Thieves stole an estimated $963,000 in trading cards from a FedEx truck outside Professional Sports Authenticator in Santa Ana last week, triggering a police response and a company review of the cards tied to its grading process. The theft involved sports, Pokémon and other cards moving through the FedEx truck stolen trading cards PSA pipeline back to customers.
Santa Ana police response
Santa Ana police spokesperson Natalie Garcia said officers responded Tuesday to Professional Sports Authenticator in Santa Ana about the theft. She said the load included two pallets of cards and a third pallet that was disrupted, and she said the value of the stolen goods could rise. Santa Ana is about 33 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
The cards were in transit after grading, which is why the loss extends beyond one shipment. Professional Sports Authenticator said it was working with investigators, deactivated the stolen cards' certificates and notified marketplace partners to watch for rare and serialized items. In its statement, the company said, “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”
Sky-B cards and fees
Nick Andrews said on X that there are multiple victims of the theft, and he said one victim lost $500,000 worth of cards. He also compiled a list of cards claimed to have been taken that numbered as high as 383 on Monday evening. Among the cards named in that list were a 1995 Upper Deck 23K Gold Michael Jordan card and a 2024 One Piece Simplified Chinese 1st Anniversary Set Nami.
Sky-B said he lost 104 cards in the theft and said they had been dropped off at Professional Sports Authenticator, where they were certified and started their journey back to him in Michigan. He said, “These were 104 cards that I’ve accumulated over two years” and said he paid $8,000 in grading fees.
He said his cards were insured up to $156,000, but he also said the cards had likely increased in value after grading. In a separate statement, he said, “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.”
FedEx and investigators
FedEx said, “The security of our customers' shipments is a top priority, and we are working with local law enforcement in their investigation.” The company response leaves affected owners with a narrow practical path: track the deactivation notice through marketplace channels, keep insurance records tied to the graded cards and expect investigators to keep working the case.
For collectors, the immediate issue is whether any listed card appears in resale channels after the theft. The deactivated certificates give buyers and sellers a way to flag suspicious items, while the company’s promise to return grading fees and fair market value addresses only the paperwork tied to the loss, not the missing cards themselves.
