Pokemon card collector in tears as thieves steal massive $200,000 collection

Famous Pokemon card collector Yves Bruynen is offering a €10,000 reward after a group of sophisticated thieves stole items from his shop in Belgium.

Back in 2021, Yves Bruynen made headlines after opening a PSA 10 Charizard worth half a million dollar,s and even opened up a shop dedicated to Pokemon.

Unfortunately, with Pokemon cards selling for a lot of money, many shops have been targeted by thieves – and Bruynen’s was no exception.

Earlier in January, burglars broke into his Hoogstraten store and helped themselves to rare items amounting to over $200,000, making it one of the biggest Pokemon thefts we’ve seen thus far.

Pokemon collector offers big reward after $200,000 collection stolen

According to reports from Voice of Europe, these thieves came in with a bold strategy far beyond what the likes of Team Rocket could hope to pull off.

The thieves reportedly utilized Wi-Fi jammers and headsets, while one member of the crew kept watch outside the store.

“They came into the store with big bags. They mainly targeted the most expensive and exclusive products. They left out the new products, which are worth a little less,” Bruynen explained. “They knew very well where to go, we see them heading straight for the cupboards where the exclusive products were located.”

Luckily, the owner believes that the rarity of the cards will make them hard to sell, but he’s offering a €10,000 for anyone who can provide clues to catch the thieves.

“I’m really devastated, I cried,” the collector said. “It’s a life’s work that I’ve built over the past ten years. All of that disappeared in one fell swoop. As far as I’m concerned, it’s going to be a real manhunt. I have to get them back, because, unfortunately, insurance won’t cover everything.”

Bruynen is hardly the first victim of Pokemon card theft. Perhaps most infamously, back in 2022, a 62-year-old’s insane $500,000 Pokemon card collection was stolen from his 6800-square-foot waterfront home.