PSA released the full list of certification numbers for 6,451 graded items stolen from a FedEx truck on Oct. 13, including 2,978 Pokémon cards. Santa Ana Police and the FBI are investigating, and PSA has fully refunded grading fees for the affected orders. Insurance payouts have begun for orders with PSA return labels, while orders placed through dealers must contact their dealer.
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A FedEx truck carrying cards returning to customers after PSA grading, including sports and Pokémon cards, was robbed near the PSA headquarters in Santa Ana, California. PSA announced it has deactivated the certification numbers of the stolen slabs and notified marketplace partners. Police estimate the damage for the two stolen palettes at approximately $963,000. Domestic buyers purchasing PSA slabs through overseas proxies or direct imports must check certification numbers before making a payment.
Konami revealed the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG Forbidden & Limited list in five installments during YCS Houston in the United States from October 16 to 18, and the new list took effect on October 19. It includes 34 newly forbidden cards and 8 newly limited cards, with the limitation of 'Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon' taking effect on November 11 upon the release of 'Magnificent Maestros'. The Korean Limit Regulation is operated separately.
The Korean version of the Pokémon Trading Card Game MEGA expansion '30th CELEBRATION', which was released on September 16, is expanding into convenience stores in October. According to Segye Ilbo (세계일보), 7-Eleven began sales on October 1, GS25 started taking orders with quantity limits per store on October 6, and CU plans to begin stocking stores on October 24.
The Pokémon Company is launching a new team tournament series, 'Pokémon Team Masters', with its inaugural event slated for the card game division on January 23–24, 2027, at Exhibition Hall 1 of KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The tournament features 3-player teams, free registration, and a capacity of approximately 2,000 participants, with the top 4 teams earning berths in the WCS2027 TCG division. Registration closes at noon on October 23.
The official Japanese Pokémon Trading Card Game tournament, 'Champions League 2027 Yokohama', suspended its schedule for September 21 due to the approach of Typhoon No. 25. Priority entry applicants will have their rights carried over to the next tournament in Chiba. At the same time, the Master League WCS2027 qualification condition was changed from the final Top 4 to Top 8. The Chiba tournament will be held on November 22-23 at Makuhari Messe.
The official Pokémon store 'Pokémon Card Shop Card Field Ilsan' opened on October 3 in Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do. According to the Pokémon Korea store list, there are now 16 Pokémon Card Shops. An open tournament with up to 64 participants was held on the 10th.
Pokémon Korea held the Pokémon Trading Card Game trial class 'Pokémon School' at 11 stores nationwide on October 17-18. Operating for free every Saturday and Sunday, reservations for this session opened on the 12th. Participants receive promo cards, mini albums, tin cases, deck cases, and card shields depending on the stage.
Pokémon Store Online is giving away a Pokémon 30th anniversary logo badge to customers who spend 100,000 won or more in a single transaction between October 1 and 31. The offer is on a first-come, first-served basis, limited to one per ID. Some 30th anniversary card-related products are excluded. The event will continue with different designs every month until November.
In an additional Pokémon TCG lottery sales notice on September 29, Pokémon Center Online in Japan announced plans to hold another lottery sale around December for three products: the 30th Anniversary expansion BOX, Premium Deck Set, and FUTURISTIC BOX. Specific schedules will be announced as they are finalized. Shipping is limited to addresses within Japan.
Starting October 20, the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Pokémon Card Gyms across Japan will hold the '30th CELEBRATION Special Medal Grand Prix'. For a 500 yen entry fee, participants receive 4 '30th Promo Card Packs' as a participation prize, and the winner receives a commemorative medal. The distribution of commemorative stickers also begins on the same day. No equivalent event has been announced for South Korea.
The digital card game 'Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket' released the expansion 'Deluxe Pack: Mega' (Korean name '하이클래스팩 MEGA') on September 30. Each pack contains 4 cards, with 1 guaranteed Pokémon ex. In late October, alongside the start of a new series, some features such as rental deck revisions will change. The same pack has also arrived in the Korean app.
