Pokémon cards have once again become the target of an expensive robbery, this time in Tokyo over the past weekend.
Over $100,000 worth of Pokémon TCG cards and products were very suddenly stolen from a trade store in Ikebukuro, Tokyo on Dec. 10, as reported by PokeBeach. The store, called Trading Card Highlight, was targetted by two masked robbers who stormed the premises after hours, smashing several displays and taking off with cards. This incident was captured on security cameras at the shop and shared by PokeBeach.
More than 300 Pokémon cards were taken in the robbery and the store says they are together worth 20 million Yen (about $140,000 USD). From the footage it appears the cards taken were singles, suggesting these were rare cards, which would make sense given the estimated value and comments made by a store employee.
Speaking to PokeBeach, one employee at Trading Card Highlight says the expensive cards were not able to fit inside a safe, so instead they were placed in the glass cabinet which can be seen being smashed in the video.
During the robbery, the thieves stuffed the cards into a backpack, ignoring the alarms sounding, and took off soon after they arrived. According to PokeBeach, police arrived on the scene within minutes of the store’s alarm system sounding, however, they were unable to find the thieves. The store’s cash register was left untouched, with only cards taken.
This isn’t the first Pokémon TCG-related robbery that we’ve seen and it likely won’t be the last. As the popularity of Pokémon cards rises both in Japan and the West the resale price of rare cards continues to rise, making them prime for foul play. Trading Card Highlight is currently closed, but the team has plans to open back up as soon as they can.
Published: Dec 13, 2023 06:18 pm