By Aidan Steng
Riding high off a recent explosion of popularity in the trading card game (TCG) market, Seepersad Entertainment’s Long Island Trading Card Game Show had the makings of a collector’s dream.
The event was hosted on May 3 and 4 but this time around had a new look, as it moved from its previous venue of the Hilton Melville in Melville to Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the largest the show has ever been.
The two-day show was the site of over 60 vendors selling various trading cards and art, along with Q&As and meet-and-greets with voice actors such as Tara Sands, Jay Goede, Lisa Ortis, Stuart Zagnit, Veronica Taylor, Dante Basco, Linda Young and Chuck Huber.
“Personally, I’ve loved collecting Pokémon cards for a while, and we were also interested in Donte Basco’s Q&A because we’re both big Avatar fans,” said event attendees Jacklyn and Jeremy. “We also really like when you have some of the smaller independent artists who make custom merchandise … it’s always really cool to see a lot of that in one place.”
Jacklyn and Jeremy at the LI TCG SHOW. Photo by Aidan Steng.
The convention also included live performances from magician Robin Channing, hip-hop artist Genwunner and Jason Paige, the singer of the original Pokémon theme song.
“I’m doing more and more [events] … this is probably one of the biggest ones I’ve ever appeared at,” said Zagnit, best known for voicing Professor Oak in Pokémon. “The fans are very enthusiastic, and that’s really what matters.”
Stuart Zagnit at the LI TCG SHOW. Photo by Aidan Steng.
The show comes alongside other similar New-York-based TCG events, such as New York City’s Wicked Dicey and Rochester, New York’s Millenium Games. Such conventions may pale in comparison to the size of giants like Collect-A-Con, West Coast Card Show, East Bay Card Show and Charlie’s Collectable Show, but they are reflective of the recent growth in the TCG community nationwide.
According to Global Growth Insights, the competitive scene of TCGs has grown by 50% in recent years, leading to large trading card companies like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: The Gathering enjoying 45% and 55% increases in sales, respectively.
One of the most popular brands in the space, Pokémon, sold 12 billion cards in the 2023/2024 fiscal year. Prior to that, the Japanese-based company sold 65 billion units of the product in just over 25 years.
Seepersad Entertainment associate at the LI TCG SHOW. Photo by Aidan Steng.
“Conventions are popping up everywhere,” said Seepersad associate Wyatt Shakespeare. “I feel like I’m yet to have a negative experience at one yet.”
These events are not only enjoyed by fans. For vendors like Joseph Dupont, they are crucial to their business’ ability to thrive.
“We do a lot of business online, at local shows out of Massachusetts and we’re slowly expanding into other conventions,” said Dupont. “The size of this really stands out. It’s big, it’s all TCGs and it’s awesome.”
Joseph Dupont at the LI TCG SHOW. Photo by Aidan Steng.
With interest in TCGs on the rise, conventions like the Long Island Trading Card Game Show are sure to boost every trading card game lover’s set.
Aidan Steng is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism’s Working Newsroom program for students and local media.
Cover photo: Voice actors at the 2025 LI TCG Show at Nassau Coliseum by Aidan Steng.
