Hundreds of PSA-graded trading cards worth more than $100,000 were reportedly stolen from a FedEx truck over the weekend, leaving collectors distraught — and the damage is still being calculated.

On October 17, a collector named SKY-B posted on Twitter/X claiming that PSA had notified him via email that a FedEx truck carrying his 104-card collection had been burglarized after leaving its Southern California location. According to SKY-B, more than $100,000 worth of cards had been taken.

In its email, which SKY-B shared in a reply, PSA outlined steps it had taken to rectify the situation as best as possible, saying it had deactivated certificates for the affected items, notified its commerce partners of the stolen cards, and is actively working with both FedEx and law enforcement to investigate the theft.

PSA also stated that it would compensate SKY-B for the items in his collection, the monetary amount for which is “based on fair market value up to the Maximum Insured Value” he selected for each item.

In a YouTube video, SKY-B explained that the stolen order had taken him more than two years to accumulate, which included “many irreplaceable cards” that he fears he’ll never see again. He said that he hand-delivered the cards to PSA to be graded at the National Card Show in July, and three months later, his extensive collection could be lining the pockets of the thieves who stole it.

SKY-B says he spent $8,000 to have the cards graded, which had a maximum insurance value of $156,000 each. The collector claimed that several of the cards in his collection exceeded this maximum value, but says that he wasn’t “upcharged” by PSA because of this — making him worry that the company will “destroy” him with “low-ball values” of all his cards.

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“Honestly, that’s what hurts the most, outside of obviously being absolutely financially destroyed here,” he said, referring to likely never seeing his carefully-curated collection again. “…I am currently out all of the money that it cost to acquire these cards, I’m out all the PSA grading fees, and I don’t have and I probably will never see any of these cards in person.”

SKY-B wasn’t the only one impacted by the FedEx truck theft; content creator and fellow collector Boston Card Hunter claimed that he was approached by a “major PSA dealer” who told him that customers had lost an estimated “$500K of declared value.”

After speaking with other affected dealers and collectors, Boston Card Hunter stated that FedEx trucks have now become targets for thieves, and speculated that dealers might handle their own shipping and handling from PSA moving forward.

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Currently, Boston Card Hunter has compiled a list of 383 serialized cards that were allegedly stolen from this FedEx truck, which include a 1995 Upper Deck 23K Gold Michael Jordan 50,000 Print Run, a 2024 One Piece Simplified Chinese 1st Anniversary Set Nami, and many other cards from various anime series, trading card games, and sports figures.

Over on Reddit, other card collectors claimed to have also been victims of the FedEx theft, with one saying their PSA 9 Smaug the Magnificent card from Magic: The Gathering had been burgled.

In a statement to IGN, PSA reiterated the steps it has taken to help law enforcement and FedEx recover the items and investigate the theft, as well as contacting customers to compensate them based on fair market value.

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PSA’s full statement is as follows:

“We are aware of a theft involving a third-party shipping vehicle carrying PSA-graded items. We are working closely with law enforcement and the carrier as the investigation continues.

“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. Our customer service team has contacted affected customers directly and is arranging compensation based on fair market value.

“We understand the impact this has on collectors involved, many of whom see these cards as far more than a financial asset. Our team is focused on supporting them. We take this incident seriously, and we will continue working with law enforcement to hold those responsible accountable.”

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This is the latest development to go viral within the card collecting community after Pokemon TCG collectors were put on blast for offering to trade their purebred puppies in exchange for cards at two separate card shows.

Image Credits: Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze. 

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