New York
In the early hours of March 7, two thieves smashed via a vinyl-lined window at a retailer in Graham, Washington. Alarms blared as they crammed up a number of giant bins with stolen items. In lower than two minutes, they made off with practically $10,000 price of merchandise.
The goal: Pokémon cards.
This wasn’t the primary time proprietor Andrew Engelbeck’s store, Next Level the Gamers Den, was robbed for the collectible enjoying cards. It’s occurred a number of occasions, and the thieves have by no means been caught.
“We went a good three years when we first opened without any issues,” mentioned Engelbeck, who opened his store in 2018. “But then as the collectibles market went crazy, it definitely got worse.”
Since the pandemic, the marketplace for Pokémon cards has exploded and with it, a surge of worldwide robberies. This yr alone, collectible retailers from Las Vegas and New York City to these in Vancouver, Canada, and Nottingham, England, have all been hit, totaling over $500,000 in stolen cards.
“Targeting card stores for these (Pokémon) cards is kind of popping up. It’s a concern when we start to see a trend in something like this,” mentioned Paul Walker, a police sergeant in Abbotsford, British Columbia.
He’s investigating a card store theft in March that resulted in $25,000 in stolen Pokémon cards and an estimated $10,000 in property harm. The thieves are nonetheless at giant. Walker mentioned crime analysts are marketplaces the place the cards could be offered.
The worth of Pokémon cards, which has greater than doubled over the previous yr, makes them an enticing goal. But it’s their compact nature that makes them a profitable heist with comparatively low effort.
“The robbers can take a handful of cards, which can represent thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, and literally fit it right in their pocket,” mentioned Nick Jarman, CEO of the Certified Trading Card Association. “The resale is extremely fast. It’s high liquidity.”
Victims aren’t restricted to simply collectible retailers. In February, a Pokémon content material creator who goes by PokeDean uploaded a YouTube video displaying his dwelling in disarray.
After just a few days away, he had arrived dwelling to empty cabinets. Boxes and drawers from each room had been pulled out and turned over. His laptop computer and gaming consoles have been left untouched, he famous.
The solely objects he mentioned have been stolen have been his most costly Pokémon cards.
“Do your utmost to keep (your Pokemon cards) protected and safe, because of how popular Pokemon is at the moment,” he instructed viewers within the video. “There are nasty people out there that want to do this sort of stuff.”
The latest rise in theft may very well be associated to the leadup to Pokémon’s thirtieth anniversary in February.
Pokémon was first developed by Tajiri Satoshi in Japan, impressed by his childhood interest of bug accumulating. The first video video games have been launched in 1996, with the buying and selling card sport debuting that very same yr. The cards made it to the United States practically three years later.
Since then, the franchise’s flagship buying and selling cards have solely risen in worth. The worth of Pokémon cards has risen by more than 145% over the previous yr, with patrons spending $450 million this January alone, in accordance with knowledge from buying and selling card analytics web site Card Ladder. In February, influencer and wrestler Logan Paul offered one card for a document $16.5 million.
That superstar affect and Pokémon’s international viewers have ensured the franchise’s longevity and explosion of worth, in accordance with collectible specialists. Nostalgia paired with modern reputation has saved Pokémon culturally related to the purpose of changing into the highest-grossing media franchise of all time.
“It’s a multi-generational demand,” mentioned Jarman. “It’s not only kids, but it’s the adults that also grew up with it, so the demand just keeps refreshing instead of aging out.”
Pokémon’s cards have outpaced sports activities cards and beat the S&P inventory market by 3,000% prior to now 20 years, the CEO of buying and selling card market Goldin told NCS in December.
“As someone who’s been interacting with the trading card side for over a decade, I’ve known that you can just buy a Pokémon product, sit on it, and you’ll have green numbers,” collector Greg Smith instructed NCS.
Smith has seen the consequences of the Pokémon growth firsthand. He purchased six booster containers, or show instances that embody 36 packs of cards, of a set referred to as “Evolving Skies” for $900 in 2021. Today, simply a kind of sealed containers is valued as much as $2,500.
Big cash and jail time
Stealing high-value Pokémon cards can have a quick and large payoff, however the crime also can carry a hefty sentence. In many states, stealing objects price greater than $1,000 in worth is taken into account a felony. Many Pokémon card heists exceed that.
For instance, Keith Wallis was arrested final month in Tallahassee, Florida, for 75 thefts of Pokémon cards at numerous Targets from July 2025 to February 2026. He faces as much as 90 years in jail on costs of felony retail theft, dealing stolen property and cash laundering.
Wallis would put buying and selling cards in taco seasoning packets after which solely pay for the packets, in accordance with Florida lawyer basic James Uthmeier. Wallis later resold the Pokémon cards on eBay.
But catching thieves is uncommon. Stolen cards are practically unimaginable to hint as a result of they haven’t any serial numbers, Jarman mentioned.
Engelbeck estimates that somebody tries to interrupt into his store in Washington state as soon as 1 / 4. Taking issues into his personal palms, he’s carried out safety measures to discourage potential thieves.
He’s lined the industrial complicated along with his personal safety cameras in addition to put in sirens and strobe lights that flash pink and blue to imitate police lights.
“I’ve scared off multiple people” with the safety measures, Engelbeck mentioned.
Small companies on the coronary heart of this crime spree not solely need to take care of property harm and lack of merchandise, however the thefts have additionally affected their insurance coverage protection.
The rise of crimes focusing on Pokémon cards has made insurance coverage firms much less possible to make sure card retailers, small enterprise house owners instructed NCS. Engelbeck mentioned he may solely discover one firm prepared to make sure his store’s merchandise.
“Thefts are really hitting small businesses,” Engelbeck mentioned. “It’s hitting actual people. It’s not a victimless crime in any way.”