Thief makes off with $110,000 worth of rare Pokémon cards
Andre said he learned about the burglary
after employees from a coffee shop next door saw the smashed glass door and called him around 5:45 a.m.
'We came down directly after to gather the footage and get the police involved,' he said.
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Andre said the store has insurance and he filed a claim 'the minute' he got the police report.
As Pokémon grows in popularity, robberies like this one have 'been popping up all over the country,' Andre said.
Last month, FOX35 Orlando reported
In May, a suspect
In April,
Police in New Bedford did not confirm the value of the stolen cards. No arrests have been made.
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Fox News
3 days ago
- Fox News
Massachusetts man allegedly busted with huge haul of rare Pokemon cards after daring theft
A Massachusetts man has been arrested for allegedly stealing $113,000 worth of Pokémon cards and collectibles from a shop in a smash-and-grab heist. Richard Jovahn Nunes, 24, was taken into custody in Taunton on Monday and charged with six counts of receiving stolen property over $1,200, the New Bedford Police Department said. "I appreciate the support of the Taunton Police Department in helping bring this case to a successful resolution," said police Chief Jason Thody. "I also want to thank Detective Nicole Rodriguez for her solid investigative work and persistence in following up on leads that ultimately led to an arrest and the recovery of stolen property." The investigation into the theft began on July 8 when officers responded to a break-in at 1st Edition Collectible. Surveillance footage obtained by WPRI-TV shows someone wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a mask smashing through the glass front door. The suspect climbed through the shattered door and opened a display case before putting collectibles into a backpack and running back out the front door. The theft lasted around 30 seconds, the report states. On Monday, New Bedford police Detective Nicole Rodriguez got a lead after someone, later identified as Nunes, allegedly attempted to sell a Base Set Unlimited Green Wings Booster Box, valued at $30,000, which matched an item that was stolen during the burglary. Later that day, Rodriguez was contacted by an unidentified location in Taunton that reported Nunes allegedly had tried selling Pokémon cards in a separate attempt, police said. "Based on the rarity and value of the booster boxes involved, detectives determined that it was highly unlikely the same person would possess both without being connected to the original theft," a police statement said. Nunes was arrested soon after. At the time, he had a warrant for a felony, police said. A search of an apartment where Nunes had been staying yielded a shoebox containing serialized and graded Pokémon cards matching those stolen from 1st Edition Collectibles, authorities said. The cards found in the apartment were identified as: In a Facebook post, 1st Edition Collectibles thanked the police and other collectible shops in the area. The store also announced that proceeds from sales of its "Comeback Collection T-shirts" will be donated to charity. "Crime Doesn't Pay and Karma is Real," the post states. In Florida, a trading card shop took a big hit on Monday after a masked suspect broke into the business and stole nearly $30,000 worth of Pokémon cards. Within 75 seconds, a suspect stole between $25,000 and $30,000 worth of rare Pokémon cards, according to FOX 35 Orlando.
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Boston Globe
‘What's the point of stealing a million-dollar Rembrandt if you don't have a buyer?' Police charge man in Pokémon card heist
Vieira said he doesn't believe police arrested the man who broke into his store on July 8, since he was is too tall to fit under the push bar of the store, as the burglar did. 'I don't think he was the person who was in the store,' he said. 'It's still an open case.' Advertisement But all of the stolen Pokémon merchandise, valued at more than $110,000, is in good condition and has been accounted for, he said. A masked thief stole the collectibles overnight on July 8 after breaking a glass door at the shop. Vieira said the thief was apparently not very clever, because he tried to sell the merchandise to other local stores who were on the lookout for it. 'What's the point of stealing a million-dollar Rembrandt if you don't have a buyer?' he said. 'He wasn't very smart. There was a very easy way ... to get rid of all this stuff, and no one would have ever caught him.' After receiving tips from other stores, police arrested Richard Jovahn Nunes, 24, on Monday, authorities said. Advertisement Further investigation led police to an apartment in Dartmouth where Nunes was staying, according to police. There, officers discovered several high-value Pokémon cards stuffed in a shoebox, police said. Vieira said two previously sealed boxes of cards were opened, but the cards were otherwise in good condition. Nunes was charged with six counts of receiving stolen property over $1,200, police said. Police said the case remains under investigation. Since the burglary, Vieira said the shop has been selling T-shirts to 'recoup funds.' Now, with the merchandise found, he said all the revenue from T-shirt sales will support a Massachusetts children's charity. 'Crime doesn't pay,' he said. 'To steal from a small business, I mean come on, what are we doing now?' Truman Dickerson can be reached at
