I don't send my Pokémon cards off to PSA to get graded. I'm too emotionally attached to my cards to ever sell them, so paying the hefty fee for grading doesn't really make sense for me, plus I'm a naturally anxious person. So when I heard the latest news of almost $1 million worth of TCG being stolen right outside PSA's headquarters my position was cemented.
Police in Santa Ana, California have confirmed the theft of an estimated $963,000 worth of TCG after several card collectors were notified that a truck carrying their collections had been burglarised back in mid-October.
"The pallets contained various trading cards, including, but not limited to, sports cards and Pokémon cards," the SAPD explained to The Athletic. "The exact value of the stolen items has not yet been determined, pending further investigation. The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Santa Ana Police Department."
But what exactly happened, and how did two pallets holding around 100 packages get stolen? Well, according to reports a FedEx driver left their truck unattended outside PSA's Santa Ana office for around 60 to 90 minutes. This left enough time for the thieves to break off the lock to the truck and make away with all the packages.
FedEx released a statement to ABC7 reassuring customers that "the security of our customers' shipments is a top priority, and we are working with local law enforcement in their investigation."
PSA has also confirmed in a statement to IGN that it has promised to refund customers affected. It will hand them out "based on fair market value up to the maximum insured value" of the cards and has deactivated the certificates of all the stolen goods.
This is another sad incident in an increasingly long line of TCG thievery. Just a few months ago two men pleaded guilty to stealing over £71,000 worth of Pokémon TCG, and TCG shops have seen an increase in burglaries over the past few years as card prices go up. With no sign of it getting better I feel as if the only fix is for The Pokémon Company to flood the market, devaluing cards, and thereby removing the incentive to resell. Because let's be honest, a piece of cardboard shouldn't be selling for $70,000.
