The ‘liquid asset’ increasingly attracting criminals

Pokémon is a household name around the world, from games to TV to trading cards; It has had a huge impact on the world since its creation and launch in 1996.

As the cultural phenomenon approaches its 30th anniversary on February 27 – a series of thefts It has recently been reported to be targeting gaming stores across the UK that sell the world-famous trading cards.

Cards related to the hugely popular Japanese animated series have soared in value in recent years, with some selling for thousands of pounds.

So why have they become so desirable, and what is it that causes some collectibles to be purchased “like stocks,” as one dealer put it?

The English county of Nottinghamshire has seen four high-profile crimes involving Pokémon cards in recent weeks.

On December 29, police arrested two men after thieves destroyed a brick wall to steal an estimated £10,000 worth of Pokémon cards from a warehouse.

Using CCTV footage, police were able to track the van to a warehouse. two people “caught red-handed” I move the card boxes.

Four days later BBC reported A trading card shop owner is “heartbroken” after a theft at the county’s Jakes Breaks trading card shop.

CCTV footage showed two men entering the store and stealing thousands of Pokémon and other collectible cards, then running away and dropping some items as they left.

Police said they are carrying out several investigations into break-ins in Nottinghamshire.

Chief Inspector Paul Hennessy said: “We have identified a number of potential suspects and our investigations are ongoing.

“The examples are clearly very similar, and although we are not linking them at this time, we are keeping an open mind.”

A day later Nottinghamshire Police confirmed Investigation launched after thieves were targeted Dice Prison in Southwell on 25 December and Sanctuary Play Center and Coffee Shop in Sutton-in-Ashfield on 26 December.

The stolen items include cash and cards for Pokémon, Star Wars, Spider-Man and Warhammer.

Franchise-related thefts were not limited to Nottinghamshire; Pokémon cards were targeted from stores and private collections across the country and around the world.

In May, a man was arrested by Greater Manchester Police after officers discovered a stolen document. transporting rare Pokémon cards worth an estimated £250,000.

And in November 2024, Sussex Police said it was making a comeback. stolen rare Pokémon card It was worth up to £30,000 after it was put up for sale on Facebook.

Ashley Hudson, manager of Nottingham-based Silver Fox antique store, has a Pokémon cards section called Zone 21.

He believes much of the recent interest in cards is due to: YouTuber Logan Paul He wears a Pikachu illustrator card, considered the rarest Pokémon card, around his neck for WrestleMania, a major wrestling event in April 2022.

“This ignited the Pokémon market overnight,” said Hudson.

He added that there was one “celebrity culture” He said Logan Paul’s brother, Jake Paul, and others opening packs of cards on TikTok caused an “instant boom” in demand.

The Pikachu illustrator card worn by Logan Paul is under the hammer until February 16, with bids worth over $5m (£3.7m).

But Amy Wosley, manager of Dice Cup, a Nottingham-based board game cafe, wasn’t so sure the attention from these high-profile internet figures was having a “huge impact” on prices.

However, he felt that it brought fans into the world of Pokémon, with mixed results.

“They’re not into the hobby. They’re not interested in a hobby that’s driven by passion and Pokémon and the nostalgia that we’ve created over the years,” Wosley said.

“They’re trying to make a quick buck, and unfortunately I think some of those impacts are huge, especially with people like Logan Paul saying ‘how much are these cards worth?'”

This is how Wosley buys and sells Pokémon Trading in limited edition trainers.

“Pokémon is almost a little bit like that,” Wosley said.

Another element that Hudson attributed to the increase in desirability was that cards had become a “vintage” product for many people.

“It’s weird for us because I’m a kid from the ’90s, and it’s weird to be told that something like this is vintage now,” he said.

“So it became vintage, and then everyone started paying attention and there was a huge revival.”

Lee Fowler is the director of Phantom Cards UK, which has been running pop-up shops for the past three years but has now opened a store near Chilwell in Nottinghamshire.

He said when he first started selling cards he was able to buy collectibles without any problems, but now it’s harder.

“It’s getting harder for me to get packages now,” he added.

Fowler listed nostalgia as the main reason for the increased demand for the cards, and said he returned to the card series after finding his old Pokémon collection in an old box at Quality Street at his parents’ house.

He believes the cards are nostalgic because it brings back people’s memories of trading cards on the playground as a child.

“Many of us were once angry at Pokémon, and this brings back all the memories,” he said.

Demand for Pokémon cards has “taken off,” according to Wosley Rising Sparks set It was launched in November 2024, and prices “have skyrocketed,” he said.

“This led to a huge increase,” he said. “This was huge and so unexpected for both stores that we understand from our suppliers that they were shocked by it too.

“People knew it would be popular, but we didn’t expect such a large increase in new Pokémon players and collectors; even kids were returning to this game in the schoolyard.”

Wosley said the number of cards entering the market was now increasing, which should calm the market and stabilize prices by reducing the scarcity element of some items.

But business owners like Hudson believe the cards remain a “liquid asset,” meaning they can easily be converted into cash at full market price.

“So if someone steals a Pokémon card, they can resell it,” he said. “This is where the whole problem comes from.

“That, and people are buying Pokémon cards like they’re stocks.”

According to a report published by Research and MarketsThe sector was valued at $7.8bn (£5.8bn) last year and is predicted to be worth $11.8bn (£8.9bn) by 2030.

The United States-based Certified Trading Card Association said there has been a “major increase” in the number of thefts targeting US trading card stores.

Chief executive Nick Jarman explained that Pokémon cards, in addition to being “high value”, have become a “highly liquid” product that is “really difficult” to track on secondary markets.

“We’ve seen online resale ever increase and this has really reduced friction between criminals because stolen goods are moved so quickly across platforms and across borders,” Jarman added.

Professor Emmeline Taylor, a criminologist at City St George’s, University of London, told the BBC: “retail crime epidemic”, Criminals were working “with increasing precision” on items that they could “relatively easily” steal in bulk and sell for profit.

“I think we’re seeing that step change here and the emphasis on items that are highly desirable, collectible, and are also increasing in price,” Taylor said.

Shoplifting offenses recorded by police in England and Wales increased by 13% in the year to June 2025, with 529,994 incidents, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Taylor added: “Anything with this collectible means you can not only instantly resell the stolen item, but also potentially sell it for more than the RRP. [recommended retail price] because it suddenly becomes a rare or particularly desirable issue or edition.

“We know there is a growing market for collectibles, so we are looking for criminals caught up in that market. entrepreneurs who steal.

“These are people we would certainly not expect to steal or commit other crimes.”

He explained that “shoplifting entrepreneurs” know how to sell a product they are familiar with to the right market “almost instantly.”

“That’s why we’re seeing this kind of shift in criminal behavior,” he added.

Wosley added that his Nottinghamshire business, The Dice Cup, had also been targeted “a lot” by thieves in recent years, with the last time they broke into about a year ago.

“It’s really disheartening because it’s such an enjoyable hobby and it’s so healthy and moments like that really break your heart,” Wosley said.