A FedEx delivery truck parked near the grading center of Professional Sports Authenticator in Santa Ana was burglarized of rare trading cards valued at nearly $1 million, according to local law enforcement. The Santa Ana Police Department reported that the theft involved two complete pallets containing about 100 packages of cards each, along with roughly 50 additional packages taken from a third pallet. Police stated that authorities were still calculating the precise financial value of the partial third pallet as of Tuesday morning.
The shipment consisted of items sent from collectors across the country to the PSA facility to undergo authentication and grading, a critical process for establishing the market value and collectibility of rare items. The stolen merchandise included sports trading cards, Pokémon cards, and unique one-of-one pieces. According to investigators, the cards had already been graded and processed and were in the process of being returned to their respective owners when the theft occurred.
The incident took place while the FedEx driver was away from the vehicle, which was parked near the facility’s shipping and receiving address at 1610 E. St. Andrew Place. Police noted that the driver left the truck unattended for a period lasting between one and a half hours, during which time the vehicle’s lock was forced open and the packages were removed.
Santa Ana police spokesperson Natalie Garcia confirmed that the investigation remains active. As of Tuesday, law enforcement officials had not made any arrests or recovered any of the stolen property.
In response to the theft, PSA announced that it is implementing measures to block the stolen goods from entering standard secondary markets and retail platforms. The grading company stated that it has deactivated all serial-numbered certificates associated with the stolen merchandise, making it difficult for unauthorized sellers to pass them off as legitimate authenticated items. PSA also stated that its customer service department has reached out directly to affected clients to arrange financial compensation based on fair market value.
In a written communication sent to impacted collectors, PSA outlined its corrective steps, which include working alongside FedEx and law enforcement agencies, notifying digital auction houses and commerce partners to flag the stolen inventory, and reviewing internal shipping protocols to prevent future security lapses.
Independent tracking efforts by collectors and industry figures have attempted to tally the scale of the losses. Nick Andrews, a collector known online as the Boston Card Hunter, stated on social media that the number of reported stolen items surpassed 1,000 by Tuesday morning, noting that a single victim lost cards valued at an estimated $500,000.
Among the affected collectors is a trader identified as Sky-B, who stated in a video that 104 cards accumulated over a two-year period were missing from the shipment. The collection was en route back to Michigan after being certified by PSA when the theft occurred. Sky-B reported spending $8,000 on grading fees, with the shipment carrying insurance coverage of up to $156,000, which he noted fell short of the total market value of the lost items.
Darren Rovell, a longtime sports business reporter and collector, pointed out on social media that high-end collectibles remain vulnerable during transit due to visible indicators on shipping documentation. Rovell noted that shipping labels, declared insurance amounts, and the presence of names like PSA or parent company Collectors on return addresses can inadvertently signal the high value of the contents to potential thieves.
