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Thieves carried out a high-stakes heist outside the Santa Ana headquarters of a trading card authenticator, stealing nearly $1 million worth of collectibles from a parked FedEx truck.
Authorities said the truck was unattended outside the home base of grading giant Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) on Oct. 13, when opportunistic crooks swiped nearly 250 packages — two pallets carrying an estimated 100 packages each, and a third holding 50 more.
“The pallets contained various trading cards, including, but not limited to, sports cards and Pokémon cards,” the Santa Ana Police Department told the California Post.
Police said the driver left the vehicle unattended outside PSA’s headquarters for 60 to 90 minutes. Authorities said the truck’s lock was broken and the packages were stolen while the driver was away.
“The estimated value of the stolen cards at the time of the incident was $963,000. However, the exact value of the stolen items has not yet been determined,” the SAPD said.
PSA parent company Collectors said that certificates used to identify each individual card were deactivated for all the stolen items and trading partners were notified so that they can be on the lookout for rare and serialized cards.
“We are aware of a theft involving a third-party shipping vehicle carrying PSA-graded items. We are working closely with law enforcement and the carrier as the investigation continues,” Collectors’ statement read.
Famous card collector and YouTuber Sky-B Cards claims to have shelled out an $8,468 in grading fees alone for a prized 104-card order, which was insured for up to $156,000.
“These were 104 cards that I’ve accumulated over two years. There are many irreplaceable cards in here that I will never see again,” Sky-B said in a video update.
There have been no arrests so far and the investigation remains ongoing. SAPD urges anyone with information regarding this incident to contact the department.