When I was younger, so much younger than today, card shows were a weekly occurrence.
Every weekend, whether it was at a mall or a hotel conference room or the local VFW post there would be long tables set up with rows and rows of cards to sort through. Some of those dealers would occasionally have some random memorabilia, but for the most part it was just endless pieces of cardboard. Those days are long gone.
Now, maybe, if you live in a large metropolitan area, there may be a show once every few months or so.