A Pokémon card shop in Alcalá de Henares lost up to €30,000 in a swift robbery. Thieves targeted graded cards but left the rare Pikachu Van Gogh untouched. Police arrived within minutes, but the suspects escaped.
A high-value theft hit the Tsuki Center shop in Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, when two masked individuals broke in and stole Pokémon cards worth between €20,000 and €30,000. The incident occurred at 1:34 a.m. on May 6, with the alarm triggering as the thieves forced entry through the emergency door. Despite police arriving just four minutes later, the perpetrators had already fled with their targeted loot.
The robbers focused on two specific display cases containing graded Pokémon cards, some valued at over €1,000 each. These cards, authenticated and sealed by specialist companies, are highly sought after by collectors and can command significant prices depending on rarity and condition. The thieves also took a small amount of cash from the register, but left behind the shop’s most famous item: the Pikachu Van Gogh card, created for a special collaboration with the Dutch museum.
According to the shop’s owners, the break-in was executed with precision. The intruders used a blowtorch to burn the emergency door handle and a drill to remove the lock cylinder, gaining quick access to the premises. The entire operation lasted only seconds, leaving the owners, who had opened the shop just two weeks earlier, shaken and concerned about security.
While such thefts are rare in Spain, similar incidents have become common in the United States, Australia, and Japan, where the market for collectible cards rivals that of fine art. The global collectible card market reached an estimated $21.4 billion in 2024, driven in part by millennials and younger generations who now see these cards as financial assets. High-profile sales, such as Logan Paul’s auction of a rare Pikachu card for $16.5 million, have further fueled interest and prices.
The surge in value has not gone unnoticed by criminals. Stolen cards are difficult to resell openly due to unique serial numbers, but a black market exists, mirroring trends seen with luxury watches and art. In February, a California shop lost over $100,000 in cards in a similar break-in. Spanish police are investigating all possibilities, including the theory that the Alcalá de Henares theft was commissioned. The shop’s owners and their online community are monitoring resale platforms for any sign of the stolen items.
Tsuki Center’s owners had insisted on insuring their business as a jewelry store, recognizing the high value of their inventory. This decision may help mitigate losses as they restock and await the outcome of the investigation. The incident highlights the growing risks faced by specialty shops dealing in high-value collectibles, as well as the increasing sophistication of criminal tactics targeting these markets.
Pokémon, created by Tajiri Satoshi in 1996, has evolved from a children’s franchise into a global phenomenon with a thriving secondary market for rare cards. The pandemic contributed to renewed interest, as many rediscovered old collections and realized their potential value. As the market grows, so does the need for robust security and awareness among shop owners and collectors alike.