The Japanese Pokémon Card 30th anniversary commemorative event "30th CELEBRATION EVENT" will be held on October 25 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba and from October 31 to November 1 at Intex Osaka. Admission is free via advance lottery. Additional applications for 400 slots for the "Scramble Battle" pass on the afternoon of the second day in Osaka closed at noon on October 14.
In September in Hong Kong, four individuals were arrested for tricking a buyer into transferring money twice under the guise of a Pokémon card transaction, while on October 9 in Santiago, Chile, a 30-year-old man was caught intercepting a seller's cards using fake transfer proofs. Police in both regions pointed to 'proceeding with transactions before confirming deposits' as the cause of the victims' plights.
Canadian retail trade publication Retail Insider reported on October 9 that card shops in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, and other regions are being targeted by a wave of break-ins aimed at Pokémon cards. On September 17, a Nanaimo store had over 5,000 Canadian dollars in sealed products stolen in less than two minutes. Stores are responding by storing items in bank safe deposit boxes and conducting transactions by appointment.
Bandai has designated the ONE PIECE CARD GAME 'OP14-020 Dracule Mihawk' as a banned card, including its parallel version. The official Japanese and English websites announced it simultaneously on September 24, taking effect on October 12. No restricted cards were added in this notice, and a new leader card with revised text, 'P-163 Dracule Mihawk', will be distributed at future tournaments and events.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel applied a new forbidden and limited list starting October 6 at 13:00 (JST). Three cards, including Dimension Shifter, were banned, and a new selection pack and secret packs were added on the same day. A login campaign commemorating the opening of the 2027 season began on September 21.
Konami will host the 'Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist Festival TOKYO 2026' on November 23 at Tokyo Big Sight South Halls 1 and 2. Participation is through an advance lottery system via the Yu-Gi-Oh! Neuron app. Applications were accepted from October 2 to 19, and results will be announced on October 23.
Collectors Holdings, the parent company of PSA, re-submitted a motion on September 21 to refer the antitrust class action regarding its acquisition of SGC and Beckett to individual arbitration and to dismiss the request for a divestiture order. The plaintiffs claim that Collectors' market share after the acquisitions reached approximately 80%. Both motions are scheduled for a hearing on December 11.
US grading company Beckett (BGS) suspended its low-cost grading tiers (Base and Standard) again in late September after briefly resuming them on September 15. The website, which had been down since September 9, underwent Phase 1 restoration on October 15, reopening customer accounts, online submissions, certification number lookup, and pop reports. However, dates for the restoration of the price guide, marketplace, and authentication submissions have not yet been announced.
Backlogs at card grading companies are decreasing as of late September. TAG announced a 96% reduction from its peak on September 30, while PSA's backlog was tallied at approximately 9 million on September 22. However, PSA's low-cost Value tiers have no restart date, and both PSA US and PSA Japan do not accept direct submissions from overseas residents.
Overseas card products based on Korean IPs have been released or announced in succession since September. Weiß Schwarz 'NIKKE Vol.2' launched in Japan and English-speaking regions in September, while the Union Arena English edition NIKKE booster releases on October 23. U.S. Epoch announced a 'Solo Leveling' card set on September 30.
Devsisters announced on September 15 that the 'CookieRun: Braverse Card Game' World Championship 26-27 will be held on June 5-6, 2027, at QSNCC in Bangkok, Thailand. Meanwhile, 'Brave League Season 4' is taking place at official domestic stores in October and November.
The official release date of 'Cookie Run: Card Collection,' a Roblox game based on Devsisters' card game 'CookieRun: Braverse,' has been pushed back from October 10 to November 14 at 12:00 PM. In an announcement on October 2, the operations team cited user experience verification as the reason.
SAMG Entertainment will supply "Catch! Teenieping" blind-box figures and plush toys to approximately 2,000 Target stores across the United States, as reported on October 7. The products will roll out sequentially from late October through November, and additional rollouts for "Metal Cardbot" and "Wishcat" are also under discussion.
