Nearly $1 million in Pokémon and sports cards stolen from FedEx truck in Santa Ana

Thieves stole nearly $1 million in trading cards from a FedEx truck parked outside Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) in Santa Ana on Oct. 13, police say.

The truck was in the 1600 block of East St. Andrew Place, near PSA's office. Police said its lock had been removed, two pallets of cards were gone and a third pallet had been disturbed. The pallets held Pokémon cards and sports cards, among others.

What police say

Santa Ana police spokesperson Natalie Garcia said "the estimated value of the stolen cards at the time of the incident was $963,000." Police said the exact value could not be set until the remaining boxes were scanned.

The truck had been left unattended. ABC30, citing police sources quoted by The Athletic, reported that the driver was away for about 60 to 90 minutes. No arrests had been reported as of Oct. 21. Anyone with information is asked to call the Santa Ana Police Department at 714-245-8665.

Whose cards were they

The cards were PSA-graded items that collectors had sent in to be authenticated and graded. Nick Andrews, a collector near Boston, told The Associated Press the real value could be much higher than the police estimate.

One collector who lost cards is SKY-B Cards, a YouTuber and card trader whose cards were headed back to him in Michigan. He told NBC Los Angeles he lost 104 cards he had built up over two years and paid $8,000 in grading fees. The cards were insured for up to $156,000, which NBC Los Angeles reported is below their likely market value.

What PSA and FedEx say

PSA said "we have deactivated the certificates for the stolen items and notified marketplace partners" to watch for rare and serialized cards. The company said it is working with law enforcement, has contacted affected customers and will pay them fair market value plus refund their grading fees.

FedEx said "the security of our customers' shipments is a top priority" and that it is working with local law enforcement in the investigation.

What’s next

Police say the exact loss will not be known until the remaining boxes are scanned, and the investigation is ongoing. PSA says it has contacted affected customers about fair-market-value compensation. Anyone with information can call Santa Ana police at 714-245-8665.