Police in California are investigating the theft of trading cards worth at least $963,000 from a FedEx truck parked outside Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), a company that verifies memorabilia. The truck was broken into on Oct. 13 near the Santa Ana facility. Pokémon and sports cards were among the stolen items, according to a news release from the Santa Ana Police Department, where spokesperson Natalie Garcia said the driver had left the truck unattended. How long the driver was gone is part of the investigation. The truck's lock was gone and two pallets were taken, while a third pallet was disturbed.
Garcia said the estimated value at the time of the incident was $963,000, but the exact value has not yet been determined. Nick Andrews, a card collector near Boston, told The Associated Press the value could be much higher. He has heard from at least two dozen people who were affected, and one person who submitted cards on behalf of several others reported losing half a million dollars in declared value.
PSA's parent company, Collectors, said it has deactivated the certificates for the stolen cards and notified marketplace partners to watch for rare and serialized items. The company said it contacted affected customers directly and arranged compensation based on fair market value. Some customers posted online that they received emails from PSA explaining the situation and said they were worried they would never see their cards again.
FedEx spokesperson David Westrick said the security of customers' shipments is a top priority and referred additional questions to police. Both FedEx and Collectors said they are working with law enforcement. Collectors said it is focused on supporting affected collectors and will continue working to hold those responsible accountable.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing