Rising Pokémon card values fuel smash-and-grab raids on UK shops

A series of smash-and-grab burglaries has hit Pokémon card retailers across the UK, as surging values for the trading cards turn small shops into targets. Recent raids have been reported in Warrington, Rugby, Bristol, Bournemouth, Peterborough and Nottingham, with stores reporting losses running into tens of thousands of pounds.

Celestial Collectibles in Warrington, Cheshire, is among the latest to be struck. Owner Chris Grundy said the burglars pulled up in a transit van, used brushes to push surveillance cameras out of position and smashed through a glass panel. “Then in pretty much four minutes they ransacked the whole shop,” he said, adding that around £40,000 worth of stock was taken.

He learned of the break-in when a customer called late at night to report the shattered window. Grundy said cash and the highest-value items were locked in a safe, but thieves made off with graded cards, single cards and sealed, foiled packs, along with collection boxes priced between £40 and £300.

Cheshire Constabulary said it was in contact with police in the north west and around the UK about the thefts. In a separate incident, Wiltshire Police said a shop in Trowbridge was burgled, “during which a substantial amount of Pokémon cards and other items were stolen”.

Pokémon cards have been traded for 30 years, but interest surged during the pandemic as online attention grew and rare items fetched striking sums. A recent sale by specialist auction house Stanley Gibbons Baldwins saw more than £1.5 million in Pokémon assets change hands.

While most cards are not worth thousands, high-profile deals have attracted both collectors and investors. Earlier this year, YouTuber, wrestler and boxer Logan Paul auctioned an ultra-rare, high-quality Pikachu card for $16.5 million (£12 million).

“Some of these thieves, they don’t know what they’re taking,” said Roy Raftery, a trading card expert at Stanley Gibbons Baldwins, who said he has brokered over £2 million in Pokémon sales, including an £84,000 Pokémon Trainer, a £442,800 Charizard and an £832,000 Pikachu Illustrator.

“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.” As prices continue to climb, police say they are monitoring the trend while retailers count the cost of rapid, targeted raids on their stock.