Nearly $1 million worth of collectibles, including Pokémon and sports cards, have been reported stolen from a FedEx truck in Santa Ana, California.
The items were reported stolen on October 13 from a FedEx vehicle that was parked near the headquarters of Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), which grades and authenticates trading cards. The truck was transporting newly graded cards back to their owners.
The Santa Ana Police Department told The Athletic the vehicle was broken into while the driver was away. It said two pallets, with an estimated 100 packages each, were taken and an estimated 50 packages were stolen from a third pallet. It’s not clear how many cards were in the packages.
The department told CBS News that the stolen cards were initially estimated at $963,000. Police told the outlet that no arrests had been made and no stolen items had been recovered.
FedEx told Newsweek in an emailed statement, “The security of our customers’ shipments is a top priority, and we are working with local law enforcement in their investigation.”
Newsweek contacted SAPD and PSA for comment via email on Tuesday.
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PSA’s parent company Collectors said in a statement that they were “aware of a theft involving a third-party shipping vehicle carrying PSA-graded items” and are “working closely with law enforcement and the carrier as the investigation continues.”
The company said it was in communication with customers to arrange compensation based on fair market value. They also said they had deactivated the stolen cards’ certification numbers and alerted marketplace partners to watch for rare and serialized items.
One affected collector, a YouTuber known as SKY-B Cards, said he lost 104 cards in the robbery, which he valued at more than $100,000.
“These were 104 cards that I've accumulated over 2 years. There are many irreplaceable cards in here that I will never see again. And honestly, that's what hurts the most outside of obviously being absolutely financially destroyed here,” he said in a YouTube video.
He said he had paid $8,000 in grading fees, and that the cards were insured up to $156,000.
Spate of Pokémon Card Thefts Across California
The latest theft comes amid a spate of Pokémon card burglaries nationwide, and particularly in California, this year.
In January, the Los Angeles Times reported that collectors and shops across Southern California had been targeted in several break-ins, including one collector who said he was robbed at gunpoint of cards worth more than $300,000.
In February, a shop in Anaheim reported $180,000 in collectibles and Pokémon cards stolen in a break-in, and in June, two separate stores in Northern California reported thousands of dollars worth of Pokémon trading cards stolen from them on the same day.
Rare Pokémon cards, as well as sports items, can sell for thousands of dollars, making them attractive targets for thieves.
Stolen cards can be resold online, at card shows or through shops, making them difficult to trace. Buyers may not know a card is stolen unless they check its certification details.
PSA said it had deactivated the stolen cards’ certification numbers and alerted online marketplaces and auction houses. This is an attempt to make it more difficult to resell the items through official channels, but it does not prevent private sales.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Cannon and Geoffrey Rowland.