Online marketplaces let you buy almost any trading card or collectible without leaving home. But Southern Oregon collectors say scrolling through listings cannot replace meeting people who share their interests.
“You get to chat with them right there about whatever you’re buying,” collector and event organizer Travis LeBrun said. “It’s an experience.”
LeBrun and fellow collector Lucas Casas are organizing the first Southern Oregon Trading Card and Collectibles Show. Organizers expect more than 40 vendors to gather Oct. 3 at the Jackson County Expo in Central Point.
The show will include Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic cards, along with comics, toys, anime merchandise, 3D-printed creations and other collectibles. People can also bring cards to trade or ask vendors what they're worth.
But Casas and LeBrun say an item’s appeal often goes beyond its resale value.
Casas began collecting after buying Pokemon cards for an online friend in New Zealand who had fewer options for finding them. Before long, Casas began collecting cards for himself, then expanded into anime figures, vintage T-shirts and other items.
LeBrun started collecting sports cards as a teenager. His interests grew to include Funko Pops, autographs and Pokemon cards. He said collectors may feel a connection to a particular athlete or character — or to the experience of finding an item and meeting the person connected to it.
“You can collect anything, really,” LeBrun said. “Whatever truly makes you happy, you can collect.”
Prices are often shaped by recent sales, an item’s condition and how much buyers want it. Collectors can use online marketplaces and pricing tools to estimate an item’s value, although those estimates can change.
For Casas, the breadth of Southern Oregon’s collecting community became clear only after he began pursuing more kinds of collectibles.
“The community is you. It’s me. It’s everybody,” he said. “You’d be amazed who’s in the community.”
That variety helps keep in-person shows relevant, the organizers said. A collector might arrive hoping to buy or trade a card, but the experience also offers something harder to find online: a conversation and the story behind the collection.
Event
- The Southern Oregon Trading Card and Collectibles Show is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, in the pavilion at the Jackson County Expo. Admission is free, and the event is open to all ages.
Guests
- Lucas Casas, collector and organizer, Southern Oregon Trading Card and Collectibles Show
- Travis LeBrun, collector and organizer, Southern Oregon Trading Card and Collectibles Show
