A card shop in Massachusetts was robbed last week by a single burglar who used a hammer to smash their way into the place and leave with over $100,000 worth of rare Pokémon cards and packs.
On July 13, The New York Times reported that 1st Edition Collectibles in New Bedford, Mass., was robbed by a yet-to-be-identified individual around 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 8. According to the store’s owner, William Gilmour, security footage of the alleged thief shows they were in and out of the local card shop within 30 seconds.
The thief stole rare cards that included a highly rated First Edition Shadowless Charizard and an equally high-rated First Edition Shadowless Blastoise. A sealed box including 36 original, unopened Pokémon booster packs from 1999 was also stolen. Gilmour estimates the stolen valuables add up to around $100,000 to $113,000.
“They went straight to these high-value items,” Gilmour told the New York Times.
“We are small but mighty,” said Gilmour, adding that the shop located about 60 miles away from Boston was opened by him and his buddies “for the love of the city and the love of the hobby.”
The New York Times spoke to Holly Huntoon, a spokesperson for the New Bedford local police, and she confirmed that the robbery was still being investigated. No arrests have been made in connection with the crime.
To help raise public awareness and maybe track down the thief, Gilmour posted security footage of the robbery on the shop’s Facebook page. A list of items that were stolen was also shared on the local card store’s Facebook page.
This is far from the first time we’ve seen robbers steal valuable Pokémon cards from card shops. In fact, it’s becoming more and more of a problem for shop owners and card collectors as Pokémon cards become more and more valuable. The cards are becoming investments for people who don’t even play the card game. That might explain why Simon Cowell of American Idol and America’s Got Talent was spotted recently dropping a few thousand dollars on a couple of rare Pokémon cards.
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