The National 2025: Scenes from the show in Chicago

ROSEMONT, Illinois — The hobby has descended on Chicagoland for the 2025 National Sports Collectors Convention this weekend.

The cllct team is on the ground for all five days at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, stationed backstage at the Tristar Autograph Pavilion.

We'll be capturing all the sights and sounds from the country's biggest sports memorabilia showcase, so check back here often:

The Willie Mays Collection

The sports world lost an all-time great last June when Willie Mays died at age 93.

Items from Mays' estate are up for bid at Hunt Auctions, and the collection is on display at the National this weekend.

Hunt Auctions CEO David Hunt sat down with cllct's Darren Rovell to discuss the incredible lots his auction house has been entrusted with — and the great cause the proceeds are going to.

Among the highlights are Mays' game-worn home uniform from 1962, along with his MVP awards and his 1954 Silver Slugger honor.

For more on the Mays estate auction, check out Will Stern's story.

The ultimate grail

Of all the thousands upon thousands of cards at the National, the most impressive might be the Kobe Bryant-Michael Jordan dual Logoman card, which is up for bid at Heritage Auctions.

The 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs card, a true 1/1, is graded PSA 6.

Bidding has topped $3 million, including buyer's premium, in the auction, which closes Aug. 20.

The cllct team doesn't quite have that kind of cash, but we sure enjoyed getting a look at this grail.

Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel

Yes, the "S" in NSCC stands for sports, but there's still a solid pop-culture representation here in Chicago.

Heritage Auctions has a couple great television offerings up for bid in its October auctions.

The original costumes from the "Batman" TV series from the 1960s — including those of both Batman and Robin — lead the way, along with original props from "Catwoman" and other villains on the show.

If you're looking for something more modern, the costumes from "The Walking Dead" are also on the block.

A rookie's POV

Cllct reporter Meghan Payton checked in with this video recap of her first visit to the National.

Ride shotgun as she roams the convention floor:

Maybe you can rush art

For our money, Canadian artist Murray Henderson has one of the must-see booths at the show.

As he often does at conventions, Henderson is working on a live piece, this one featuring Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan from the 1992 United States Olympic men's basketball team.

Henderson started the piece back home before bringing it to the show, where he has been working on the faces and finer details. He said he has a 1990s-era jersey on-hand to help him with the finer details such as the pinholes in the players' uniforms.

He told cllct he hopes to have the piece finished this weekend, perhaps as soon as Friday night. As he often does, Henderson is encouraging young fans at the show to stop by and help him out with some of the final touches.

Reporter Matt Liberman profiled Henderson last year at the National in Cleveland, explaining how the artist often incorporates game-used artifacts and relics into his work.

Darren Rovell of cllct added a special touch to Henderson's Michael Jordan painting from the 1998 NBA Slam Dunk Contest in Chicago, adding his autographed judges' card to the painting. Henderson applied it with a little duct tape, not his usual full incorporation of a relic.

Who's your daddy?

The Mahomes family is represented at the National — even if the Chiefs' MVP quarterback isn't at the show this year.

You can find everything at the National

Sure, there are tons of Mickey Mantle cards and autos at the National — but you can also find a Mantle-model Rawlings glove still in its original box.

Have a seat

One of the best things about coming to an autograph signing is you can get your unique item signed — and even add an auto to a full collection of other sigs.

Backstage at the autograph pavilion, we spotted this Fenway Park seat waiting for Carlton Fisk to add his autograph to a group of other Red Sox legends.

One hot ticket

The crowds for the first two days in Chicago have been massive, with the lines to get into the convention center stretching down North River Road.

The VIP ticket, which grants early entry (and are sold out), appear to be a valuable purchase, as it allows early access to the building and lets you skip the wait out on the sidewalk.

The doors were scheduled to open at 10 a.m. CT on Friday, but organizers opened them 30 minutes early.

Fanatics checks in

Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin and Fanatics Collectibles CEO Mike Mahan stopped by the cllct set to discuss the state of the hobby and why they have such a prominent presence at the National.

Plus, Rubin shared his Mount Rushmore of sports cards. Let us know what you think of his selections.

Rubin also broke the news that Tom Brady would be making an appearance later in the day, and the seven-time Super Bowl champion certainly drew a crowd.

TB12 is a massive collector himself and was in town to open his newest Card Vault by Tom Brady store, located across the street from Wrigley Field.

cllct's Darren Rovell was on-hand for the opening, which featured several Cubs players, including Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Test your ROY knowledge

With free reign to roam the Tristar Autograph Pavilion, cllct stopped dozens of intriguing items dropped off by collectors to be signed during the private signings.

Among the most fascinating (and a piece with great value) was a Jackie Robinson poster signed by dozens of Rookie of the Year winners. The print features signatures from Robinson himself to Fred Lynn, Eddie Murray and Pete Rose.

Check out our video and see how many of them you can name.

Megatron's moment

As Calvin Johnson autographed a long line of Lions helmets, cllct visited with the Lions Hall of Fame receiver to reflect on his career.

We asked Megatron to pick his most memorable moment and also to select the receivers today who most resemble his game.

The Goldin touch

Goldin Auctions CEO Ken Goldin visited with Darren Rovell on the cllct set and talked about some of the big items his auction house has handled recently.

We also asked Goldin to pick his Mount Rushmore of sports cards. You know, he picked the T206 Honus Wagner, but check out his other three choices.

How 'bout them Cowboys?

Both Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin were signing Thursday, and that meant items from the Cowboys' 1990s dynasty were everywhere.

We asked Smith what memorabilia he had held onto from his Hall of Fame career, and the NFL's leading rusher had a clear choice for his favorite.

Can't keep up with Ricky

By our count, no athlete signed more items Thursday than Ricky Williams.

The former Dolphins, Saints and Ravens running back was autographing memorabilia for hours — jerseys from all three of his NFL teams, Texas Longhorns collectibles and countless Heisman Trophy-related items.

But the most popular items for Williams involved his well-known penchant for marijuana. He signed Dolphins jerseys with weed logos on them, a stack of 420 jerseys, and his most popular inscription requests were "Hitting holes and smoking bowls," along with "Smoked weed every day."

Williams was even back again Friday afternoon to sign a few more items after Thursday's marathon.

The rarest of signatures

David Ortiz was signing autographs Thursday, putting his signature on bats, Red Sox jerseys and replica batting helmets.

But one Big Papi auto stood out. Ortiz added his Katakana signature to a baseball.

Matt Powers of Powers Sports Memorabilia told cllct his company receives a few requests every year for autos in Katakana, and Ortiz took great care to execute the signature.

Setting the stage

Backstage at the Tristar Autograph Pavilion looks a little like how a sports fan might envision the ultimate closet.

Stacks and stacks of jerseys. Rows and rows of helmets from every team. Bats, photos, balls of all varieties and game-used and specialty items all line tables throughout the upper floor of the convention center.

cllct went behind the curtains to offer a glimpse.

Ohhhhh, yeah!!!

Even if you're not buying or selling, walking the floor at the convention center can be a great experience as you meander through the various exhibits.

Heritage Auctions has its collection of Randy "Macho Man" Savage memorabilia on display.

Rovell's bounty

So, what is Darren Rovell buying at the National?

The founder of cllct has been on the hunt for debut magazines this year, so you know he had to scoop up Shohei Ohtani's first cover from his days as a high school pitcher in Japan.

Reporters Darren Rovell, Kevin Jackson, Meghan Payton, Matt Liberman and Ben Burrows are covering the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago.