Pokémon cards worth £250k stolen in “targeted attack”
Pokémon cards worth more than £250,000 have been stolen from a UK-based grading company in a “targeted attack”.
Ace Grading is a company that appraises Pokémon and other types of playing cards before giving them a rating out of ten, which can drastically improve their value when compared to a “raw”, ungraded variant of the same card.
However earlier this week, Ace Grading emailed customers to inform them of a break-in. “Our offices were the target of a professional theft. During this incident, certain cards belonging to some of our submitters were taken. This was not a random or opportunistic crime; it was a calculated and targeted attack,” read an official statement from the company, which is run by YouTuber Randolph.
Major Break in at Ace Grading pic.twitter.com/OBTjmyTxkP
— Randolph (@RandolphUK) December 17, 2024
“[The Pokémon cards are] “valuable, but they’re also really sentimental,” Randolph told the BBC, with £250,000 worth of cards taken. “Having some respect for these cards is really important, their value is really underestimated. To those who they’re important to, they really are so important,” he added.
“In light of this event, we have implemented additional, robust security measures to further protect your property and maintain the integrity of our facility. We take these matters extremely seriously and remain committed to the trust that you have placed in us. With your continued support, Ace Grading will remain a cornerstone of the card-collecting community.“
R.I.P to my 2 shiny bubble mew ex from Paldean Fates that I submitted to @ace_grading and that got stolen, you were my favourite card ever and now gone forever, never going to pull another one again never mind 2
— Casey Wright (@Casey_Wright_8) December 17, 2024
Affected customers have been emailed to discuss compensation based on “fair market value”. However some fans feel their cards have been undervalued, with the pay-out based on their raw value and not what they could have been worth post-grading. “Awful news but seeing some of the ‘compensation’ being offered is terrible,” wrote one user.
“I submitted 18 F1 Topps chrome 2023 cards. One of those cards was a signed Hamilton red refractor numbered one of five,” said another user. “The base card version (not numbered) raw value of this card alone has fetched for a couple of grand, in £ – keep in mind, mine is numbered. For all 18 cards I submitted, I was offered a compensation of £250.”
“If you are affected by this, review their policy here before agreeing to any payouts,” explained the mod of the Pokémon Trading Card Game subreddit. “Insurance companies’ interests are usually to keep as much money for themselves as possible and it’s on the claimant to fight for as much as they can get, please give any valuations accurately to help things move along as smoothly as possible for them.”
In other news, Call Of Duty had admitted that its anti-cheat software “did not hit the mark” during the launch of Black Ops 6’s first season.
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Ali Shutler
NME
