TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Several people broke into Showtime Cards on the Eastside and stole an estimated $100,000 worth of sports trading cards, including rare collectibles the owner had accumulated over years.
Surveillance video shows a group of people breaking into the store and smashing a display case before taking off with some of the shop's most valuable sports cards.
The break-in happened around 3:45 a.m. Monday morning.
"I looked at our cameras and there's someone inside the shop, and you could see them with duffel bags, grabbing boxes and stuff, breaking glass showcases," owner George Mares said.
Mares says the people used a sledgehammer to get inside the shop and moved quickly before taking off.
"They had everything planned out. I think they had a timer on the phone. You could see them arguing if you watch the footage. They set their phone down. They're talking about like, hey, watch the phone, you know, the time and stuff. So, they did everything in and out in one minute and two seconds," Mares said.
He says the people targeted high-end sports card boxes and cases worth thousands of dollars each.
"They knocked the glass down with his leg. He kicks it down. He steals three boxes of national treasures going back to 2020. That first pile of cards was $20,000 right there--it was $21,000," Mares said.
Mares tell me some boxes carry steep price tags.
"Just one box of cards is $1,300, that's a single box, $1,000 for a single hobby box. And they're just kind of pulling, lifting boxes down the shelves," Mares said.
Some of the stolen items had been in the store for years and had grown in value over time, according to Mares.
"It's our baby, blood, sweat, and tears, everything we have into this," Mares said.
Mares has owned Showtime Cards for 28 years and says the growing popularity of sports card collecting has also attracted criminals.
"It's unfortunate these values go up and people look for ways to steal," Mares said.
He says similar break-ins have been reported at card shops in other Arizona cities, and the methods appear to be the same.
"They're using these sledgehammers, the same type of mask, gloves. They're stealing the same types of products," Mares said.
Despite the loss, Mares says support from Tucson's card collecting community has helped him stay optimistic.
"We can definitely bounce back from this. But yeah, I mean, it hurts," Mares said.
Mares is hoping the public can help identify the people involved. He is offering a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest and is encouraging anyone who recognizes the individuals in the surveillance video to call police.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