USA Today
17-07-2025
- USA Today
Collectibles shop loses more than $100K worth of Pokémon cards in burglary
"The community outreach, it's been the silver lining throughout this whole process," Will Gilmour said. A Massachusetts collectibles shop is preparing to reopen after more than $100,000 worth of Pokémon cards were stolen last week, a store owner says. Between $110,000 and $130,000 worth of individual first edition and boxed Pokémon cards were stolen from 1st Edition Collectibles, a toy and game shop in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, July 8, co-owner Will Gilmour told USA TODAY. A person broke into the store at around 2:30 a.m. local time, shoving the high-priced items inside a backpack before making his escape. 1st Edition Collectibles specializes in collectible trading card games, with an emphasis on Pokémon. Gilmour said the shop also sells figurines, like Funko Pops, vintage video games and consoles, and sports trading cards. After being closed for more than a week to clean up and install a new security system, 1st Edition Collectibles is reopening on Friday, July 18. The re-opening coincides with the release of the new Pokémon trading card deck "Scarlet & Violet – Black Bolt" and "Scarlet & Violet – White Flare," which the shop is celebrating. As of Wednesday, July 16, the burglary remained under investigation and no arrests had been made, New Bedford Police Department Media Relations Specialist Holly Huntoon told USA TODAY. Police: Man stabbed with 'broken shards of glass' after fight over Pokemon cards What was stolen? The following items were stolen from 1st Edition Collectibles, per the shop's social media: 'I need this': Fans react as Lego and Pokémon announce new partnership starting in 2026 How to help: Keep an eye on serial numbers Even if you're not in Massachusetts, there are ways to help. Gilmour said each Pokémon card is issued a certification, or serial, number, which can be used to identify a specific card. 1st Edition Collectibles provided the following certification numbers for the stolen merchandise: All certified cards can be searched on the Professional Sports Authenticator website. The stolen cards have been deactivated on the website, Gilmour said, to indicate they are missing. The best way to identify the box sets is by their wrappings, if they have not been opened, Gilmour said. "I like to think of those wraps as fingerprints because the wrap has the Wizard of the Coast (a role-playing game publisher) logo on them and every box is unique because that wrap has a different placement on it," he added. "If you look up a picture of our box versus the same box, you'll see the logos maybe shifted a little bit on the wrapper just for the nature of how it was wrapped." And finally, Gilmour said the stolen cards were rare, not ones an average collector would have. If a rare card comes across your desk, make sure to inquire where it came from, he advised. Shop launches cheeky t-shirts to make light of burglary, raise money To make light of the loss and help recover financially, 1st Edition Collectibles has released two t-shirts under what the shop has deemed "The Comeback Collection." One of the shirts sports Pokémon character Officer Jenny with the words "Crime Doesn't Pay." The other features the Pokémon Charizard holding a golden goblet that reads: "Chasing Grails." Both shirts are $35 each, and all of the proceeds will go back to recovery. "We figured with all the exposure, this would be a good time to put something out there for the community to really show their support, help us recover financially to be able to put this back into revamping the security systems, revamping – we've got to fix the door, we have to recover inventory losses – and really possibly considering moving," Gilmour said. The silver lining Gilmour opened 1st Edition Collectibles along with high school friends, Filipe Andre and Sean Vieira, about four and a half years ago. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when trading card games saw an uptick in sales because of the lockdown, the trio also reconnected with a "nostalgic feeling from when we were (children) and opening packs and things like that," he said. "After collecting for a couple of years that way and really finding a love and passion for the hobby, (we) decided to make a little passion project and open up the store ourselves," Gilmour added. Despite the recent financial loss, Gilmour said the support the shop has received, locally and nationwide, has been tremendous. "The community outreach, it's been the silver lining throughout this whole process," Gilmour said. "It's just seeing everybody reaching out, supporting us, sharing their stories, offering advice, guidance, tips. It's good to see that we are so well loved within the community and that everything that we've been doing for the last four and a half, five years has really touched so many people that they're willing to support us like this." Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
