Gotta Catch ’em all! Police hunt for Pokémon raiders who stole £10k of trading cards in ‘heartbreaking’ New Year’s Day burglary
Police are hunting for two people who were seen smashing their way into a shop and robbing £10,000 worth of collectables.
Footage from the Jakes Breaks trading card shop in High Street, Beeston, showed the burglars breaking in through the front door just before 7am on New Year’s Day.
The thieves were seen tipping counters over and stealing the valuable goods, including rare Pokémon cards, in a burglary which left the outlet’s manager ‘gobsmacked’.
As they fled, they dropped many of the items they stole.
Daniel Matwiejczuk, Jakes Breaks’ manager, said the thieves had earlier struggled to get into the shop, but managed to break in on their second attempt.
He said: ‘The taller one gets out what looks like a pry bar and tries to smash the window of the door before it bounces out of his hand.
‘Then they both run off up the alley, and two minutes later they come back, the tall one leading again with what looks like a paving slab and puts that through the bottom window.
‘He darts through, and the shorter one follows close behind.’
Footage from the Jakes Breaks trading card shop in High Street, Beeston, showed the burglars breaking in through the front door just before 7am on New Year’s Day
Nottinghamshire Police are hunting for two people who were seen smashing their way into a shop and robbing £10,000 worth of collectables including Pokémon cards
He continued: ‘It’s just an appalling show that you can work really hard in something, and then someone feels that they have the right to come and do this.
‘It’s not on. All of the other stores and regulators have banded around us and helped out.’
Mr Matwiejczuk said that several TAG Grade 10 Pokémon cards, which were in perfect condition and sealed inside a clear case, were stolen.
These cards have skyrocketed in value in recent years.
In 2022, influencer Logan Paul bought a 1998 ‘Pikachu Illustrator’ card for $5.3million (££.9million).
On top of the graded cards, the thieves stole a jumbo box of Topps Chrome NBA basketball cards, collectable NFL cards and limited edition Star Wars cards were also taken in the raid.
They also damaged several packs of Magic: The Gathering cards, which can be worth up to £80 each, by dropping them and leaving them in the rain.
The owners of Jakes Breaks, Chris Wilmott and his son Jake, began collecting sports trading cards in May 2024.
They opened up the shop after they sold a one-of-a-kind Lamine Yamal card for $122,000 (£90,522) that came from a jumbo box of Topps Chrome UEFA Club trading cards.
The owners are now planning on installing a rolling shutter to the front to prevent any more break-ins
As they fled, they dropped many of the items they stole
But this isn’t the first time the store has been targeted by thieves.
Mr Matwiejczuk said someone tried breaking in with a shovel a few months ago.
He said the owners have installed a rolling shutter on the front to prevent any more break-ins and have been able to reopen the store.
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesperson said: ‘We understand the impact this type of incident will have had on the business, and officers are following a number of lines of inquiry to ensure those responsible are caught and put before the courts.
‘We have already received some vital information from members of the public.’
