Mar 9, 2026
Pokémon cards were introduced 30 years ago, and what was once playground currency has now become a serious investment — and a serious target for thieves. The cards have become a maturing alternative asset class attracting wealthy investors and armed robbers in equal measure.
The Wall Street Journal reports that since 2004, Pokémon cards have posted about a 3,821% cumulative return — dwarfing the S&P 500's 483% gain over the same period and even outpacing Meta's 1,844% rise since it went public (1). It's not hard to see why thieves have taken notice.
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High-profile figures are getting in on it, too. On Feb. 16, YouTuber and WWE personality Logan Paul sold his 1998 Pikachu Illustrator card (the only one of its kind graded a perfect Gem Mint 10 by the Professional Sports Authenticator) for $16,492,000 in a Goldin online auction, setting a new Guinness World Record for the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold at auction (2). The card is so valuable that Paul himself travels with a security team when transporting it.
From smash-and-grab heists in Manhattan and Massachusetts to a gunpoint robbery in a Los Angeles parking lot, a Pokémon crime wave is forcing collectors to rethink security. Here’s why Pokémon cards are being targeted, and what you can do to protect your collection.
A string of high-profile heists
The crime wave is well underway. In January, three armed robbers stormed Poké Court in Manhattan's Meatpacking District, pointing a pistol at customers and smashing display cases with a hammer. Store owner Courtney Chin told NBC New York that about $100,000 worth of merchandise was stolen. No one was hurt (4).
Around the same time, a customer leaving RWT Collective in West Los Angeles was robbed at gunpoint in the building's underground parking lot, losing a collection of rare cards valued at around $300,000, according to CTV News. Law enforcement officials said they were comparing notes on several similar recent robberies across Southern California (5).
Last year, a masked thief broke into 1st Edition Collectibles in New Bedford, Massachusetts. In just 30 seconds, they made off with nearly $115,000 in rare Pokémon cards and boxes, including a Neo Revelation box worth $30,000, according to CBS News. "They knew exactly what items to target and what they were going for," said store co-owner Felipe Andre (6).
There have also been similar heists in Atlanta, Houston, Wilmington, North Carolina and Gardena, California, where thieves dropped through the ceiling of a shop, the New York Post reports (3).
And in the UK, Nottinghamshire alone has seen four recent high-profile break-ins targeting card shops, with one crew smashing through a brick wall, according to the BBC (7).
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Why Pokémon cards are the perfect target
Collector Charlie Hurlocker, who owns roughly 10 million cards worth "millions and millions" of dollars, explained it to the New York Post: "The cards are fungible and unregistered. You don't need a black market” (3).
Unlike jewelry or art, there's no central registry for Pokémon cards, making stolen inventory extremely difficult to trace and easy to resell online or at card shows.
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Even authenticated cards encased in tamper-evident acrylic — which carry a serial number that can be flagged as stolen — can be compromised. "If you use enough brute force, you can break it open. You just take a hammer to it. Then it's like having a dollar bill," one robbery victim told the New York Post (3).
And Nick Jarman, CEO of the Certified Trading Card Association, told the BBC there has been a "large rise" in thefts targeting US card stores, noting the cards are "really hard" to trace on secondary markets and that "stolen goods are being moved very quickly across platforms and borders” (7).
How to protect your collection
Ken Goldin, whose auction house handled the record-breaking Paul sale, has a clear message for shop owners: "Owners of collectable stores have to treat themselves as if they're jewelry stores. They need to have the right security and the right protection. They have to lock up their valuables at night” (3).
The same logic applies to home collectors. If your cards have significant value, treat them like diamond jewelry or a rare coin collection: invest in a quality alarm system and make sure your collection is explicitly covered under your homeowner's or renter's insurance policy.
Many standard policies cap collectibles at a low dollar amount, so a separate rider or scheduled items endorsement may be necessary.
And be smart about what you share online. Posting videos showing off your collection or highlighting how much certain cards are worth can draw attention the attention of thieves, and make it harder to secure valuable items.
For longtime fans, Pokémon cards may still feel like childhood nostalgia, but their rising value means they’re increasingly treated like high-end collectibles. As prices climb and demand grows, collectors may want to think less like hobbyists and more like investors.
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
Wall Street Journal(1); USA Today(2); New York Post(3); NBC New York(4); CTV News(5); CBS News(6); BBC (7)
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With a writing and editing career spanning over 13 years, Emma creates and refines content across a broad spectrum of industries, including personal finance, lifestyle, travel, health & wellness, real estate, beauty & fitness and B2B/SaaS/tech. Her versatility comes through contributions to high-profile clients like Moneywise, Healthline, Narcity and Bob Vila, producing content that informs and engages, along with helping book authors tell their stories.
