“Balancing how many attendees would show up to that first show was kind of nerve-wracking,” McAuliff said.
By 2019, the show was running consistently on the first Saturday of every month, and the hobby itself was beginning to surge in popularity.
Riding sports card boom
The sports card industry exploded during the pandemic, fueled by online marketplaces, social media and a new wave of collectors. As interest grew nationwide, the Arizona show expanded, as well.
“All across the nation, card shows were popping up,” McAuliff said.
The event’s first major expansion came in April 2021 with the Arizona State Card Show at the Marriott Phoenix Resort Tempe at the Buttes, which featured about 100 vendor tables and drew hundreds of attendees.
At the time, it felt like a big step forward.
Today, the numbers are dramatically different.
McAuliff said he was anticipating around 15,000 people at the Chase Field show earlier this month. While no official attendance figure was available, the event drew a large crowd.
“The show started at 100 tables, and now we’re up to about 700 tables,” McAuliff said.
Those tables now stretch across multiple concourses at Chase Field, with vendors selling everything from vintage baseball cards to modern rookie autographs, Pokémon cards and other collectibles.
The growth reflects a broader trend across the hobby. According to industry reports, the global sports memorabilia market has grown rapidly in recent years as collectors search for rare cards, autographs and game-used items. For McAuliff, expanding the show meant balancing demand with sustainability.