Europe’s largest card trading show, the London Card Show (no, not the League of Legends LCS), is set to return on May 11th and 12th 2024.
Visitors will be able to buy, sell and trade cards at the show, as well as take part in tournaments.
The London Card Show’s 12th event will take place at Sandown Park Racecourse in Esher, Surrey.
PSA heads to the London Card Show for the first time
The industry-leading grading and authentication service, Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), is offering take home services at the London Card Show (cards only).
This will be the first time PSA will have such a presence in the UK.
PSA’s grading has had a significant impact on the trading card and collectables market and community. High grades from PSA often command premium prices, particularly at grades 9 and 10, as collectors and investors place a premium on items with pristine condition and authenticity.
Event organisers said: “PSA will be accepting Take-Home Submissions (cards only) at our next show! Take-Home Submissions are accepted at the show and brought back to the PSA offices for processing. Once completed, they then ship the submission back to you.”
The last show saw a handful of rare Pokémon cards, such as a 2017 Shauna Full Art Premium Trainer card, graded at a PSA 10, making it worth just under £10,000, and an extremely rare Blastoise card from an original 1999 base set pack which, if graded a PSA 10, would be worth between £1,500 to £2,500. PSA-graded cards and memorabilia have become highly sought-after by collectors, contributing to the growth and development of the hobby.
PSA has long been recognised as the gold standard in trading card, autograph, and memorabilia authentication and grading services, ‘with a reputation built on accuracy, consistency and expertise’, says a press release.
‘We are extremely excited to welcome PSA to the show as it’s the first time anything has been done like this in the UK. It’s an amazing opportunity for collectors to skip a big step in the grading process and leave their submissions in PSA’s safe hands.’
Harry Reynolds, The London Card Show
‘By offering take-home services (cards only) at the London Card Show, PSA aims to provide collectors with unprecedented access to its renowned services, enhancing the trading card collecting experience in the UK.’
Though PSA’s roots lie within the sports cards world, the company grades cards from all genres, whether that’s sports trading cards or TCG (trading card game) cards including Pokémon, Yu Gi Oh, and more.
In addition to broadening its card grading categories, PSA has also expanded its services to authenticate autographs and memorabilia, particularly within the sports memorabilia market.
“As we continue to make PSA’s authentication and grading services accessible to collectors around the world, we are excited to be on the ground and accepting grading submissions at the London Card Show,” said PSA President Ryan Hoge. “It’s always fascinating to travel the world not just to see what collectors are into, but to see just how much the hobby continues to grow globally. PSA takes pride in being an integral part of that journey for collectors of all levels and interests.”
The London Card Show’s founder, Harry Reynolds, added: “We are extremely excited to welcome PSA to the show as it’s the first time anything has been done like this in the UK. They are great friends of the show and have been long-time sponsors so it’s fantastic for them to have a physical presence at this show. It’s an amazing opportunity for collectors to skip a big step in the grading process and leave their submissions in PSA’s safe hands.”
England football legends head to the London Card Show
The 12th London Card Show event is set to welcome former professional football player John Barnes MBE, widely regarded as one of the greatest England players of all time, as a main stage headliner.
Ex-England pro footballer, Emile Heskey, will also mark another anticipated addition to the main stage talent, where both headliners will be doing signings and engaging with the audience through a live Q&A.
Football stickers and cards are of course big business, and Barnes and Hesky will be able to talk about this and their careers.
Which tournaments are at the London Card Show in May 2024?
There will be tournaments run by Brotherhood Games including ones in Lorcana, Pokemon, One-Piece and a small element of Magic the Gathering.
Brotherhood games will be providing prizes and the focus is on friendly competition. The winner of each tournament will receive a box of card packs as a prize.
Attendees will need to pre-book their tickets for the tournament, but they will be free of charge. Each registered entrant will also receive a pack of cards upon entry, complimentary from Brotherhood.
The schedule is as follows:
Saturday schedule:
Lorcana Win a Box
- 32 Players
- Start time 10:30am-11am
- 1 Booster pack on entry
One Piece Win a Box
- 32 Players
- Start time 10:30am-11am
- 1 Tournament pack on entry
Pokemon Win a box
- 32 Players
- Start time 10:30am-11am
- 1 Tournament pack on entry
Magic Command/Edh Casual play area
Sunday schedule:
Lorcana Win a Box
- 32 Players
- Start time 10:30am-11am
- 1 Booster pack on entry
- Prizing for top 8 Players
Pokemon Win a box
- 32 Players
- Start time 10:30am-11am
- 1 Tournament pack on entry
- Prizing for top 8 Players
Magic Command/Edh Casual play area
Prizing depends on the number of players.
What else is on at the next London Card Show?
The show will also feature an exciting range of immersive elements such as a Trade Zone, Hands on Creator Studio, Whatnot streaming zone, and a new Retro Gaming Zone, featuring nostalgic classics like Sonic the Hedgehog, Street Fighter and more.
The Kids Zone is set to return, bringing families from all over the country together, encouraging kids to unleash their creativity and craft their own personalised collectibles.
There will be box breaks for youngsters with PokiChloe and PokeDean, design your own Match Attax Card competition with Topps and a trade zone, exclusive for kids.
Starting in a community hall with just 40 attendees and 10 vendor tables in 2021, the London Card Show is now set to host 4,000 guests alongside 550 vendor tables across the May weekend, bringing together the community for a celebration of culture, passion, and nostalgia.
The last event saw some big pack breaks, with one attendee pulling an extremely rare Blastoise from an original 1999 base set pack – a card valued between £1,500-£2,500. This wasn’t the only sought-after card spotted at the event – a first edition, generation 1, Dark Dragonite from a 2000 Pokémon Rocket set – worth a striking £22,995 – also attracted the attention of many collectors.
“Whether you’re a fan of Pokémon, Football, Formula 1, Basketball, Yu-Gi-Oh, American Football, or more niche categories like Baseball, UFC, Disney, and Marvel, you’ll find a selection of cards and collections like you’ve never seen before!” The London Card Show said.
There’s more info and tickets on the London Card Show website. General admission starts from £14 for the Sunday or £16 for the Saturday, plus fees.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
