Collectible shops fear popular Pokémon cards are putting a target on their backs, with one local shop owner saying thieves were so desperate for the cards, they smashed a hole through the wall to get them.
Terri Settle, owner of Terri’s Trinkets and Toys, said she found her shop ransacked Wednesday morning. What shocked her even more was how the thief — or thieves — got in.
“There’s a grate on the bottom of the building outside, and they pried that off and smashed through my bathroom wall,” she said. “Certainly nothing I would have ever thought could happen.”
Settle suspects they knew exactly what they were looking for.
“I absolutely think that I was targeted for the Pokémon cards,” she said.
Roughly 7,000 Pokémon cards were ripped from her shelves. Along with that, she said about 3,000 Yu-Gi-Oh cards, 7,000 sports cards, action figures and Lego sets were also stolen.
“I think I lost about $6,000 in merchandise, which for a big-box store wouldn’t be anything, but for a little store like mine, that’s substantial,” she said.
Winnipeg police confirmed officers are investigating the break-in, but had no further information to share.
Collectibles shop owner says Pokémon cards ‘creates a target’
The break-in did not come as a surprise to Cobra Collectibles owner Michael Paille. He said Pokémon Cards have exploded in popularity and skyrocketed in price.
“They’re the hot commodity,” Paille said. “It just creates a target.”
He said criminals are paying attention to the trends and targeting small shops that may carry the cards.
“I don’t carry them anymore, just for that reason. It reduces the target,” he said.
It’s the latest in a string of Pokémon thefts around North America.
Pokémon cards targeted in smash and grabs, safe heists, armed robberies
South of the border, thieves staged a massive heist in New Jersey, taking just over a minute to grab up to $50,000 worth of the cards. In California, police have been investigating a string of thefts targeting shops with Pokémon cards.
Here in Canada, card shop owners have been facing a similar problem.
In June, a man walked into a Pokémon card store in the Lanaudière region of Quebec holding what appears to be a gun. He then filled a duffle bag with around $30,000 worth of merchandise. Police arrested the suspect later that same day.
In Vancouver, a brazen break-in was caught on camera as thieves stole an entire safe from a card shop in August. Inside that safe, staff said there was between $60,000 and $80,000 worth of Pokémon cards, including at least one card valued at nearly $19,000.
Break-in leaves owner questioning future
Settle said she never keeps expensive cards in her shop.
“The most valuable individual card I had is worth $3, but I guess if you steal thousands of them, it adds up,” she said, noting Pokémon cards are the items most often stolen from her shop.
That’s why she doesn’t plan to continue selling them.
In the six years she’s been running the shop, this is the third time she’s had a break-in. Each one brings her a step closer to closing her doors for good.
“Each time this happens, it’s a harder choice to make, and I know lots of similar small businesses just decide it’s not worth it.”
Settle said she is not hopeful she will ever see those Pokémon cards again, but she is asking other collectible shops to keep an eye out for the stolen items.
