Card Pro Milano: police recover €95,000 of stolen cards
TCG Date editorial team2 min read
A collector heading to Card Pro Milano had a case of cards stolen from his car. Police in Parma have recovered 100 of them.
Police in Parma, Italy, have recovered 100 Pokémon and One Piece cards worth an estimated €95,000, two days after they were stolen from a collector who had travelled to Card Pro Milano. The Parma police headquarters announced the recovery, and the news agency ANSA reported it on 24 October.
What happened
- A young collector and dealer came to Milan for Card Pro Milano, a show for trading and selling collectible cards.
- On Saturday, 17 October, thieves smashed a window of his car in a hotel car park in Pero, just outside Milan. They took a briefcase holding his collection, which he put at a total value of €2 million.
- On 19 October, officers stopped a young man in the province of Parma and found 100 of the cards in his boot, split between a canvas bag and a backpack.
- The cards' identification numbers let police match them to the theft. They will go back to their owner, and the man is under investigation for handling stolen goods. He is presumed innocent.
- Police say this is only part of what was stolen.
Know exactly what you own
Police could only match the cards because it was clear which cards they were. On binderly.cards you show your collection in a digital binder, card by card with a photo, so you always have an overview of what you own. It doesn't replace a police report, insurance or grading certificates, but it makes it much easier to say exactly what's gone.
Keep the binder shut at shows
At events and conventions, your personal QR code shows your trade cards. People look at them on their phone and message you, so your binder can stay closed. And if you're hunting a specific card, you can often find it with a player near you, see the actual card in their binder first and meet in person. Private addresses aren't shown on binderly.cards, and it's free with no fees.
None of this stops a car break-in. It does cut down how often you have to put valuable cards on open display.