the Wild Card booth (No. 773) — along with a ticket that they will receive from their dealer — to open and get their bonus box.
Each box will include 10 packs with five cards per pack, five Stripes cards per box and four autographs per box. Only 250 White and 250 Black boxes of this one will be made.
- 41st National Sport Collectors Convention drawstring tote bag
- $10 off your next eBay purchase
- Free raffle drawings
- Auctions on eBay for items from Emmitt Smith’s personal collection
Have something you want to sell on eBay? We’ll have photo boxes to help you get that perfect picture for your auction and if you list it while at The National we’ll hook you up with a special prize.
Visit Booth 876 for coupons, giveaways, setting up a one-on-one consultation, or simply just to ask us questions. Our knowledgeable staff is here to help you with everything eBay!
Hope to see you at the 41st National but until then keep in touch with us on social @ebay (Twitter, IG, TikTok) and facebook.com/ebay
VISIT PANINI FOR TENTATIVE AND SCHEDULE UPDATES
Silver Packs
Yes, Panini America is conducting the perennially popular Silver Packs Wrapper-Redemption promotion this year. The eligible-product list is short and the number of Silver Packs per box redeemed, for any number of reasons, is fewer than in years past. Show-goers can expect limited Silver Pack redemptions each day of the show while daily supplies last. Only boxes purchased at the show from three Panini Authorized Show Dealers (Dave & Adam’s, Blowout Cards and Steel City Collectibles) are eligible for the Silver Pack redemptions. There will be a maximum of three boxes per person per transaction and full-case redemptions will not be allowed.
Box Wars
Panini America Box Wars are back — and the prizes are bigger than ever. Some of the prizes that will be randomly awarded this year include 2021 Panini Black Boxes, 2020 Immaculate Football, 2020 Panini One Football, 2019-20 Panini One Basketball, 2020-21 Impeccable Basketball, 2020 Optic Football, 2019-20 Prizm Choice Basketball, 2021 UFC Prizm and more. Collectors who wish to participate in Box Wars can purchase their boxes anywhere on the show floor; but boxes must be brought to the Panini America booth sealed.
Kids Free Case Breaks
The wildly popular — and absolutely free — Panini America Kids Case Breaks return in 2021, once again spearheaded by Ultimate Box Breaks’ Bryan Gavin. Beginning Thursday, Panini America will host two Free Kids Case Breaks per day that are open to kids 12 and under. Kids who want to participate must get in line at the Panini America booth each morning at 10 a.m. CST to register and receive badges (while supplies last).
Kids Crate
Panini America’s highly anticipated Kids Crate program is being finalized as you read this, but just know complete details are forthcoming (in a matter of days) and you might just see Series 1 and the 2021 National Sports Collectors Convention.
Live Redemption Trade-Up Program
Yes, this major attraction is back again, too. As in years past, Panini America Customer Service officials will be onsite in Chicago to operate the company’s popular Live Redemption Trade-Up Program. Back by popular demand, the unique initiative will afford those collectors in attendance holding multiple outstanding redemption cards FOUR MONTHS OLD OR OLDER AND ALREADY PENDING IN THE PANINI AMERICA REDEMPTION SYSTEM the opportunity to trade them in for a card or cards of higher value (while supplies last).
In addition to cards, Panini America officials also will be offering Rewards points cards in trade-out as well as a small number of the highly coveted Panini Black Boxes.
In order to help expedite the process, collectors participating in the Panini America Redemption Trade-Up program are encouraged to bring with them printouts from the Panini America Website of the outstanding redemptions they want to have replaced at the National. A Customer Service team member onsite will verify the outstanding redemptions as well as their values before completing the replacement process.
Here’s the tentative Live Redemption Trade-Up Program schedule:
Live from Chicago at the National 07/29 – save the date for a Collectable & DraftKings evening to remember, in partnership with PWCC Marketplace, Card Ladder and others. Stay tuned for more details.
Memory Lane Inc. will be displaying the only photo-matched Lou Gehrig game-used bat. Collectors are invited to see and hold the bat from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday through Sunday at Booth #1009. Memory Lane will also feature highlights of its upcoming Summer Auction.
During show hours, here’s where you can catch us around the convention center:
Daytime Events
- The Loupe booth is #1518. We’re right near the huge PSA booth. Come say hi!
- We’ll also have some of our sellers streaming live to Loupe from our booth. That schedule isn’t finalized, but you can swing by to see some Loupe breakers live in action.
- Loupe is a proud sponsor of both the smash hit Blowout Cards Mega Mix product that’ll launch at The National. Mega Mix is a chase product, and we’ve contributed a bonus prize of $5,000 credit to Blowout. One lucky buyer will receive $5,000 to spend at Blowout!
- Friday, July 30 is Loupe Day at the Blowout Booth (#854) which is one of the giant booths right next to Panini). Show us your Loupe account on your phone, and get $10 off a purchase of $100 or more at the Blowout booth that day.
