Graded cards that police valued at an estimated $963,000 were taken from a FedEx truck outside PSA’s Santa Ana, California, headquarters on October 13, 2026. PSA now says 6,451 items were stolen. The FBI has joined Santa Ana police on the case, and no arrests have been reported.
As of October 24, 2026: the case is open. PSA has deactivated the certification numbers of every stolen graded item, published a list of them, refunded grading fees on affected orders, and begun paying compensation. For readers asking how many of the PSA cards stolen were Pokémon: PSA’s update does not give that breakdown, and police have only said the pallets held sports and Pokémon cards.
What happened on October 13
According to the Santa Ana Police Department, as reported by CBS Los Angeles, the theft took place on Tuesday, October 13, in the 1600 block of E. St. Andrew, where PSA has its headquarters. Officers were called to PSA after the FedEx truck carrying outbound orders was broken into.
Police said two pallets were stolen and a third was “disrupted.” The Athletic, in a report carried by Cox Media Group stations, said the two pallets held 100 packages each and that a further 50 packages were taken. The same report said the driver had left the truck for 60 to 90 minutes, and that a police spokesperson said a lock on the back of the truck had been removed.
The cards were on their way back to customers after grading. They included sports cards and Pokémon cards, police said.
The $963,000 figure is an estimate
The dollar amount in most headlines comes from police, and police were careful with it. The department’s statement, as quoted by CBS Los Angeles, gave $963,000 as the estimated value at the time, and said the true total would not be known until the boxes that remained had been scanned.
That matters for readers comparing coverage. Several outlets rounded it up toward a million dollars in their headlines, and individual collectors have posted their own loss figures on social media. Those personal estimates have not been confirmed by police or PSA, and we do not repeat them as fact here.
PSA cards stolen: what PSA has said so far
PSA’s first public line, from parent company Collectors and reported by ICv2 on October 20, was short: “We are aware of a theft involving a third-party shipping vehicle carrying PSA-graded items.” PSA also told reporters it had deactivated the certificates for the stolen items and alerted its marketplace partners.
On October 23 PSA posted a longer update on its website. The key points, in PSA’s own account:
- Investigation: Santa Ana police and the FBI each have the case open. PSA says it has given investigators video footage, shipment manifests and item-level records.
- The list: PSA published a complete list of all 6,451 stolen items, with PSA certification numbers and, for serialized cards, serial numbers.
- Cert numbers: PSA deactivated the cert number of every stolen graded item and sent the list to marketplace sellers, auction houses and digital commerce platforms, which it says are monitoring for the items.
- Fees: PSA says it has refunded all grading fees on affected orders, and that those refunds do not reduce compensation for the cards.
- Timing: PSA says customers will not have to wait for the investigation to finish before being compensated.
PSA also said its existing security measures let it return-ship more than 99.9% of items safely over the past year. FedEx told Fortune that the security of its customers’ shipments is a top priority and that it is working with local law enforcement.
How compensation works, and why it is capped
The payout question is where collectors have pushed back. PSA’s update says each stolen item will be paid at its fair market value, capped at the Maximum Insured Value (MIV) declared for it. PSA’s coverage page describes that value as the most a customer can receive if an item is lost or damaged in PSA’s care, and says it is set by default by the service level the customer chose when submitting.
The catch is timing. The declared value is chosen before grading, when the owner does not yet know whether a card will come back a PSA 10. PSA’s coverage page says that if it decides after grading that a card is worth more than the Max Insured Value for its tier, it moves that item to a higher service level and charges the difference.
One affected collector shows how this plays out. The YouTuber known as SKY-B Cards told Fortune he had declared up to $1,500 per card on his 104-card order, with $156,000 as the ceiling for the whole submission. He said he paid more than $8,000 in grading fees, and that PSA’s own estimates put several of his cards above $1,500. Fortune reported PSA’s email to him as offering payment “based on fair market value up to the maximum insured value you selected for each card.”
