I get it, Pokémon, you gotta catch ’em all, but I don’t remember a hammer being part of the game.
I grew up during the original Pokémon craze in the 90s. Somewhere, I still have my whole collection tucked away somewhere. However, I think they’re probably worth nothing with the way I treated them. Half of them are probably fake, too.
Recently, however, the rush for Pokémon cards has gotten so out of hand. Grown adults are losing their minds over the cards. They’re waiting in line for hours for stores to open, shoving kids out of the way to buy them, and behaving like complete morons.
Now, a pair has been reported to have stolen thousands of dollars of Pokémon cards, waving hammers around to get them.
Live-action Team Rocket went on a five-day crime spree, breaking into various stores using their hammers and stealing Pokémon cards. The pair smashed through numerous stores, grabbing the cards. “When I actually watched them just standing in the building by themselves swinging a hammer, it was a little unnerving — it was an invasion,” the owner of one of the stores reported.
Another store witnessed the Pokémon card thieves specifically picking out single cards for resale. “They didn’t smash out the showcase but hopped the showcase, opened up the showcase, and then crouched down and took, took, hopped over and left,” the shopkeeper told Fox 2.
The thief took single cards, collectively worth over $3,500. “I don’t think we are going to find the cards specifically, which is a bummer because they’re pretty cool,” they told the outlet.
Why Are Thieves Stealing Pokémon Cards?
The craze for Pokémon cards comes with their current resale value. A false economy of trade and rarity has been created around the Japanese collectibles. Rare and vintage cards have become phenomenally expensive. This has led people to spend their entire life savings on the cards.
For those of us without life savings, there is another way to get involved with the trading card craze. Simply buying a few hammers and robbing Pokémon card selling stores is another way to collect ’em all.
One of the shopkeepers targeted by the masked hammer-wielding Pokémon card thieves thinks she knows where the cards will be sold. There is a Motor City Comic Con event happening soon. Here, various collectors will sell their most valuable cards to other enthusiasts.
Sadly, because the thieves were wearing masks, identifying them will be impossible. I think police should be on the lookout for a tall pair with blue and purple hair, working alongside a talking cat.