Pokémon cards worth £65,000 stolen in 'killer' blow to games shop

A thief ransacked a games shop and made off with £65,000 worth of rare Pokémon cards - a loss the owner described as a "killer" blow to his business.

Phillip Hobbs used a hammer to break into Badzgaming shop in Cwmbran, Torfaen, where he stole the items and £1,700 in cash before fleeing on a stolen motorbike.

While the the items were recovered, shop owner Alex Badham said many cards were damaged by petrol in the failed getaway and were now practically worthless.

He said the future of his business now relied heavily on his insurance claim outcome, adding: "A loss of this size is a killer."

Pokémania took the world by storm in the 1990s but more than three decades later it has evolved to include a booming trading card market.

In recent months, there has been a spate of thefts targeting stores that sell the cards, some of which are highly collectible.

Hobbs, of Emerald St in Adamsdown, Cardiff, admitted charges of burglary, handling stolen goods and going equipped for burglary.

He was jailed at Newport Magistrates' Court on 3 February for 10 months and ordered to pay £250 in compensation.

Badham said he had only been open for four months when the break-in happened on 2 February.

The 34-year-old said a mix of items were stolen including sealed items, graded cards and loose individual packs which can cost hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds.

Many were "thrown into bags without care", causing damage that would make the value plummet, he said.

Some can potentially be repaired in the US, he said, including the most expensive card that was stolen - a £4,000 Latias Gold Star card.

"Pokémon cards are now valued in the same way as fine art, luxury watches, jewellery and other high-end collectibles. They're now deemed as investments.

"Graded cards are really fragile, really thin pieces of plastic, and generally the value is carried in the grade."

The collector said more valuable items were in protective acrylic cases but some sustained more damage than others - with about 75% of the stolen goods now a "write-off".

Badham said the thief showed "a lack of real understanding of the hobby" by also stealing low-value items.

Within minutes of reopening two days later, the store was targeted again but the would-be thief was apprehended moments later and the stolen items recovered.

The shop owner praised the quick response of police and security staff at the M Cwmbran shopping centre, where the shop is located.

"They were there almost straight away."

A shopping centre spokesman said: "The centre management team and all of our local stakeholders are committed to the upmost levels of safety and vigilance across the town centre."

However, Badham said he feared another break-in, adding that he was looking at extra security measures for his stock.

"It's unfortunate but you have to protect yourself," he added.