The theft has had a ‘massive’ financial effect on the business

A Cambridgeshire trading card shop has been left devastated after £80,000 worth of trading cards were stolen duirng a break in. Instead of smash-and-grabs at jewellers or cash machines, organised thieves are choosing to strip sellers of the pricy trading cards – exploiting the fact many businesses are independent and lightly protected.

One trader in Peterborough found themselves £80,000 down after a single break-in. He said crooks see card stores as “under the radar” goldmines – with fewer alarms and eye-watering returns. Juliano Scibelli, 34, whose specialist shop Collectors Corner in Peterborough, was ransacked in a night-time raid, said detectives told him incidents like this are becoming more common.

He said: “People aren’t robbing jewellers anymore – they’re robbing trading card shops. Police said it’s all they’ve been seeing over the last few months.”

Thousands of Pokémon, Magic, Lorcana, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh and sports cards were taken from his shop when a thief smashed through a glass door and took the most valuable stock. He left behind cheaper cards, which is why Mr Scibelli believes the thief had done his research. The eventual bill could top £100,000.

Mr Scibelli said: “It’s easier to steal trading cards than nicking a car, you can easily get in and out. Robbing a trading card shop is a way of getting the most money for the least problems.

“If you rob your local corner shop, you’re going to leave with maybe £1,000 – but if you rob a card shop, you’re going to get a lot more than at a jeweller’s. It’s a lot more under the radar.”

Pokémon – created in 1996 and approaching its 30th birthday next month – has exploded back into fashion in recent years. The trading cards, linked to the Japanese animation franchise, can be played, collected and traded, with rare examples fetching staggering sums.

Mr Scibelli said: “Rare cards can be worth between £10,000 and £20,000. I’d say that 99 per cent of the time, the robber has probably scoped out the shop. People know the value in there.”

Mr Scibelli said the emotional toll has been crushing, adding: “It destroyed me. I started by selling £1 cards around 15 years ago and I feel like everything has been shattered because of this.”

Mr Scibelli explained the boom in popularity has also changed who comes through the door. He said: “We used to get lovely people who love the hobby – but then we started getting people asking which cards are the best to buy if they want to make money.”

Despite planning an expansion to a 2,000 sq ft site, he said he’s now questioning the future, adding: “Financially, we were doing well – but this has had a massive effect.”

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Mr Scibelli rebuild. It can be found by clicking here.

Cambridgeshire Police confirmed that an investigation into the burglary – that happened at some time between 6pm on January 27 and 9am on January 28 – is ongoing.