It only took three minutes, but the damage was real. Three armed men stormed a Manhattan Pokémon card store, holding customers at gunpoint while smashing display cases and grabbing rare collectibles valued at over $110,000. The robbery at Poké Court on West 13th Street specifically targeted high-value items, including a first-edition Charizard card worth $15,000.
The timing was particularly brazen. About 50 people were gathered for the shop’s first community event since opening in November. One robber pulled a gun while another blocked the exit, as a third used a hammer to break into cases holding cards priced between $400 and $18,000.
The incident is part of a nationwide wave of trading card thefts. A California shop had $300,000 worth of cards stolen this month, while a shop in Massachusetts lost over $100,000 in merchandise in July. There has been a renewed interest in Pokémon as both nostalgia and investment, with robbers viewing rare cards as easy targets for quick profits.
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