TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucson plays host to many conventions, from the Gem Show to Comic-Con. But Saturday brought something new — a trading card game convention unlike anything the city has seen before.
At the Tucson Convention Center, fans gathered for the inaugural 520 Card Show, where people traded Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Star Wars and even sports cards all under one roof.
“A lot of it was nostalgia,” said organizer and host Corbin Sneva. “As a child I loved Pokemon, TCG, all that kind of fun stuff.”
Sneva says the idea came from wanting to fill a gap for the local community.
“It was a missing thing here that our community just didn’t have,” he said. “So I think they’re really happy to be having an event, where they can go enjoy their hobby with everybody.”
Being the first event of its kind, Sneva admitted he wasn’t sure what kind of turnout to expect.
“You have a mix of collectors, players, families… You know friends, it’s all a mix. And that’s kind of the beauty of TCG,” he said.
Family ties also played a role in the show. Sneva’s brother-in-law, Ben Doeckel, is a Magic: The Gathering vendor who has even developed his own cards.
“I’ve been playing Magic for a long time,” Doeckel said. “I’ve been playing since like 1996. And so my collection doesn’t go back quite that far, but I have a lot of fun old cards I’ve collected over the years.”
For both Sneva and Doeckel, the event was about more than selling or trading — it was about rekindling memories.
“You kind of grow up, sadly,” Sneva said. “And then once you grow up, you start missing the stuff you had as a kid, and I just started collecting again, and the rest was history.”
Event organizers say if the inaugural show is successful, they plan to host the 520 Card Show quarterly moving forward.
