Field notes · Cards · 26 October 2026
The stolen-card list protects only those who check it
PSA has published every cert number from the 13 October truck theft, with serial numbers for serialized cards. A cracked slab drops the cert. A printed serial stays on the card.
In brief
On 23 October 2026 PSA published the full list of the 6,451 items stolen from a FedEx truck after pickup at its Santa Ana facility on 13 October. The list gives each PSA cert number, and the serial number for serialized cards. PSA says it has deactivated every cert on the list and shared it with marketplaces, auction houses and digital platforms. Santa Ana police and the FBI are investigating. Police put the value at $963,000 on 20 October, and said the exact figure could not be set until the remaining boxes were scanned. No arrests had been reported.
PSA says it pays fair market value up to the maximum value each customer declared, and has refunded grading fees on top. One customer told Fortune each of their cards was declared at up to $1,500, below what PSA itself estimated for some. If a card is recovered, the owner may keep the payment or take the card back. Household cushions are thinner than in the summer. Americans saved 4.1% of disposable income in August 2026, down from 4.6% in July, BEA's release of 30 September 2026 shows.
What it turns on
- A list works only where it is checked. PSA shared the 6,451 numbers with marketplaces and auction houses. A private sale or a show table checks the list only if the buyer does.
- The serial outlives the slab. A cracked slab takes the cert number with it. A printed serial, such as a card numbered to 99, stays on the card and is on PSA's list.
- The declared value sets the ceiling. PSA pays fair market value up to the value declared at submission. A low declared value caps the payment, whatever the card sells for.
What we do about it
- 01Check the number twice. Look up the cert on PSA's own site, then against the published list of stolen items, before money changes hands.
- 02Record the serial apart from the slab. For a serialized card, photograph the printed number and write it on the record next to the cert, so the card is still known if the slab is cracked.
- 03Write the declared value on the record. The value declared at submission and on each shipment, with the date. It is the figure a claim is measured against.
- 04Log each hand-off. Grader to carrier to owner, with tracking numbers, dates and photographs at receipt. A gap is written down as a gap.
Check it yourself
Tell us what you need held, or proven. Write to hello@brich.house