Police have warned that with some trading cards going for as much as £20,000 each, these could be far more valuable — and thus more of a target for potential criminals
Crime gangs are targeting Pokémon card shops instead of jewellers after a wave of high-value raids across the UK. Instead of risky smash-and-grabs villains are choosing to strip sellers of the pricey trading cards — exploiting the fact many sellers are independent and lightly protected.
One trader hit for £80,000 in a single break-in said crooks see card stores as ‘under the radar’ goldmines with fewer alarms and eye-watering returns. Juliano Scibelli, 34, whose specialist shop Collectors Corner in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, was ransacked in a night-time raid, said detectives told him the shift is stark.
He said: “People aren’t robbing jewellers anymore — they’re robbing trading card shops. Police said it’s all they’ve been seeing over the last few months.”
Thousands of Pokémon, Magic, Lorcana, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh and sports cards were taken from his shop when a thief smashed through a glass door and zeroed in on the most valuable stock. He left behind cheaper cards which is why Mr Scibelli believes the thief had done his research.
The eventual bill could top £100,000. Mr Scibelli said: “It’s easier to steal trading cards than nicking a car; you can easily get in and out.
“Robbing a trading card shop is a way of getting the most money for the least problems. If you rob your local corner shop you’re going to leave with maybe £1,000. But if you rob a card shop you’re going to get a lot more than at a jeweller’s, it’s a lot more under the radar.”
Pokémon — created in 1996 and approaching its 30th birthday next month — has exploded back into fashion in recent years. The trading cards, linked to the Japanese animation franchise, can be played, collected and traded with rare examples fetching staggering sums.
Mr Scibelli said: “Rare cards can be worth between £10,000 and £20,000. I’d say that 99% of the time the robber has probably scoped out the shop.
“We used to get lovely people who love the hobby. But then we started getting people asking which cards are the best to buy if they want to make money; people know the value in there.”
Mr Scibelli said the emotional toll of the raid has been crushing. “It destroyed me,” he said, “I started by selling £1 cards around 15 years ago and I feel like everything has been shattered because of this.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Mr Scibelli rebuild his business. Cambridgeshire Police said an investigation into the burglary — which happened between 6pm on January 27 and 9am on January 28 — is ongoing.
Across the country, raids have piled up. On December 29 police arrested two suspects after thieves smashed through a brick wall to steal Pokémon cards worth an estimated £10,000 from a warehouse.
Four days later a break-in at Jakes Breaks in Beeston, Nottingham, saw CCTV capture two people smashing their way in and fleeing with thousands of cards, dropping some as they ran. Two arrests were later made and both suspects were bailed.
Footage shows suspects entering the shop before its stock of Pokémon and ‘Magic: The Gathering’ collectable trading cards were taken worth £9,000. Owner Chris Wilmott, 44, said the intruders missed one Pokémon card worth £1,200.
Asked about his reaction to the heist he said: “I was just shocked and disgusted. It was one of frustration, upset and I just felt like crying. Why would they target us? An independent store.”
Just 24 hours later Nottinghamshire Police said card sharks hit The Dice Jail in Southwell and then Sanctuary Gaming Centre & Coffee Shop in Sutton-in-Ashfield the following night. Last year Greater Manchester Police arrested a man after officers recovered a stolen haul of rare Pokémon cards worth an estimated £250,000; and in November 2024 Sussex Police said it returned a stolen Pokémon card valued at up to £30,000 after it was spotted for sale on Facebook.
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