Pokémon cards worth 80,000 euros stolen in France

Four masked individuals burglarized the Smogtrade specialty store in Bourgoin-Jallieu, central-eastern France, stealing hundreds of collectible Pokémon cards. The theft occurred around 4:00 AM after the suspects forced the main entrance.

The store manager reported to the AFP that the thieves managed to seize ‘almost all’ of the Pokémon franchise cards before fleeing in a vehicle triggered by the store's alarm. The total value of the stolen items is estimated at approximately 80,000 euros.

This incident follows a trend of high-value thefts targeting the Pokémon trading card market. Similar thefts were reported in Rennes, France, in February 2024, and in the United Kingdom in January, highlighting the increasing vulnerability of rare collectible assets.