Trading cards linked to the Pokémon franchise have surged in value and popularity, prompting a rise in thefts from shops, warehouses and private collections. Once seen mainly as a nostalgic pastime, some cards are now sold for thousands of pounds and can be rapidly flipped on secondary markets, making them attractive to criminals.
Recent incidents and police investigations
Spate of break-ins in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire has recorded several high-profile incidents in recent weeks. On 29 December, two people were arrested after thieves smashed through a brick wall to steal cards from a warehouse; the haul was estimated at about £10,000. Police used CCTV to trace a van to a storage yard and say the suspects were “caught red-handed” moving boxes.
Other local incidents include a burglary at Jakes Breaks trading card shop, where CCTV showed two people breaking in and fleeing after taking thousands of Pokémon and other collectible cards, and thefts at The Dice Jail on 25 December and Sanctuary Gaming Centre & Coffee Shop on 26 December.
Ch Insp Paul Hennessy said: “We have identified a number of potential suspects – and our inquiries remain ongoing. The instances are clearly very similar in nature, and at this time, although we are not linking them, we are keeping an open mind.”
Related offences elsewhere
These crimes are not confined to Nottinghamshire. In May, Greater Manchester Police arrested a man after officers found a stolen collection of rare Pokémon cards worth an estimated £250,000. In November 2024, Sussex Police recovered a rare card valued at up to £30,000 after it was listed for sale online.
Why the cards are so desirable
Nostalgia, scarcity and celebrity culture
Traders and shop owners point to a mix of factors driving demand. Many collectors are motivated by nostalgia: items from the 1990s are being treated as vintage. Lee Fowler, director of Phantom Cards UK, said, “Most of us were mad for Pokémon back in the day and it just brings back all the memories,” and added, “It gets hard for me to get packets now.”
Ashley Hudson, director of Silver Fox antique shop, said celebrity exposure helped accelerate interest. “That ignited the Pokémon market overnight,” he said, referring to high-profile displays of rare cards by internet personalities. Hudson described some cards as a “liquid asset”.
Social media and speculative buying
Amy Wosley, manager of the Dice Cup board game cafe, said celebrity and influencer content brought new buyers into the market but not always for the right reasons. “They don’t like the hobby. They’re not into the hobby for the passion, for the Pokémon and for the nostalgia that we’ve built over the years,” she said. “They are trying to make a quick buck and unfortunately, I think some of those influences have been large, especially when you have the likes of Logan Paul who are saying, ‘look how much money these cards are worth’.”
Wosley compared the trend to the speculative trading seen in limited-edition trainers: “Pokémon’s almost become a little bit like that.”
Market mechanics and criminal opportunity
Experts say two conditions make cards attractive to thieves: rising financial value and ease of resale. The Certified Trading Card Association has warned of a “large rise” in thefts targeting trading card retailers in the United States, calling cards both “high value” and “highly liquid” and noting items can be hard to trace once on secondary markets.
Nick Jarman, chief executive of the Certified Trading Card Association, said: “We’ve seen the continued growth of online resale, and so that’s really lowered the friction for criminals because stolen goods are being moved very quickly across platforms and borders.”
A market analysis cited by traders valued the global trading-card industry in the billions and forecast further growth through the end of the decade.
Academic view and changing criminal behaviour
Prof Emmeline Taylor, a criminologist at City St George’s, University of London, said amid what she described as a “retail crime epidemic” criminals are focusing more precisely on items they can steal in bulk and sell quickly for profit. “I think that’s where we’re seeing this step change and that emphasis on items that are very desirable, collectable and also increasing in price,” she told reporters.
She explained that some offenders have become what she calls “shoplifting entrepreneurs”: people who know how to move desirable items into the right markets almost immediately. “They’re individuals that we would not necessarily expect to steal or commit other offences,” she added. “That’s why we’re seeing this sort of shift in criminal behaviour.”
Impact on small businesses and collectors
Shop owners and community venues say repeated thefts are damaging and demoralising. Wosley described the effect on her café: “It’s just really disheartening because it’s such a delightful hobby and it’s so wholesome and then moments like that really break your heart.”
Retail crime statistics show shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales rose by 13% in the year to June 2025, with 529,994 incidents recorded by the Office for National Statistics.
Outlook
As the trading-card market continues to expand and trading platforms make resale easier, both retailers and law enforcement face new challenges in deterring and detecting theft. Traders hope that increased supply from recent product releases will help stabilise prices and reduce scarcity, while police pursue enquiries into theft rings and individuals believed to be profiting from stolen collectibles.
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