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Recently, a wave of smash-and-grab robberies has targeted Pokémon card shops throughout the UK, driven by the rising value of these collectible cards. One such incident occurred at Celestial Collectables in Warrington, Cheshire, joining a growing list of affected stores including those in Rugby, Bristol, Bournemouth, Peterborough, and Nottingham. These thefts have resulted in tens of thousands of pounds’ worth of stock being stolen, prompting Cheshire Constabulary to collaborate with police forces across the northwest and nationwide to address the issue.
Though Pokémon cards have been a collectible item for around three decades, their popularity surged after the Covid pandemic, especially online. Some of the rarest cards have fetched extraordinary prices, highlighted by a recent auction where Stanley Gibbons Baldwins facilitated the sale of over £1.5 million worth of Pokémon assets. While not all cards command high values, rare items have attracted both collectors and investors. This heightened interest has sadly also caught the attention of criminals seeking easy targets. Roy Raftery, a trading card expert with Stanley Gibbons Baldwins, remarked, “Some of these thieves, they don’t know what they’re taking.” He added, “Thieves know Pokémon is lucrative, they just know Pokémon is worth taking now. And they think it’s an easier target than robbing a bank or robbing a jewellery shop.” Raftery has brokered high-value sales, including an £84,000 Pokémon Trainer card, a £442,800 Charizard, and an £832,000 Pikachu Illustrator.
The recent burglary at Celestial Collectables vividly illustrates the challenge facing these retailers. Owner Chris Grundy recounted how thieves arrived in a transit van, disabled the security cameras with brushes, and smashed through the glass panel, completing the raid in roughly four minutes. Though the shop’s cash and most valuable stock were secured in a safe, the burglars made off with around £60,000 worth of graded cards, single cards, and sealed packs, with collection boxes priced between £40 and £300. Sadly, similar incidents have occurred elsewhere, with Trove UK in Bournemouth losing £30,000 in stock, Full Fire TCG in Gloucester suffering a £25,000 theft, and another Peterborough store reporting losses around £80,000. Detective Inspector Liam Keenan of Cheshire Constabulary acknowledged the wider pattern, stating, “While we’ve only had one incident here in Cheshire, we are aware of others and have linked in with our north west counterparts, along with force areas across the country.”
Despite the distress caused by the break-ins, these events have also revealed a strong sense of community support among collectors and shop owners. Following the burglary at Celestial Collectables, neighboring stores donated stock, and even children brought in their personal collections to help replenish what was lost. Grundy reflected on this unexpected solidarity: “We’ve had people giving us cards, building furniture and cleaning up. A few younger kids coming in with their cards, worth maybe only £3 but to us it meant so much, it made such a difference. It was amazing.” Many of these shops operate as passion projects, run by enthusiasts dedicated to the hobby. Sam Jackway, owner of the Card Catcher Shop in Bristol, shared his own experience of a recent break-in where approximately £2,000 worth of goods were stolen, but he emphasized the deeper impact on mental health: “The distress and mental health complications for myself and staff have been pretty bad.” Both Jackway and Grundy have since upgraded security measures to better protect their businesses. Grundy concluded with resolve, “This was heartbreaking but as a business, as a community we’ll come back from it. We love Pokémon.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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