Police in Santa Ana, California, are investigating the theft of trading cards estimated to be worth $963,000 after two pallets of packages were taken from a FedEx truck outside the offices of Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA).
The incident occurred on October 13 at the company’s shipping and receiving location.
Authorities said two pallets were stolen from the vehicle, while a third pallet was disrupted during the incident.
The missing collectibles are believed to include sports trading cards and Pokémon cards, although the specific items and total number of cards stolen have not been publicly disclosed.
According to the Santa Ana Police Department, the precise value of the stolen merchandise remains uncertain because the remaining boxes had not yet been scanned.
Thieves Broke Into Locked FedEx Vehicle
Investigators said a FedEx driver parked the truck at PSA’s shipping and receiving address before leaving the vehicle unattended.
The truck remained at the location for between 60 and 90 minutes.
During that period, the vehicle’s lock was broken, and the packages were taken while the driver was away.
No arrests have been announced, and the stolen items have not been recovered.
Police have yet to establish the full extent of the losses or disclose the complete inventory of the missing collectibles.
PSA Deactivates Certificates Linked to Stolen Cards
PSA has pledged to cooperate fully with the ongoing police investigation and is using its own systems to help identify and track the missing items.
In a statement, the company said it had deactivated the certificates associated with the stolen merchandise and notified marketplace partners to watch for the missing collectibles.
“We have deactivated the certificates for the stolen items and notified marketplace partners so they can be on the lookout for rare and serialized items,” the company said.
PSA also confirmed that its customer service team had contacted the affected customers directly and was arranging compensation.
“Our customer service team has contacted affected customers directly and is arranging compensation based on fair market value,” the company stated.
Collector Reports Losing More Than $100,000 in Cards
Among those affected is Skyler, a YouTuber known as SKY-B Cards, who told CBS Los Angeles that he had lost more than $100,000 worth of trading cards in the theft.
Skyler said the missing shipment contained 104 cards, including extremely rare collectibles known as case hits and one-of-one cards, which have only a single copy in existence.
He explained that he had planned to sell approximately half of the cards, while keeping the rest in his personal collection.
“There were cards in that order that you can’t replace,” he said.
“It’s the worst feeling I’ve ever experienced, honestly.”
Skyler also expressed concern about the compensation being offered to affected collectors, saying some customers had allegedly received offers from PSA that they considered too low.
He said the company’s assessment of fair market value might not reflect the prices collectors could have obtained through auctions or private sales.
In a subsequent YouTube update, Skyler said he was hoping for the best possible outcome and that PSA would take care of everyone affected by the incident.
FedEx Pledges Cooperation With Investigation
FedEx has also committed to assisting police with the investigation into the stolen shipment.
The shipping company said the security of customers’ packages remained a top priority.
PSA is one of the leading third-party authentication and grading companies in the collectibles industry.
It evaluates trading cards and other collectibles, providing assessments that can influence their market value.
The investigation into the October 13 theft remains ongoing, with the missing cards yet to be recovered and no arrests reported.
