Three local collectible stores in the Triangle were robbed in the past week. The thief did not take cash or technology, just Pokémon cards.
“Somebody came through the front door, looks like with a bag of rocks. Smashed the door and went straight to the showcase,” said Joseph Lisa, co-owner of Crunch Time Sports Cards.
Lisa tells WRAL the thief walked away with over $6,000 worth of inventory.
Two other collectible shops in the area were hit: Hidden Block Games and New World Toys and Collectibles. They were robbed in almost the same way as Crunch Time and reported thousands of dollars of inventory stolen.
“I would assume that the person who did this has been in the store before, kind of knew what we kept,” said Josh Hanna, co-owner of Hidden Block Games.
Pokémon cards have been popular for decades, but recent printings have caused the hobby to skyrocket. In the nearly 30 years the hobby has existed, more than 75 billion Pokémon cards have been printed, with more than 50% of the card printings coming since 2021.
It can also be a lucrative opportunity for those looking to invest. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Pokémon cards, which pay no dividends and aren’t subject to financial regulations that stocks or real estate would be, can have a 3,821% monthly return on an investment, outpacing Meta platforms, baseball cards and the S&P 500.
Even some more modern sets have cards that routinely sell for hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, leading many fans of the franchise and collectors waiting outside of stores hours ahead of a new product release.
Shop owners tell WRAL robberies like this have occurred around the country, and in light of that store owners are amping up security. Some are investing in more cameras, others are installing reinforced glass windows and doors.
“The whole staff has an incredible passion for the store, for the product that we sell. So when something like this happens, it’s just shocking, it’s unfortunate, and we just have to kind of rebuild from it,” said Kenny Cunningham, employee at New World Toys and Collectibles.
As of Friday, no one has been arrested in connection with any of the robberies. Store owners say many of the Pokémon Cards stolen are valuable and easily identifiable, and they hope that when and if the thief attempts to sell the cards, it will lead to an arrest.
Anyone with information related to the robberies at Crunch Time and Hidden Block is asked to contact Raleigh Police. Anyone with information related to the robbery at New World is asked to contact the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office.