- Friday, July 30 — Loupe is also a proud sponsor of the Beckett Live Presents series on The National’s Main Stage. Our founder and CEO Eric Doty will be on the live show too on Friday, July 30 at 4:30pm!
- Flag down a member of the Loupe team roaming the floor at any point during the show, and get one of these Loupe-branded top loaders. Find us before we run out!
Evening Events
- Thursday, July 29 — We’re a sponsor of the annual Kentucky Roadshow / CardCollector2 Trade Night. This has grown to be one of The National’s biggest external events. It takes place Thursday, July 29 from 6pm to 10pm (Central) at the Hyatt Regency hotel. The address is 9300 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Rosemont, IL.
- Friday, July 30 — Loupe is also sponsoring the SlabStox Camp Kesem Charity Night. This charity event will donate all proceeds to Camp Kesem, which operates summer camps for kids who have been impacted by a parent’s cancer. This goes down Friday, July 30 from 6pm to 9pm (Central), also at the Hyatt Regency hotel. Here’s the donation page where you’re guaranteed a prize in that price tier.
- Friday, July 30 — We have a Loupe community meetup planned for Friday evening on July 30. We’ll get you more details about that as soon as possible.
StarStock Breaks will host a 64-person box war tournament beginning on Thursday at the show and then things hit center stage at 10 a.m. on Friday before finishing at that same time on Saturday. Blowout Cards is the box provider for the event and spots will go on sale at StarStock.com/breaks at 3 p.m. today.
“Every round the winner will take all the cards from that round. The user who pulls the most-valuable card will be determined by the Market Movers website and will move on to the next round,” read a StarStock announcement. “Spots for the break will cost $250 each and the rounds can be seen below.”
Round 1: 64 people — Box: 2021 Panini Prizm Draft blaster (football)
Round 2: 32 people — Box: 2019 Panini Mosaic hanger (basketball)
Round 3: 16 people — Box: 2021 Panini Prizm blaster (basketball)
Round 4: Eight people — Box: 2017-18 Donruss Optic blaster (basketball)
Round 5: Four people — Box: 2017 Donruss Optic mega (football)
Round 6: Two people — Box: 2020 National Treasures (football)
Round 7 (Courtesy of Blowout): One person — Winner will have the choice to give the second-place participants cards from the previous round for a sealed 2020 National Treasures football box or let them have the sealed box.
How will it work? Each contestant will have a box opened on their behalf by a member of the StarStock Team and after all cards have been revealed, the most-valuable card will be searched on Market Movers to determine its value.
A Sports Card Investor representative will serve as the final judge as to which card is the most valuable. The holder of the most-valuable card will be declared winner for that round — the winner keeps the cards from that round and advances.
The event will be recapped by Sports Card Investor on YouTube and the event also will be featured in StarStock newsletters as well as in Instagram and TikTok posts.
For more details, and other information, please visit, UpperDeck.com
Beckett Grading & Authentication Services is offering:
- Full on-site grading
- Raw and graded card review
- On-site Autograph Authentication
- On-site encapsulation for standard sized holder (Standard Holder – 2.6″ x 3.75”)
- Accepting Drop-Off Submissions for take-home service
- Discount offers
- $10 Show Signer Special: Any autograph obtained at the show can be authenticated at a special rate of $10 per autograph
The first 100 collectors to complete the Beckett Covers Scavenger Hunt – each day
(Thursday-Friday & Saturday) will win different redemption prizes provided
by Beckett, NBA Flex and Sportscards.com
Leaf Trading Cards 2021 National Promotional Programs
COMC 2021 National Promotional Programs
COMC is excited to announce our presence and festivities at this year’s 41st National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago, IL (Rosemont). Whether you’re new to COMC or a long-time user, be sure to come by our booth (#624) and say hello!
- Consignment Drop-Off Center
- Free Box Breaks
- Free Athlete Autograph Sessions
- Panel Discussions
- Live WaxPackHero Podcast Recordings
- Time With Tim
Visit COMC.com for complete details.
PSA Grading & Authentication Services is offering:
- On-site authentication, grading and encapsulation for all cards (no other items, cards only).
- PSA is requiring collectors to use the online submission center to place their orders prior to visiting the booth.
- PSA will NOT be accepting drop-off submissions for any take-home service levels.
- PSA will NOT be offering on-site bulk discounts at The National, and no existing Collectors Club vouchers will be accepted for on-site service.
- $10 Show Signer Special: Any autograph obtained at the show can be authenticated at a special rate of $10 per autograph
- PSA is scheduling on-site interviews for any applicants who will be at the show.
- PSA will be giving away 50 FREE“GEM-MT 10” gray T-shirts each day of the show, so make it a point to stop by Booth #1531. Sizes will vary depending on availability.
- Other discount offers.
- For more details, please visit, www.PSAcard.com/National.
