Break-in at Nanaimo hobby shop nets thief almost $6,000 in Pokémon cards

Break-in at Nanaimo hobby shop nets thief almost $6,000 in Pokémon cards

Published 3:00 pm Friday, September 18, 2026

Allan Mah hasn’t left his shop on Bowen Road since it was broken into in the early morning hours of Thursday.

At 3:50 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 16, someone smashed through the glass of the front door of All Elite Cards & Games, entered the store and stole eight sealed boxes of Pokémon box sets and some other items that were worth up to $6,000.

The culprit was in and out in exactly one minute and 37 seconds, according to the store’s security cameras, and was gone before Mah and the police arrived on the scene, just minutes later after he was alerted of the break-in by his security company.

“[They] certainly knew what [they] came here for, and [they] definitely knew the layout of the store and had a game plan,” Mah said.

“[They] went straight for the cards and shoved … into a backpack, then took a quick look at the rest of the display case with a flashlight before leaving the store. It was hard to tell if I know the person because the security camera showed [they] had a hoodie on and was wearing a full-face mask, so all you can see is [their] eyeballs and mouth.”

Mah said the Pokémon box sets were the only valuable items that were in the display case on Thursday night, as the rest of the expensive inventory was secured in the store.

He said he doesn’t know why he didn’t put it away.

Mah said this is the first time he has had a break-in since he opened All Elite Cards & Games two years ago.

“We put in a makeshift plywood door for now, but I’m putting bars on the windows and installing a much more secure door,” he said.

“I’ve been staying here since the theft so I can make sure the store is secure until I have the bars and new door installed.” he said.

Among the items taking was a Sword and Shield Evolving Skies Pokémon booster box, valued on pricecharting.com at about $3,361; a Scarlet and Violet 151 Pokémon elite trainer box (etb), valued at $726; two Pitch Black Pokémon Centre exclusive etbs, each valued at about $172 each; two Pokémon Go etbs, each valued at about $223; one Sword and Shield Elite Trainer Box Plus Zacian etb valued at about $268; as well as one My Little Pony booster box.

Asked why the Pokémon cards are so valuable, Mah said they are collectibles to many people.

“They’re like hockey cards in that people get attached to them when they’re kids, and then they become nostalgic for them when they grow up, so they can become quite valuable,” he said.

“People like me travel in twos and threes at card shows and conventions because there have been cases of people waiting by vehicles to rob collectible cards from dealers and buyers.”

Mah said, in hindsight, the theft at his store could have been a lot worse.

“I know of a card and hobby store on the mainland that had more than $90,000 worth of its inventory stolen in under two minutes during a break-in one night,” he said.

“I actually feel more lucky than unlucky.”

robert.barron@nanaimobulletin.com