San Francisco is hosting one of the biggest weekends in the Pokémon franchise’s history. With some collectibles worth thousands of dollars, there’s another battle happening behind the scenes: keeping it all safe.
Thousands of fans, competitors and collectors from around the world gathered at the Pokémon XP and the World Championships in San Francisco. For many of the fans, the events also mean a lot of shopping.
“My total at Pokémon Center for San Francisco was $1,119,” Washington resident Austin Reno said. “I brought about $8,000 of cards to trade and sell.”
That’s why safety is serious business this weekend in San Francisco.
Some of the most coveted cards at Aloha Card Shop’s booth can fetch five, even six figures; with big money, comes bigger risks.
“Especially nowadays with all the money coming into the hobby, there’s a lot of ne’er-do-wells looking for a quick buck, so you really have to be vigilant. We’ve had people steal from us in the past because there’s so much going on and it’s easy to let something slip,” Aloha Card Shop Co-Owner Reece Felix said.
Ali Reid has the full report in the video above.