Gotta steal 'em all? Game store thieves target Pokemon cards

A wave of nostalgia has driven up the value of Pokemon cards, making them a target for thieves — and Ottawa hobby stores are upping security in response.

"It's getting more and more common for games stores to get broken into, especially on holidays," said Danielle Lavigne, co-owner of Daniereon in Orléans.

Her store was broken into last Canada Day within a month of opening. In a smash-and-grab that Lavigne said lasted just 53 seconds, thieves made off with $10,000 worth of products, including Pokemon cards.

This January, two locations of the Ottawa hobby store GameZetera were burgled within days of each other. Again, Pokemon cards were among the stolen collectibles.

Photos posted by the business showed the thieves employed techniques familiar from jewelry heists: using a vehicle to smash in the storefront at one location, and breaking in through a wall at the other.

Far from being isolated incidents, business owners say the smash-and-grabs are part of a wider trend they have to protect themselves from, or risk the consequences.

Rare cards worth staggering amounts

Thieves seem to target Pokemon cards in particular. The trading cards have been around since the 1990s, part of a Japanese media franchise based on a universe where humans catch and train small monsters to do battle.

Enthusiasts can game with the cards or simply collect them. In recent years their value has soared, with increasingly staggering amounts paid for rare cards, culminating in one 2022 trade by YouTuber Logan Paul that Guinness World Records valued at $5.275 million US.

Ottawa Morning6:42Gotta catch ‘em all: Pokemon cards’ leap in value, dark side of collecting

A local games store ‘Gamezetera’ was robbed twice in one week, and Pokemon cards were among the lifted items. Alexander St-Louis is owner of local trading card store Carta Magica and a long-time player of the Pokemon trading card game. He explains why Pokemon cards have become so valuable.

The fact that the cards are portable, largely untraceable and potentially extremely valuable have made them an attractive target. Lavigne noted they can be flipped easily on Facebook Marketplace.

"A lot of card shops get broken into. We did anticipate it would happen at some point, we just didn't anticipate it happening a month in," she said, adding that her store had since increased its security.

Alexander St-Louis, owner of another local trading card store Carta Magica, also reported being targeted by thieves.

"We have added gates, we have security cameras, we have alarms, we have all the bells and whistles," he said. "This isn't something to cheap out on."

Thefts across Ontario

Recent reports of thefts elsewhere in Ontario show just how much money can be involved.

In October 2024, York regional police in Aurora, Ont., announced they had recovered stolen Pokemon and Magic the Gathering cards worth an estimated $100,000.

In 2023, police in Halton, Ont., recovered Pokemon cards from a haul of stolen goods with an estimated value of $400,000. Police later charged two people over break-ins at collectible stores in Oakville, Burlington, York, London, Brantford and Niagara.

Farther afield, a hobby store owner in Alberta told CBC in 2023 he had stopped stocking Pokemon cards after they proved irresistible to criminals, who broke into his store two times in a year.

Given the prevailing economic conditions, the thefts are unlikely to stop, St-Louis said.

"Times are tough," he said. "Some people would prefer not working and finding an easy solution to grab money and hitting these types of stores maybe seems like an easy thing to do."