Trading cards are hot right now. Both content creators who have found wildly creative ways to open card packs in hopes of unwrapping a rare card and thieves who have turned to fairly uncomplicated but still daring Pokémon card heists.
We’ve covered several of them. My favorite is the guy who scaled a six-story building in Japan to steal $9,120 worth of Pokémon cards, which could be several cards or could just be one rare, high-graded Charizard.
Well, it happened again. And this one was big, though not strictly Pokémon cards: a FedEx truck carrying two pallets full of graded collectibles, including Pokémon cards, collectively valued at nearly $1 million, was stolen in Santa Ana, California.
Pokémon Cards, Rare Sports Memorabilia Stolen in Nearly $1 Million California Heist
According to NBC News, officers responded to Professional Sports Authenticator after two pallets of graded collectibles were stolen. The stolen merchandise includes Pokémon cards, sports cards, and a 2024 One Piece set—all swiped from a FedEx delivery truck, leaving a third pallet “disrupted.” Initial damages totaled $963,000, though police warn that number could climb once they tally the full inventory.
Many of the memorabilia were already owned by private collectors, some of whom have taken to social media to reveal that some of their cards were part of the theft. Card collector and pack-ripper SKY-B announced on his YouTube channel that 104 of his cards were a part of the theft, and as a result, he will be “absolutely financially destroyed.”
The heist has left collectors completely destroyed. Social media collector “Sky-B” revealed he lost 104 rare cards worth $156,000 that were heading back to Michigan after he dropped $8,000 just to get them graded. Other stolen grails included a 1995 Upper Deck gold Michael Jordan card. Collector Nick Andrews, better known online as Boston card Hunter, said that he had 383, potentially more, cards stolen in the heist, one of which was a rare Michael Jordan card from 1995.
Much of the stolen memorabilia is specific and graded, and likely has some kind of serial number attached, meaning some of it will have to be fenced on the black market. This kind of stuff can get traced pretty quickly if sold to a legit hobby store.
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