Thieves steal trading cards valued at $963,000 from Santa Ana truck

Thieves stole hundreds of collectible cards with an estimated value of $963,000 from a FedEx truck outside Professional Sports Authenticator in Santa Ana on Oct. 13, according to police. The exact value of the stolen sports and Pokémon cards remains undetermined, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.

The Orange County theft affected collectors nationwide who had sent cards to PSA for authentication and grading. Its parent company, Collectors, said it was arranging compensation based on fair market value and taking steps to help marketplace partners identify the missing cards.

Santa Ana police outlined the theft in a statement Tuesday, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. The thieves took two entire pallets of cards and additional cards from a third pallet after breaking into the parked truck.

ABC7 cited reporting by The Athletic, which attributed details of the break-in to police sources. That report said the theft occurred while the driver was away from the vehicle for 60 to 90 minutes.

The cards had been submitted to Professional Sports Authenticator, known as PSA, for authentication and grading. Collectors, PSA's parent company, said it deactivated the missing cards' certificates and notified marketplace partners to watch for rare cards and those bearing serial numbers.

Collectors said it had contacted affected customers directly and was arranging compensation using fair market value. FedEx told ABC7 it was cooperating with local law enforcement.

An affected collector using the online handle Sky-B Cards said all 104 cards he had submitted were stolen. He said he had paid more than $8,000 for grading and reported an insured value exceeding $150,000 for the cards, according to ABC7.

No arrests had been announced as of Tuesday. Santa Ana police said the investigation remained ongoing, according to ABC7.