PSA says it values items using comparable sales, realized auction prices, grades and population reports, and shares the valuation with each customer. For context on how service levels and fees are set, see our breakdown of what PSA grading costs for Pokémon cards in 2026.
What affected owners can do, according to PSA and police
We are limiting this to steps the sources themselves give:
- Return shipped on PSA’s label: PSA says its insurance applies, the compensation process can be started now, and payments are already going out.
- Return shipped on your own label: PSA says it will work directly with you on your order.
- Submitted through a dealer: PSA asks you to contact the dealer directly.
- Victims and tips: PSA’s update passes on FBI instructions to call the FBI Los Angeles field office and “Ask to speak to the duty agent regarding the PSA theft.” Santa Ana police told Fortune that anyone with information is encouraged to contact the SAPD.
- If cards turn up: PSA says that if stolen items are recovered later, owners can choose between keeping their compensation and getting the cards back.
What it means for buyers of PSA slabs
Because the cert numbers have been deactivated and the list has gone to auction houses and marketplaces, PSA says the platforms it notified are actively watching for the stolen slabs. PSA has not said what a buyer should do if offered one, beyond its list and its request that people with information contact the FBI. Anyone checking a high-value slab can compare its cert number against PSA’s published list. Our PSA grading guide explains how cert numbers and labels work.
What to watch next
Three open questions: whether police or the FBI announce arrests or recoveries; what final loss value police settle on once every box is scanned; and whether PSA changes how it ships orders, which its update says it is reviewing. We will update this page when any of those change. Other big stories from the month, including Goldin’s 30th Anniversary Auction, are collected in our running list of October’s biggest Pokémon card stories.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much were the stolen PSA cards worth?
The Santa Ana Police Department put the estimated value at $963,000 at the time of the theft, and said the exact figure could not be fixed until the remaining boxes were scanned. No final value has been published.
How do I know if my PSA order was one of the stolen ones?
PSA says it has contacted affected customers and has published a list of all 6,451 stolen items with their certification numbers, and serial numbers for serialized cards. The list is linked from PSA’s October 23 update.
Will PSA pay full market value for stolen cards?
PSA says it pays fair market value up to each item’s declared Max Insured Value. Its coverage page describes that value as the most a customer can receive, set by the service level chosen. Grading fees are refunded separately.
Has anyone been arrested for the PSA FedEx theft?
No arrests had been reported. On October 20 a Santa Ana police spokesperson told NBC News the case was open, with no arrests and no stolen goods recovered.
What happens if a stolen PSA card is recovered?
PSA says recovery efforts continue after it pays compensation, and that an owner whose item is recovered can choose to keep the compensation or take the card back.
Sources
- Stolen PSA Orders: What We’re Doing and How You Can Help — PSA, archived by the Internet Archive, PSA update dated October 23, 2026; archive capture read October 24, 2026
- PSA Coverage — PSA, archived by the Internet Archive, archive capture of October 12, 2026
- Orange County police investigating after $1 million in sports and Pokemon cards stolen from FedEx truck — CBS Los Angeles, October 2026
- Nearly $1M in sports, Pokemon cards stolen from FedEx truck in California — NBC News, October 19, 2026, updated October 20, 2026
- Graded trading cards worth more than $963K stolen from FedEx truck outside PSA office — Cox Media Group (Action News Jax), October 2026
- Collectors sent rare Pokemon and sports cards to get graded. Then thieves stole nearly $1 million worth of them — Fortune, October 21, 2026
- Thieves Steal Almost $1 Million in PSA-Graded ‘Pokemon’ and Sports Cards Off FedEx Truck — ICv2, October 20, 2026
Auction bids are not sales until a lot closes; any bid on this page is labelled with the time we read it. Sale prices are as reported by the auction house or outlet named, and say whether they include the buyer’s premium where the source does. This article is collector news, not investment advice. Pokémon and all card names are trademarks of Nintendo, Creatures Inc. and GAME FREAK inc.; Pokemon Pricing is not affiliated with them or with any grading company.