The past couple of years have seen a massive resurgence in the popularity of Pokémon cards. It’s been like every 90s playground all over again, only this time instead of kids just getting bragging rights for having a holographic Charizard, it’s a bunch of adults getting scammed out of even more money than they should be, because of another bunch of adults going round and buying up all the stock they can to resell for profit. Fun!
Anyway, thanks to that popularity, the value of both standalone booster packs and individual cards has been soaring. Just this month, Logan Paul “earned” a full-blown Guinness World Record for owning the most expensive Pokémon card sold at a private sale (it was an eye-watering $5,275,000, by the way). With that in mind, it’s not too surprising that these shiny pieces of cardboard could also be prime targets for theft, which is exactly why one man in Wisconsin has been arrested.
If you like Pokémon cards (or just watching grown men get excited about them) be sure to take a look at our pack battle below.
Well, it’s a big part of the arrest, anyway. As reported by The Journal Times, Willie E. Warfield, 30, of Erie Street, was charged with counts of receiving stolen goods, possession with intent to deliver, distribute or manufacture marijuana, maintaining a drug trafficking place, and a misdemeanour count of disorderly conduct.
During a search of Warfield’s apartment, as well as a lot of marijuana, officers discovered the stolen goods. As well as a Rado watch valued at over $3000, there was also a camera, PlayStation, a pair of gaming headphones and Pokémon cards which had all been reported stolen by the same person, to a combined value of $2500.
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A preliminary hearing apparently took place yesterday (6 April) at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center. The report doesn’t specify whether or not the cards were sealed booster packs or someone’s actual collection, but either way, they'll presumably be able to find their way back to their original owner now.