Card Show Rome – Collect IT

The Italian card show arrives in Rome

Born in Milan as the first Italian card show, Collect IT has chosen the Capital for its first Roman edition. The event takes place at the Hotel Mercure Roma West, located at Viale Eroi di Cefalonia 301, in the southwestern quadrant of Rome between Mostacciano and the EUR district, just minutes from the Fiera di Roma and the Grande Raccordo Anulare. In just a few editions, this format has become the national reference point for those who collect, trade, and appraise trading cards, and it is now establishing itself in the Lazio region as well.

Over 2,000 square meters of collectibles

The organizers have announced an exhibition area exceeding 2,000 square meters, featuring more than 150 exhibitors from across Italy and various European countries. The estimated turnout is around 5,000 visitors: figures that highlight how much the world of collectible cards has grown in Italy in recent years, evolving from a niche for a few enthusiasts into a structured market with professional dealers, appraisers, and grading companies.

The product range is intentionally broad and covers all major sectors:

• Sports cards: soccer, basketball, and NBA, with high-value singles and sealed boxes
• Pokémon, the phenomenon that has brought cards back into the spotlight more than any other
• Magic: The Gathering, including vintage, reserved list, and tournament cards
• Lorcana, the young line that has quickly won over the Italian public
• Yu-Gi-Oh! and Flesh and Blood for the most competitive collectors

Artist Alley, tournaments, and guests

Alongside the sales booths and live trading areas, the program features a main stage with talks and interviews, an Artist Alley dedicated to illustrators—including announced names like Federico Maria Cugliari, Matteo Marzocco, and Gianluca Barone—and a competitive section featuring the 4Season Spring League organized in partnership with Lore League. Collecting thus intertwines with actual gameplay and original art, in a journey designed for both the expert and the newcomer to this world.

The guest lineup is one of the most carefully curated aspects: the first Roman edition brought a legendary Giallorossi figure to the venue for a meet-and-greet session, complete with autographs and career stories, accompanied by a commemorative numbered card created specifically for the occasion and reserved for those who purchased the dedicated ticket.

Grading, partners, and market

A significant part of the event focuses on grading and protection services for cards, the step that transforms a collectible into an asset that can be valued and traded using shared criteria. Strategic partners include CGC and Vault X, alongside GTS Distribution and Sports Media House, in addition to the project's long-standing collaborations with Topps Italia and eBay. For industry professionals, it is an opportunity to meet in person in a market that, in Italy, still relies heavily on online communities.

The Trade Night, an informal prelude

The main event is preceded by a Trade Night, an informal evening hosted in Rome by Il Covo del Nerd: a more intimate moment dedicated to trading, opening booster packs, and networking among enthusiasts, shop owners, and collectors arriving from out of town. This has been a consolidated tradition of the Collect IT format since the early Milanese editions and has become an integral part of the experience.

An event for the city

For Rome and the entire Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in the Lazio region, this is a new addition to the calendar of pop culture and collecting events, which until now in the Capital revolved primarily around large comic and gaming conventions. The choice of a hotel conference venue, easily accessible and equipped with parking, caters to an audience that often arrives from outside the region with material to display or have appraised. The accessibility of the EUR-Mostacciano area, served by the Metro B line and the Roma-Lido railway, makes the event convenient even for those traveling by public transport.