Nearly $1 Million in Graded Cards Stolen From Fedex Truck
WHO:
ABC7 Los Angeles - Collectors, PSA’s parent company, said its customer service team contacted affected customers directly and was arranging compensation based on fair market value.
ABC7 Los Angeles - Gregory Lawrence of Shiny Vault Pokémon Cards described trading cards as “another asset class,” saying collectors can invest in Pokémon or sports cards.
ABC7 Los Angeles - Jared Mast, president of Mast Wealth Management Group, said Pokémon card values had risen sharply.
NBC News - Santa Ana police spokesperson Natalie Garcia said officers responded to Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) about the theft.
NBC News - Nick Andrews, known on social media as the Boston Card Hunter, said there were multiple victims; he reported that one victim lost $500,000 worth of cards.
NBC News - Card trader Sky-B said he lost 104 cards in the theft and asked to be referred to only by that moniker.
NBC News - PSA said it was working with investigators, had deactivated certificates for stolen items, and had notified marketplace partners.
NBC News - FedEx said customer shipment security was a top priority and that it was working with local law enforcement.
Fox News - A thief broke into a FedEx truck and stole more than 200 packages of graded trading cards.
NY Post - Crooks stole nearly 250 packages containing rare trading cards.
Newsweek - Police said around 250 packages of cards were stolen.
WHAT:
ABC7 Los Angeles - Police said the exact value of the stolen items had not yet been determined.
ABC7 Los Angeles - The FedEx driver was away from the truck for 60 to 90 minutes when it was broken into, according to police sources cited by The Athletic.
ABC7 Los Angeles - Mast said Pokémon card values collectively rose 200% to 300% over the previous 12 months.
ABC7 Los Angeles - In February, thieves stole tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of Pokémon cards from an Anaheim collectibles shop after cutting through a wall from a neighboring shop; surveillance video showed three thieves taking hundreds of cards in less than 10 minutes.
ABC7 Los Angeles - In April, thieves stole $100,000 in Pokémon cards from Elite Sports Cards in Chicago, the store owner told ABC Chicago station WLS.
NBC News - The stolen sports, Pokémon, and other trading cards were estimated to be worth $963,000; ABC News Business also reported a value of at least $963,000.
NBC News - The theft involved two pallets of cards and a third pallet that was “disrupted,” Garcia said.
NBC News - Andrews compiled a list of cards claimed to have been stolen; it numbered as high as 383.
NBC News - The list included a 1995 Upper Deck 23K Gold Michael Jordan card and a 2024 One Piece Simplified Chinese 1st Anniversary Set Nami.
NBC News - Sky-B said the 104 cards had been accumulated over two years and included “many irreplaceable cards” he thought he would “never see again.”
NBC News - Sky-B said he paid $8,000 in grading fees and that the cards were insured for up to $156,000, below their likely market value.
NBC News - PSA said grading fees would be returned along with the fair market value of the cards involved.
NBC News - Garcia said the case remained open, with no arrests or stolen goods recovered.
NBC News - In 2024, a shipment of 54 vintage baseball cards worth $2.1 million was stolen by a hotel employee after being delivered to a Best Western in Strongsville, Ohio; prosecutors said the employee was sentenced to four to six years in prison.
WHERE:
NBC News - The theft was reported at PSA in Santa Ana, Southern California, about 33 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
Fox News - The FedEx truck was outside a PSA facility in Santa Ana, California.
NY Post - The FedEx truck was parked outside PSA’s headquarters in Santa Ana.
NBC News - Sky-B said his cards had been certified at PSA and were en route back to him in Michigan when he learned they had been stolen.
WHEN:
ABC7 Los Angeles - The Santa Ana Police Department said the theft occurred on Oct. 13.
ABC7 Los Angeles - Mast identified 2016, when Pokémon Go launched, and 2019 and 2020, when celebrities including Logan Paul invested in collectibles, as periods when Pokémon card values rose.
NBC News - Police responded Tuesday; Garcia described the theft in an email, while police said the case remained open.
NBC News - Andrews’ list had reached as high as 383 cards by Monday evening.
NBC News - Sky-B discussed his reported loss in a YouTube video on Monday.
WHY:
NBC News - Sky-B said the loss hurt because many cards were irreplaceable and because he faced severe financial losses, including the value added by grading that insurance might not cover.
HOW:
NBC News - The cards were taken from a FedEx truck; the theft included two pallets and a third pallet that was “disrupted.”
NBC News - PSA deactivated the certificates for stolen items and alerted marketplace partners to watch for rare and serialized cards.
(UPDATED October 21, 2026 16:09 UTC)
Police are investigating the theft of nearly 250 packages of graded trading cards from a FedEx truck outside Professional Sports Authenticator’s facility in Santa Ana, California. The cards, stolen from two pallets, were estimated to be worth at least $963,000, though police said the exact value has not been determined. One collector, known as Sky-B, said 104 of his cards were taken while being shipped back to him in Michigan; he said they included irreplaceable items and were insured for up to $156,000. PSA says it is working with investigators, has deactivated certificates for stolen cards, and notified marketplace partners. The company also contacted affected customers and is arranging compensation based on fair market value, along with refunds for grading fees. Police say the case remains open, with no arrests or recovered cards. Collectibles experts say Pokémon card values have risen sharply.
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(UPDATED October 21, 2026 00:24 UTC)
A thief broke into a FedEx truck outside Professional Sports Authenticator in Santa Ana, California, stealing roughly 250 packages of graded trading cards valued at about $963,000. Police spokesperson Natalie Garcia said the theft involved two pallets and a third that was disrupted; collectors reported multiple losses, including one victim’s $500,000 in cards and another’s 104 cards. PSA says it has deactivated certificates for stolen items and is working with investigators, while police say the case remains open with no arrests or recovered cards.