More than 200 packages of freshly graded trading cards were stolen from a FedEx truck parked outside Professional Sports Authenticator’s headquarters in Santa Ana, California, on Oct. 13.
The packages held Pokémon and sports cards on their way back to the collectors who had sent them in for grading. Santa Ana police put the preliminary value at $963,000 and said the final number won’t be known until the remaining boxes are scanned.
Police said someone removed a lock on the back of the truck and took two pallets of about 100 packages each, then pulled roughly 50 more from a third. The driver was away from the truck for 60 to 90 minutes, according to The Athletic. Police announced the theft Monday, and no arrests have been made.
Collectors, PSA’s parent company, said it has deactivated the certification numbers on the stolen slabs and alerted its marketplace partners. It is also contacting affected customers, refunding grading fees and arranging compensation based on fair market value. Deactivating the certs means a stolen card resold online will show up as flagged once a buyer checks its PSA number.
The hobby internet has already started its own search. Collector Boston Card Hunter posted a list of 383 serialized cards believed to be in the haul, so buyers and sellers can watch for them on resale sites. Card YouTuber Sky-B said he lost 104 cards he spent two years collecting, insured at $156,000, which he called below market value. “I have an awful feeling PSA is going to be extremely unfair on what the values of these cards are,” he posted.
The fair market value question is where this fight is headed. Graded Pokémon prices move week to week, and many collectors told PSA their cards were worth more than they declared at submission. Collectors acknowledged that tension in its statement, saying many owners “see these cards as far more than a financial asset.”
FedEx said the security of customer shipments “is a top priority” and that it is working with police. Anyone with information can call the Santa Ana Police Department at 714-245-8665.
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