The FedEx Truck Theft Incident
Hundreds of PSA-graded trading cards worth more than $100,000 were reportedly stolen from a FedEx truck over the weekend, leaving collectors distraught and the total damage still being calculated.
On October 17, a collector named SKY-B reported that PSA notified him via email that a FedEx truck carrying his 104-card collection had been burglarized after leaving its Southern California location, resulting in the loss of more than $100,000 worth of cards.
In its email, PSA outlined steps taken to address the situation, stating it had deactivated certificates for the affected items, notified commerce partners of the stolen cards, and is actively working with both FedEx and law enforcement on the investigation.
PSA stated that it would compensate affected customers for the items involved based on fair market value up to the Maximum Insured Value selected for each item.
PSA also confirmed it would compensate SKY-B for the items in his collection, with the monetary amount determined by the fair market value up to the maximum insured value he selected for each piece.
Collector Impact and Concerns
In a video statement, SKY-B explained that the stolen order took more than two years to accumulate and included irreplaceable cards. He hand-delivered the cards to PSA to be graded at the National Card Show in July.
SKY-B stated he spent $8,000 on grading fees for a collection with a maximum insurance value of $156,000, expressing concern that the company's valuation process might not cover his full financial investment.
The collector voiced frustration over losing out on acquisition costs and grading fees alongside the physical cards themselves.
Other collectors were also impacted by the incident, with content creator Boston Card Hunter reporting that a major PSA dealer estimated total customer losses around $500,000 in declared value.
Following discussions with dealers and collectors, speculation has grown that shipping security methods may change for high-value grading submissions moving forward.
Boston Card Hunter has compiled a list of 383 serialized cards allegedly stolen from the truck, featuring items such as a 1995 Upper Deck 23K Gold Michael Jordan and a 2024 One Piece Simplified Chinese 1st Anniversary Set Nami, alongside various other trading card game and sports items.
Additional collectors on community forums reported missing items from the same transport, including a Magic: The Gathering PSA 9 Smaug the Magnificent card.
Official PSA Statement
In a statement, PSA reiterated its collaboration with law enforcement and FedEx to recover the items, alongside reaching out to affected customers regarding fair market value compensation.
PSA's official statement details the following measures:
The company acknowledged the third-party shipping vehicle theft and noted its ongoing cooperation with the carrier and law enforcement authorities.
PSA confirmed the deactivation of certificates for stolen merchandise and stated that marketplace partners have been alerted to watch for rare and serialized inventory.
Emphasizing the sentimental and financial value collectors place on their items, customer service representatives are directly coordinating compensation arrangements with those affected.
The incident marks the latest major disruption to make rounds within the trading card community following previous convention controversies.
Image Credits: Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty Images
