Thieves stole nearly $1 million in sports and Pokémon trading cards from a parked FedEx truck outside Professional Sports Authenticator headquarters in Santa Ana, California. Police report that hundreds of packages across multiple pallets vanished while the driver was away, prompting card grading service PSA to deactivate stolen certificates and arrange compensation.
A routine transport run from a major collectible authentication center turned into one of the largest trading card thefts in recent memory when thieves targeted a delivery vehicle in Southern California. The Santa Ana Police Department responded on October 13, 2026, to the shipping facility operated by Professional Sports Authenticator after hundreds of packages vanished from a FedEx truck.
Police spokesperson Natalie Garcia stated that the stolen cargo included two full pallets of cards and a third that was disrupted while the vehicle was parked near the company’s headquarters on East St. Andrew Place. The driver had reportedly stepped away from the truck for a window lasting between 60 and 90 minutes, during which time suspects broke the vehicle’s lock.
The FedEx heist is bigger than we think. Just one card alone in the truck, c07 Roronoa Zoro PSA 10 pop 12, was valued at 500k and it was being transported to its final destination in that truck.I believe that the value of that truck was in the mid 7 digits, obviously who ever… pic.twitter.com/evZXR7Bkii
— https://x.com/Tortugo/status/2112163590400549148
Scale of the Santa Ana Heist and Missing Collectibles
While initial estimates placed the financial damage in the six-figure range, authorities later set the preliminary value of the two stolen pallets at $963,000. With approximately 50 additional packages taken from the disrupted third pallet, investigators warn that the final tally could easily clear the million-dollar mark once every remaining box is fully scanned and accounted for.
Collectors tracking the incident online have mobilized to document the missing items. Nick Andrews, known publicly as the Boston Card Hunter, compiled a running list of stolen serialized cards that reached 383 entries by Monday evening. The registry includes high-value rarities such as a 1995 Upper Deck 23K Gold Michael Jordan card with a 50,000 print run and a 2024 One Piece Simplified Chinese 1st Anniversary Set Nami card.
"We will compensate you for the items from your order that were involved, which is based on fair market value up to the Maximum Insured Value ("MIV") you selected for each item." @natsturner, I pray you handle this and take care of everyone affected in the most professional… pic.twitter.com/2U3zp6lYR5
— https://x.com/SKYBCards/status/2111554003276341339
Collector SKY-B Loses Cards Valued over $150,000
Individual hobbyists absorbed devastating financial and sentimental losses in the burglary. Content creator SKY-B revealed that his entire 104-card submission—accumulated over two years and valued at over $150,000—was among the stolen freight. He had hand-delivered the cards to PSA at the National Card Show in July, paid $8,000 in grading fees, and insured the return shipment up to $156,000.
These were 104 cards that I’ve accumulated over two years. There are many irreplaceable cards in here that I will never see again. And, honestly, that’s what hurts the most — outside of obviously being absolutely financially destroyed here.
Sky-B, card collector, via NBC News
Other collectors reported similar nightmares across social media platforms. One Reddit user noted that a PSA 9 copy of the Smaug the Magnificent Gleaming Gold card from Magic: The Gathering was stolen during its return trip after the owner had personally delivered it to a Miami convention specifically to avoid mailing risks.
PSA Deactivates Certificates to Stop Stolen Item Resale
In response to the breach, PSA emphasized that its internal facility was untouched and that the burglary occurred after the cargo entered the custody of the third-party carrier. The authentication leader outlined immediate steps to neutralize the resale value of the stolen inventory.
We have deactivated the certificates for the stolen items and notified marketplace partners so they can be on the lookout for rare and serialized items. Our customer service team has contacted affected customers directly and is arranging compensation based on fair market value.
Spokesperson, Professional Sports Authenticator, via Sports Illustrated
FedEx issued a brief statement regarding the ongoing criminal inquiry, noting that the security of our customers’ shipments is a top priority, and we are working with local law enforcement in their investigation
as questions mount over how thieves managed to target a high-value transport vehicle in broad daylight.
PSA just emailed me letting me know that FedEx STOLE my 104 card submission. Over $100,000 in cards just gone….💔💔💔
— https://x.com/SKYBCards/status/2111547379480473623
Santa Ana Police Investigation Status
As the investigation extends into its second week, Santa Ana police confirmed that no arrests have been announced and none of the stolen grading slabs have been recovered. Investigators continue to process remaining inventory packages to establish a final total for the missing property.
More on FedEx
Completely understand the fire PSA is under for the FedEx truck theft. But the biggest threats don't lie with PSA.They lie with inside jobs and third party carriers. The biggest threat of your cards going missing happens when you insure a package for $50K and leave the…
— https://x.com/darrenrovell/status/2112307784922390780