Police are investigating the theft of $963,000-plus in trading cards taken from a FedEx truck parked outside a Santa Ana company that verifies memorabilia.
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The truck was broken into on Oct. 13 near Professional Sports Authenticator, also known as PSA, which authenticates trading cards, autographs, comic books, and other memorabilia and grades their conditions, said Officer Natalie Garcia, a spokesperson for Santa Ana police.
Pokémon and sports cards were among the stolen items.
The driver left the truck unattended, Garcia said. It is unclear how long the driver was gone.
The truck’s lock was gone and two pallets were taken, she said. A third pallet was disturbed.
“The estimated value of the stolen cards at the time of the incident was $963,000,” she said in a statement. “However, the exact value of the stolen items has not yet been determined.”
Nick Andrews, a card collector near Boston, said the value of what was taken could be much higher.
PSA’s parent company, Collectors, said it has “deactivated the certificates for the stolen cards and notified marketplace partners so they can be on the lookout for (the) rare and serialized items.”
The company also said it contacted affected customers and arranged for fair-market-value compensation.
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Both FedEx and Collectors said they are working with law enforcement.
“The security of our customers’ shipments is a top priority,” FedEx spokesperson David Westrick said in a statement.
FedEx referred additional questions to police.
Some people who identified themselves as customers posted online that they got an email from PSA explaining what happened to their cards. They were worried they would never see them again or receive proper compensation.
Andrews, who collects vintage sports and Pokémon cards, said that he was not affected by the theft but has heard from at least two dozen people who were.
“Thousands of cards, most likely, and millions of dollars, most likely,” he said of the losses collectors suffered.
He said one person who submitted cards for grading on behalf of several people told him that they lost half a million dollars in declared value.
PSA’s parent company did not get into specifics on losses in its statement.
“We understand the impact this has on collectors involved, many of whom see these cards as far more than a financial asset,” the statement from Collectors said. “Our team is focused on supporting them. We take this incident seriously, and we will continue working with law enforcement to hold those responsible accountable.”
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