Another Day, Another Pokemon Card Heist Worth Nearly $1 Million
A FedEx delivery truck parked outside the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) headquarters in Santa Ana, California, was robbed on October 13, resulting in the theft of approximately $963,000 to $1 million worth of Pokemon trading cards and other collectible trading cards. According to reports from The Athletic and ABC News, the theft affected multiple card collectors who had sent their graded collections to PSA for authentication and grading.
The stolen shipment contained hundreds of PSA-graded cards, representing valuable collections that had been certified by the well-known authentication service. Police in Santa Ana confirmed the incident, noting that the theft targeted pallets of various trading cards being transported by the courier service.
PSA has announced that refunds will be issued to all affected parties whose cards were lost in the heist. This incident marks another significant theft in a pattern of high-value trading card robberies targeting the Southern California region, where valuable collections remain attractive targets for thieves.
The incident underscores the risks associated with shipping expensive collectible cards, even when transported to and from legitimate authentication services. Collectors investing in PSA grading face not only authentication costs but also transportation risks inherent in shipping valuable cards.