A first-time Father’s Day trading card show in Lebanon brought together collectors and families of all ages for buying, selling, and trading sports cards, Pokémon, and Magic cards, and organizers say they plan to hold another event in October.
LEBANON, Ore. – A trading card show brought together collectors of all ages on Father’s Day.
The Father’s Day Sportscard, Pokémon & Magic Show drew card collectors to Lebanon, offering enthusiasts the chance to buy, sell, trade and connect with other collectors.
“I love attending shows, seeing other people do the same thing. It’s just, it’s my niche right now,” said Carey Burtner, event organizer.
The event featured six card vendors with booths set up throughout the Santiam Place Wedding & Event Hall in Lebanon.
“There’s a lot of negative connotations that come with collecting. There’s been a lot of terms like scalping and reselling that you’ll hear,” said Andrew Ross, one of the vendors. “But if you get down into it and you really get into the community, it’s a pretty good community. Everybody’s super friendly and nice once you’re inside.”
The show was the first card show hosted by Burtner. He said he hopes to grow the event in the future and is already planning a second show for October.
“I was a little nervous at first, because it’s my first one,” Burtner said. “But I love how people come in and buy stuff and sell stuff and trade stuff. It’s a good feeling.”
Burtner said he was inspired to bring a card show to Lebanon after attending similar events in larger cities. He said Father’s Day provided the opportunity to bring together generations of enthusiasts.
“Kids are into Pokémon, and I’m kind of into Pokémon. So, we wanted to check it out and see what they have,” said Robert Williams, who attended the show with his family. “It was kind of special just having your family around and being around other families.”
“The kids generally will show that excitement a little more than the adults will. So, that’s always the fun part of it, you know,” Ross said. “But they don’t even realize that some of the excitement that we get seeing their collection too.”