A bunch of armed males robbed a Pokemon TCG retailer in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District throughout a mid-January 2026 group occasion. The smash-and-grab is estimated to have resulted in six figures’ value of stolen Pokemon merchandise and dozens of shaken clients.
The goal of the theft was Poke Courtroom, which opened its doorways to the general public in November 2025. The shop makes a speciality of valuable Pokemon TCG cards, with its stock together with a rotating choice of English, Japanese, and Chinese language playing cards. It additionally sells general-purpose TCG equipment and toys. On Wednesday, January 14, Poke Courtroom held an occasion referred to as High Loader Adorning Night time, inviting followers to return customise their laborious card sleeves with supplies supplied on website.
Pokemon TCG Fans Help Police Arrest Card Thief
Tales of Pokemon TCG playing cards being stolen by malicious individuals have sadly grow to be widespread, however this time one in all them has a contented ending.
Armed Robbers Steal Over $100,000 Price of Pokemon Playing cards
The humanities and crafts exercise was minimize brief when a number of armed robbers crashed the occasion, brandished weapons, and emptied the shop of its high-value merchandise whereas holding roughly 40 individuals at gunpoint. Surveillance footage reveals one of many robbers utilizing a hammer to systemically smash the show home windows the place Poke Courtroom’s most valuable Pokemon cards had been held, whereas one other helps with the looting. Your complete theft lasted about three minutes, with Poke Courtroom proprietor Courtney Chin estimating the thieves made off with greater than $100,000 value of merchandise, having stated as a lot in a press release to ABC. No clients had been bodily harm within the course of.
Pokemon Playing cards Confirmed Stolen from Poke Courtroom
|
Card |
No. |
Set |
Grade |
Est. Worth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Treecko Holo [Gold Star] |
109 |
Ex Group Rocket Returns |
PSA 8 |
$3,600 |
|
Mudkip Holo [Gold Star] |
107 |
Ex Group Rocket Returns |
PSA 8 |
$4,500 |
|
Charizard Holo |
4 |
1st Version Base Set |
PSA 5 |
$7,200 |
|
Pikachu Holo [Gold Star] |
104 |
EX Holon Phantoms |
PSA 6 |
$3,300 |
|
Charizard Holo |
89 |
Mysterious Mountains [Japanese] |
PSA 10 |
$23,000 |
|
Ho-Oh |
149 |
Skyridge |
PSA 9 |
$4,000 |
|
M Charizard EX Holo |
12 |
Pokemon Generations |
PSA 10 |
$2,200 |
The worth estimates are primarily based on lately realized eBay costs of playing cards with matching grades.
Poke Courtroom took to social media on January 15 to share particulars of a few of the playing cards stolen in the course of the heist. Probably the most precious amongst them is a PSA 10-graded Charizard holo from Mysterious Mountains, a Japanese-exclusive set that partially corresponds to the English-language Skyridge enlargement from the sport’s e-Card period within the early 2000s. This explicit variant in mint situation is estimated to be value $23,000. The robbers additionally obtained away with a PSA 5-graded Pokemon TCG 1st Edition Charizard with a PSA 5 grade, valued at over $7,000. Their Charizard haul alone is estimated to be value over $30,000.
The checklist of stolen merchandise additionally contains the Groudon version of a booster pack from Double Disaster, a special Pokemon TCG expansion launched in early 2015. Whereas this merchandise is simply too area of interest and sometimes traded to offer a dependable market estimate, Recreation Rant found one public sale document for a Kyogre and Shelly variant of the identical pack with a PSA 10 grade, which offered for $636.01 in November 2025. The stolen pack was graded PSA 8, suggesting it will seemingly be valued under that quantity. Poke Courtroom additionally reported the theft of a PSA 8-graded EX Legend Maker pack that includes Arcanine art work. Whereas this pack is traded extra regularly than the Double Disaster one, its particular grade lacks a latest direct comparability primarily based on a realized sale in latest historical past. The 2 closest reference factors are PSA 6 and PSA 10 EX Legend Maker packs, which offered for $287.03 and $679.99, respectively, since early 2025.
Whereas preliminary stories indicated that three people had been concerned, newly launched surveillance footage reveals 4 perpetrators. Though probably the most precious stolen playing cards had been encased in graded holders that may be tracked and verified as stolen, their theft suggests the suspects could try to crack the instances, presumably to resubmit them for grading or promote them ungraded. Within the case of high-value playing cards such because the aforementioned Charizard variants, even a low-grade resubmission might considerably improve their resale worth. Poke Courtroom reopened on Thursday, January 15, with all suspects nonetheless at massive.
Sources: PriceCharting, PSA Card
