Graded trading cards worth est. $963,000 stolen from FedEx truck in Santa Ana
In short
Santa Ana police estimate that trading cards worth $963,000 were stolen from a FedEx truck at the Santa Ana headquarters of grading company PSA, including sports and Pokémon cards. PSA's parent company Collectors says it has deactivated the cards' certificates and is arranging compensation. No arrests have been made and no cards have been recovered.
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Trading cards that Santa Ana police estimate were worth $963,000 were stolen from a FedEx truck at the Santa Ana headquarters of Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), according to reports from NBC News, Newsweek, The Verge, Fox News and the New York Post. Police said sports cards and Pokémon cards were among the items taken. The cards had been graded by PSA and were being shipped back to their owners. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Newsweek and the New York Post date the theft to October 13. The New York Post said the driver left the truck unattended outside PSA's headquarters for 60 to 90 minutes and that the truck's lock was broken. Newsweek, citing police comments to The Athletic, said the vehicle was broken into while the driver was away and that two pallets of an estimated 100 packages each were taken, along with an estimated 50 packages from a third pallet. Fox News and The Verge put the total at more than 200 packages, the New York Post at nearly 250. NBC News quoted police spokesperson Natalie Garcia as saying the theft included two pallets and a third that was disrupted. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
The New York Post quoted police as saying the estimated value at the time of the incident was $963,000 but that the exact value of the stolen items had not yet been determined. The Verge reported that PSA told police the majority of the stolen packages were worth over $963,000, and that the amount could rise as PSA confirms which cards were taken. Newsweek, Fox News and the New York Post reported that no arrests had been made, and Newsweek and Fox News said no stolen items had been recovered. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Collectors, the parent company of PSA, said in a statement that it was aware of a theft involving a third-party shipping vehicle carrying PSA-graded items and was working closely with law enforcement and the carrier. It said it had deactivated the certificates of the stolen items and notified marketplace partners so they can watch for rare and serialized items. Collectors said its customer service team had contacted affected customers and was arranging compensation based on fair market value. The Verge, citing a report, said that compensation is up to the maximum insured value the customer selected before grading. FedEx told Newsweek that it was working with local law enforcement in their investigation. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Collector and YouTuber Sky-B said in a video that he lost 104 cards accumulated over two years, including many he called irreplaceable. IGN reported that he posted on October 17 that PSA had emailed him about the burglary, and that he valued the cards at more than $100,000, which Newsweek also reported. IGN and NBC News gave his grading cost as $8,000, while The Verge and the New York Post gave $8,468 and said the order was insured for up to $156,000. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
NBC News reported that Nick Andrews, known on social media as the Boston Card Hunter, said on X that there are multiple victims, one of whom lost $500,000 worth of cards. He said the theft could be one of the biggest in trading card history, and he compiled a list of claimed stolen cards that numbered as high as 383 on Monday evening. 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 said. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
Collectors who sent cards to PSA for grading face losses, and the documents say compensation is based on fair market value, in one report up to the insured value each customer selected. Collector Nick Andrews said the theft could be one of the biggest in trading card history.
Key facts
- Santa Ana police estimated the value of the stolen cards at $963,000; police said the exact value has not been determined. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The cards were taken from a FedEx truck at or near the Santa Ana headquarters of Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) while they were being shipped back to their owners. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Police said sports cards and Pokémon cards were among the stolen items. [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- PSA's parent company Collectors said it deactivated the certificates of the stolen cards and notified marketplace partners so they can watch for rare and serialized items. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Collectors said it is arranging compensation for affected customers based on fair market value. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- No arrests have been made and none of the stolen cards have been recovered. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Collector and YouTuber Sky-B said he lost 104 cards he had accumulated over two years. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Cards estimated by Santa Ana police at $963,000 were stolen from a FedEx truck at PSA's Santa Ana headquarters. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Collectors, PSA's parent company, said it deactivated the stolen cards' certificates and alerted marketplace partners. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Collectors said it is working with law enforcement and is arranging compensation based on fair market value. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- No arrests have been made and no stolen cards have been recovered. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Police said the truck was broken into while the FedEx driver was away from it. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- Total value of the stolen cards Police gave an estimate of $963,000 and said the exact value has not been determined; The Verge reported the amount could rise as PSA confirms which cards were taken.
- Number of packages stolen Newsweek and the New York Post cite police as saying two pallets of an estimated 100 packages each and 50 packages from a third pallet were taken; Fox News and The Verge say more than 200 packages, the New York Post says nearly 250, and NBC News says police described a third pallet as disrupted. Newsweek says it is not clear how many cards were in the packages.
- Date of the theft Newsweek and the New York Post give October 13; NBC News says police responded to a report at PSA on a Tuesday last week, The Verge and Fox News say last week, and IGN says over the weekend.
- Sky-B's grading fee and insurance terms IGN and NBC News report he paid $8,000 for grading; The Verge and the New York Post report $8,468 and an order insured for up to $156,000, while IGN describes a maximum insurance value of $156,000 each. His figures are his own claims.
- Compensation Sky-B will receive The Verge says it is not yet known what compensation he has received.
- Value lost by individual victims Nick Andrews said on X that one victim lost $500,000 worth of cards; this is a single-source claim in NBC News.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- On October 19 IGN published a report that Sky-B had posted on October 17 that PSA told him a FedEx truck carrying his 104 cards had been burglarized. [ 1 ]
- On October 19 NBC News reported police saying the theft was estimated at $963,000, and that Nick Andrews's list of claimed stolen cards had reached 383 that evening. [ 2 ]
- On October 20 Newsweek reported the Collectors statement and the FedEx statement on the theft. [ 3 ]
- On October 20 The Verge reported, citing The Athletic, that more than 200 packages were stolen. [ 4 ]
- On October 20 the New York Post reported police saying the truck was unattended for 60 to 90 minutes and the exact value had not been determined. [ 6 ]