This past weekend, the Minneapolis Convention Center hosted Collect-A-Con, the nation’s largest trading card, anime and pop culture convention. 

Founded in Texas in 2021 by brothers Jeff and Cody Wirz and their cousin Matt Weatherly, the annual event expanded rapidly across major U.S. cities before making its Minneapolis debut in July 2026. 

By offering a massive marketplace for buying and selling everything from Pokémon cards to vintage toys and video games, Collect-A-Con allows people to hunt down missing pieces for their collections while engaging in fandom — the subcultures formed around shared media and hobbies.

As passionate fans and collectors packed the Minneapolis Convention Center, the space merged the collector hustle with a massive party-like atmosphere. Cosplayers representing characters from a variety of franchises, including multiple Spider-Man incarnations and even Halo’s Master Chief, fostered fandom celebration. 

Between high-energy concert performances from original Pokémon theme singer Jason Paige and the chance to meet celebrity guests from various video games and TV shows, the weekend was a shared joy for fans to immerse themselves in the pop culture that deeply resonates in their hearts.

Orlando Pardo, the project operations manager for Collect-A-Con, said the event relies on shared fandoms to create an inclusive space for attendees. He noted that the team strives to protect the collecting hobby while keeping its broader social impact positive.

“Collectibles bring us all together. Anime, Pokémon, cosplay, we love all of that here at Collect-A-Con,” Pardo said. “We want this to be a no-judgment zone for everybody, and we want it to keep impacting people’s lives in a positive way.”

The event’s meet-and-greet opportunities gave attendees the chance to meet high-profile voice actors from popular video games and TV shows. Featured guests included Christopher Judge, who voiced Kratos in the Norse mythology-based God of War games, Veronica Taylor, voice of Pokémon’s Ash Ketchum and Jason Griffith, one of the many voices of Sonic the Hedgehog.

One of the event’s vendors was Three Kingdoms Gaming, owned by Jason Golder, which frames its brand around the tagline, “Your Cards. Your Kingdom. Your Legacy.” The business caters to collectors and players across major trading card games, including Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic: The Gathering, Disney Lorcana and One Piece.

Golder said a physical card’s fixed and unchangeable print becomes critical to its long-term value, because rarity is what drives demand.

“For long-term value of collectibles like the rarity, the exclusivity is the intrinsic value of the card itself,” Golder said. “Knowing there’s only a certain amount is what’s more sought after than anything else.”

Golder also said physical conventions let buyers check a card’s true condition and negotiate deals in a way that online platforms cannot replicate.

“In an online marketplace, people can post pictures, but you can never truly see the condition of the card or how it is,” Golder said. “Collect-A-Con offers you the ability to look at it in person and give you the opportunity to negotiate for what you want.”

Another vendor on the floor at Collect-A-Con was Hunter Point Toys & Collectibles, based in Orlando, Florida. Their booth featured general pop culture merchandise and trading cards, with a heavy emphasis on Funko Pops.

Benjamin Guzman, a representative at the booth, said Funko Pops hold higher value in their packaging because many collectors want items in their original factory condition.

“It’s something psychological, I think, because people prefer to preserve things in the box,” Guzman said. “If you take out the Funko from the box, it doesn’t have value for us and for the people that collect Funkos.”

For Guzman, who traveled from Orlando to Minneapolis, he said the long trip is justified by helping people finish the collections they have started.

“We try to have every product that people need to complete the collection,” Guzman said. “I think that’s the spirit the people that had the stores have here at Collect-A-Con, because they want people to complete the set of Pokémon, Funkos or whatever.”

Guzman’s wide variety of Funko Pops spanned major franchises, including Star Wars, Marvel and Dragon Ball.

While high-value trading cards and celebrity meet-and-greets anchored the headline crowds, Collect-A-Con operated as a broader pop culture marketplace. People sorted through custom apparel, keychains, enamel pins and cosplay items, ensuring attendees left with something for their favorite fandoms regardless of what they collected.

Pardo said the generational staying power of physical media at Collect-A-Con comes down to the deep emotional bond fans form with their favorite franchises.

“For a lot of people, Pokémon or animes have saved their lives,” Pardo said. “When it comes to that part, you cherish it that much more; it brings people out of their comfort zone, and are able to experience what they like out here. I think it’s the emotional relationship between the person and that as well.”