FREE Breaks
Every year, the Mike Berkus Main Stage of the National Sports Collectors Convention, in the Ripping Wax Case Break Pavilion, plays host to several FREE breaks courtesy of leading manufacturers. This year’s event will be no different. Check back often for an updated schedule.
Wednesday, July 28th, 6:30 pm (VIP Exclusive) (Come to the main stage AFTER going to the Topps booth)
- Topps
Friday, July 30th, 12 NOON (Come to the main stage)
- Onyx Authenticated
Saturday, July 31st (More details at the Panini booth)
- Panini Kids Break – 11am
- Panini Grand Case Break – 12pm
VIPs
VIP Reception
Collectors who choose to attend the 2021 National Sports Collectors Convention as a VIP, are invited to attend the Pristine Auctions VIP Party. Grab a plate, eat and get in line for your opportunity to meet athletes and get FREE autographs. This event starts Wednesday, July 28th, at 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm, and you must be a credentialed VIP to attend and participate.
FREE autographs guests for this year are former MLB greats Wally Joyner and Cecil Fielder as well as legendary NFL kicker, Jan Stenerud.
Autograph Guests
*VIPs will receive six (6) random VIP autograph tickets for guests included in the group below. The other six (6) tickets (to total 12) will be “Wild Card” tickets. A “Wild Card” ticket can be used for any VIP guest that is called as a Wild Card. This will take place near the end of the autograph guest’s session – after ticket holders with the guest’s name on the ticket have entered the line. Questions? Email support@nsccshow.com
Exclusive Trading Card Sets
Leaf Trading Cards
Leaf has announced their 2021 NSCC VIP Set. ONLY available in the NSCC VIP bags! Look for Blaze Jordan, Spencer Torkelson, Trevor Lawrence and Jestin Fields!
Upper Deck
TBD
Topps
TBD
Panini
TBD
Case Break Pavillion
The National Case Breaking Pavilion hosted by RippingWax.com, will feature several thousand square feet of exclusive space for breakers. The Ripping Wax Case Break Pavilion is also home to the Mike Berkus Main Stage. The Main Stage, was a vision of now deceased, organizer and promoter, Mike Berkus. The Main Stage has become a focal point of the National.
The stage itself will feature professional lighting and three surrounding 70-inch video screens complete with full audio. The Ripping Wax Case Breaking Pavilion will feature five full days of case breaking activities. These activities will include Grand Opening Ceremonies, Sports Celebrity Appearances and much more.
This is your chance to participate and learn about this great collecting option. Dozens of case breakers will be exhibiting and running breaks throughout the show.
In addition, some of the most well known group case breakers in the hobby will be on-hand breaking hundreds of products. Some of the participants include: Nasty Breaks, Jaspy’s Hobbyland, Live Case Breaks, Ultimate Box Breaks, Mojo Breaks, Real Breaks and MANY MORE!
Visit RippingWax.com for more details.
Hosts of GoGTSLive – The Hobby’s Web Show, Rob Bertrand & Ivan Lovegren will once again serve as emcees providing attendees an entertaining mix of trivia contests, prize giveaways, interviews with industry personnel and much more! Be sure to stop by, have a seat and enjoy some hobby related entertainment.
Go GTS Live Main Stage Promotions
#WinWithGTS Promo Packs
- 50 packs available on Thursday, Friday, Saturday
- 25 packs available on Wednesday, Sunday
As a way of thanking our case breaking and retail customers, GTS Distribution, will once again be hosting a lounge area for participants in the National Case Break Pavilion area.
RippingWax.com Case Breaker Pavilion Hours
Tuesday, July 27th: 10am-Midnight
Wednesday, July 28th: 10am-Midnight
Thursday, July 29th: 10am-Midnight
Friday, July 30th: 10am-6pm
Saturday, July 31st: 10am-6pm
Sunday, August 1st – 10am-5pm
Main Stage Schedule
Main Stage Schedule of Events*
* All times, dates, and programming subject to change
Autograph Guests
Tristar Productions is the official organizer and promoter of the 2021 National Sports Collectors Convention Autograph Pavilion. Tickets are available now or can be purchased at the show. Visit Tristar’s website for pricing and scheduling information.
Here is the current list of the athletes and entertainers signing at the TRISTAR Autograph Pavilion. More to be added! (Check the TRISTAR website for additional updates and click below image to zoom)
Special Events & Activities
The GR8 American Collectibles Radio Show
Hosted by author and historian Tom Zappala and Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer, Rico Petroceli, The GR8 American Collectibles Radio Show broadcasts LIVE every Wednesday night on the PSA website at 9pm EST. The two will be broadcasting from the Mike Berkus Main Stage (Friday, July 30th, 1pm-3pm). Stop by for giveaways and fun conversation in an interactive format.
Additional Promotions
- 2024 Fyre Ballgame Relics - April 25, 2024
- 2023-24 Panini Select NBA Basketball Cards Checklist - April 25, 2024
- 2024 Topps Series 2 Baseball Cards RETAIL - April 24, 2024