Pikachu in the crosshairs: Why have Pokémon cards become the target of a wave of thefts in the United Kingdom?

Celestial Collectables, in Warrington, Cheshire, is one of the latest stores to be affected following robberies in the cities of Rugby, Bristol, Bournemouth, Peterborough and Nottingham, among others, in recent weeks.

Tens of thousands of pounds worth of merchandise have been stolen from stores. Cheshire Police told the BBC that they are in contact with police in the North West and across the UK regarding this matter.

Pokémon cards have been collected and traded for 30 years, but since the COVID-19 pandemic they have attracted even more attention online, with some of the rarest ones selling for astronomical sums.

In a recent auction organized by the specialized house Stanley Gibbons Baldwins, more than US$2 million in “Pokémon assets” were moved.

Although most cards are not worth thousands of dollars, high-profile sales of the rarest items have fueled interest from collectors and investors alike.

Earlier this year, YouTuber, wrestler and boxer Logan Paul auctioned off an ultra-rare, high-quality Pikachu card for a record $16.5 million.

However, as the value increases, the attractiveness of the cards to criminals also increases.

“Some of these thieves don’t know what they’re taking,” said Roy Raftery, a trading card expert at Stanley Gibbons Baldwins.

He himself has brokered Pokémon sales worth more than almost $3 million, including a $113,000 Pokémon Trainer card, a $600,000 Charizard, and a $1 million-plus Illustrator Pikachu.

“Thieves know that Pokémon is a lucrative business; they know it’s worth stealing now. And they think it’s an easier target than robbing a bank or a jewelry store.”

Earlier this week, Wiltshire Police reported a robbery at a shop in Trowbridge, where a significant amount of Pokémon cards and other items were stolen.

Unfortunately, Chris Grundy has experienced it firsthand.

The owner of Celestial Collectables in Warrington told the BBC: “They pulled up outside the shop in a van, moved the cameras with brushes and smashed the glass.”

“In just four minutes, they looted the entire store,” he added.

Grundy discovered that his Pokémon card store had been the latest to be robbed when a customer called him late at night to tell him the window had been broken.

“Luckily, all the cash and higher-value letters are in the safe,” he said.

“Most of what they stole were sorted cards, a bunch of loose cards, and a bunch of sealed, glossy-finished envelopes. Collector’s boxes ranging in price from $54 to $405.”

In total, Grundy estimates that merchandise worth approximately US$80,000 was taken.

He is fully aware that Celestial Collectables is just one of many Pokémon card stores that have been robbed.

At Trove UK in Bournemouth, goods worth $40,500 were stolen in a similar theft.

Items worth $34,000 were stolen at Full Fire TCG in Gloucester. Another business in Peterborough reported losing letters and collectibles worth about $108,000.

Detective Inspector Liam Keenan, of Cheshire Police, knows the Warrington robbery is just one of a series of similar attacks.

“Although we have only had one incident here in Cheshire, we are aware of others and have been in contact with our colleagues in the north west as well as police forces across the country,” he told the BBC.

But this is not only the story of small merchants who are the target of thieves willing to destroy their stores to steal the letters, it is also a story of community.

In the days following the theft, Celestial Collectables saw nearby trading card stores donate stock and even children bring their own collections to donate.

Grundy said: “We’ve had people give us cards, set up furniture and help clean up. Some little kids came with their cards, which were maybe only worth $4, but to us it meant a lot, it made a big difference. It was amazing.”

Something that makes these thefts even more distressing is that many of these businesses are, first and foremost, passion projects, open and staffed by people with a genuine love for trading cards like Pokémon.

“We were lucky that we only had about $2,700 worth of items stolen,” said Sam Jackway, owner of the Card Catcher store in Bristol.

“But the distress and mental health issues that I and my employees have suffered have been quite serious.”

His store was robbed in the early hours of Easter Sunday.

“I saw them enter live, since our camera system sent me an alert indicating that there was movement in the store. We have an audible alarm system, a spotlight and cameras that alert us to any problem in the store.”

“[Los ladrones] It only took five minutes to take the items and they were scared by the rest of the security systems. The police and I arrived minutes after they left.”

Chris Grundy said he has now beefed up security at Celestial Collectables and warned other card sellers, and even individual collectors, that they should consider how to protect their collections.

“We have greatly improved our security: different machines, motion detectors, everything.”

“Right now it’s just what we need,” he said. “It was heartbreaking, but as a company and as a community, we will get through this. We love Pokémon.”