TLDR
- Thieves stole about $963,000 in sports and Pokémon cards from a FedEx truck in Santa Ana, California, on Oct. 13.
- Police said two pallets of cards were taken and a third was disturbed.
- Collector SKY-B said his full 104-card PSA submission, worth over $100,000, was lost in the theft.
- PSA says compensation will be based on fair market value, capped at each card’s declared insured value.
- The theft comes as card breaks and digital card packs face questions over gambling rules.
Nearly $1 million worth of trading cards was stolen from a FedEx truck in Southern California. Police say the haul included sports cards and Pokémon cards.
The Santa Ana Police Department said the theft happened on Oct. 13 at 1610 E. St. Andrew Place. An officer responded to Professional Sports Authenticator, known as PSA, after reports of stolen cards.
“Approximately two pallets were stolen, and a third pallet was disturbed,” the department told Gambling Insider.
Police estimated the value of the stolen cards at $963,000. They said the exact figure has not yet been determined.
Collector Loses 104 Cards Worth Over $100,000
Content creator SKY-B was one of the collectors affected. On Oct. 17, he posted on X that PSA had told him his entire 104-card submission was stolen.
“Over $100,000 in cards just gone,” he wrote. The post drew about 1.9 million views.
He said he handed the cards to PSA at the National Sports Collectors Convention in July. The collection took two years to build.
He spent more than $8,000 on grading fees. The cards had a combined maximum insured value of $156,000.
The missing cards included rare autographs and several one-of-one cards. Some featured athletes such as LeBron James and Barry Sanders.
“There are many irreplaceable cards in here that I will never see again,” he said.
PSA Explains Compensation Rules
In an email shared by SKY-B, PSA said a FedEx vehicle carrying customer orders was burglarized after leaving its Southern California facility. The company said the items were not in its possession at the time.
PSA said compensation will be based on fair market value. Payments will be capped at the maximum insured value chosen for each card.
SKY-B said several of his cards were worth more than their $1,500 insurance limits. He wrote on X that he feared PSA would be “extremely unfair” when valuing them.
PSA said it deactivated the certification numbers of the stolen cards. It also alerted online marketplaces, auction houses and other selling platforms.
The company said it is working with FedEx and police. It is also reviewing its shipping procedures to see if more safeguards are needed.
The theft comes as some card products face questions over gambling rules. Box breaks, livestreamed pack openings and digital packs let buyers pay for a chance at rare cards.
Leon Y. Xiao, an assistant professor at City University of Hong Kong, said card packs should count as gambling in many places. His study of 50 card packs in Hong Kong found 80% gave no odds information.
PrizePicks recently launched PrizePicks Packs, and Fanatics runs livestreamed breaks through Fanatics Live. A California lawsuit has challenged whether some card breaks are illegal lotteries, which the companies dispute.
There is no sign the stolen cards were meant for these platforms.
SKY-B told Gambling Insider he has not received any further updates from PSA. When asked for more details, PSA declined to comment beyond its statement.
Police say the investigation is ongoing. They are asking anyone with information to contact them.
