It's a turbulent world right now, and the stock market regularly experiences jitters, resulting in sharp price drops. This has led many to consider alternatives when it comes to investing money, with gold, government bonds, and currency usually considered good choices. But perhaps Pokémon cards should be seen as a viable alternative?
They can be worth a fortune, so much so that they are now extremely desirable targets for thieves. The New York Times provides proof of this, reporting that a trio of thieves broke into a fashionable area of Lower Manhattan to steal Pokémon cards at gunpoint. In total, cards worth over $110,000 (£82,500 and €94,600) were stolen.
Among the valuables was "a professionally authenticated, first-edition card depicting the orange, dragon-like creature Charizard that is worth about $15,000." The gang targeted cards worth between $400 and $18,000 and they also took cash from the cash register.
The New York Times notes that thefts like these are no longer uncommon, as the value of Pokémon cards has risen so dramatically. Just this month, a card shop in California was robbed of rare Pokémon cards worth over $300,000, and a store in Massachusetts suffered the same fate with thefts worth over $100,000 in July.
At the time of writing, the thieves have not been caught, but the crime was caught on camera, so hopefully the police will be able to apprehend the culprits.
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