Pokémon Cards: Burglars Tunnel Through Drywall to Hit Crown Cards in Phoenix
A gang reportedly cut through the wall of a neighboring unit to reach Crown Cards in Phoenix, AZ, taking about $70,000 in cards, Gold Star Pokemon among them. Fox 10 has video of the break-in.
A gang reportedly got into the store next door to Crown Cards in Phoenix, AZ, then went through the drywall to reach the card shop and take about $70,000 worth of cards. Iron bars and cameras do little when thieves can simply walk in through a shared wall.
Crown Cards Phoenix burglary: what was stolen
The stolen items reportedly ranged from Gold Star Pokemon cards to pieces from the personal collections of owner Michael Cardenale's children.
The reports do not say which Gold Star cards were taken.
How the burglars bypassed the security
Cardenale had installed iron bars on the windows and cameras inside the shop before the break-in. The gang sidestepped all of it by entering the unit next door and cutting through to Crown Cards.
Fox 10 has video of the robbery. It reportedly ends with the burglars driving off in a pickup truck, with a getaway driver at the wheel.
Timing: six weeks after the grand opening
The burglary came about six weeks after the shop's grand opening, and the store opened earlier in 2026.
TCGKing's take: a new shop is stocked with its opening inventory and has little time to build a safety routine, and this case shows that a neighbor's wall can be the weak point even when the front is armored. Shops that share walls with other units may want to start their security review there.
This is not the only card-theft story on TCGKing lately: PSA's list from a FedEx truck theft reportedly counts 6,451 items.
What is still unknown
- Whether any suspects have been identified or arrested.
- Whether any of the stolen property has been recovered.
- The exact date of the burglary, and whether the $70,000 figure is an owner estimate or an insurance valuation.
TCGKing updates this article as soon as The Pokémon Company announces these details. Follow all Pokémon TCG news or get it in our newsletter.
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