The sports and trading card scene has exploded across the country over the past few years, and Southwest Florida is no exception.

The local spot for all of your hobby needs, the SWFL Sports Card Show, has been taking the area by storm over the past year and this Saturday, the show arrives at a spectacular venue in JetBlue Park.

The “MEGA” edition of the card show and 11th edition of the monthly expo goes down from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the spring home of the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, Dec. 4.

The man responsible for these events where you can find all you need in the growing hobby, Steve Palmer, said he wanted to end the year with a special show at a special venue, and that’s exactly what he put together.

“I started thinking, ‘What better place to have it than at the ballpark?'” Palmer said, as he decided between Hammond Stadium and JetBlue Park. “It’s the holiday season, a bigger crowd with a lot of people from up north, and they’ll get more enjoyment that way.”

An extra special treat for attendees will be the opportunity to score an autograph from Red Sox 2020 draft pick Blaze Jordan, whose rookie card is a major Bowman 2021 chase card.

“I wanted to get an autograph signer, and who better than a Red Sox player?” Palmer said. “Surely we had to go with Blaze Jordan. He was a must-have for me, and somehow we made it happen.”

Usually taking place in Cape Coral and North Fort Myers, the SWFL Sports Card Show has facilitated the needs of collectors, buyers and sellers in a thriving market that took off to new heights throughout the pandemic. It can be tough to walk into a store in today’s climate and find the newest releases of certain sought-after products.

Palmer, whose mother at one time organized card shows in the 1990s, has rejuvenated the family business and has seen tremendous growth in a short period of time.

“We started off with some of our closer friends and vendors in the hobby and we maybe had 25 tables, we’ve grown to double that now over the last 10 shows,” Palmer said. “There have been really good turnouts, especially recently. There’s a consistent number of people out here in the hobby. You see a lot of familiar faces but the word is spreading now and you see a lot of new faces as well. It’s been a good growth.”

Whether it’s new, vintage, baseball, football, basketball, soccer, Pokémon, or other trading card and collectable pieces, it can be found at one of these shows.

“If you’re interested in the hobby, this is the place to be,” Palmer said. “Whatever you’re interested in, we’re going to have it here. It’s the supercenter of card shops in one venue. Everybody’s coming to showcase what they have.”

Blaze Jordan memorabilia will be available to purchase at the event to have autographed. They include an official MLB baseball ($75), mini helmet ($55), 8 X 10 photo ($40) and trading card ($45). Attendees can also bring their own items to have signed (premium items $55, flat items $40). Items can also receive JSA (or PSA, offsite) certification for an additional fee.

JetBlue Park is at 11500 Fenway South Drive in Fort Myers. The next SWFL Sports Card Show after Dec. 4 takes place Jan. 23. To stay connected with the dates and locations of each show, visit the SWFL Sports Card Show Facebook page.

— Connect with Associate Sports Editor CJ Haddad on Twitter: @haddad_cj