I know it is a joyful time of year and I wish I had something better, more cheerful to post. I also know this topic has been spoken of many times on this forum, but I feel another moment of consideration won’t hurt. I haven’t really made many posts on efour over the years, but I hope this post connects with some members and provides some value as a further reminder and warning.
Unfortunately, a week ago a storage facility that I thought had good security got robbed and a large proportion of my Japanese Sealed collection was stolen. I was distraught. This part of my collection had taken me many years to put together and a whole lot of time. My sealed collection was something I started early on when I got into collecting when I was about 12 years old (I never had good luck with pulls when I was younger, so the packs held more power for me sealed, there was at least a chance at something inside and that was enough). When I saw Japanese pack arts online soon after I was enchanted by the story they told so I shifted from English sealed to Japanese sealed.
I received an email from my storage facility very late in the afternoon, it must have been about 5:00pm and certainly a bit out of the ordinary. I didn’t take long to read its contents as I didn’t like the words I was seeing and instead rushed over to the storage facility. I was hoping the email was a mistake or a general warning, but as I turned the corner and saw my trashed unit contents on the floor it hit me like a bad dream. The robbers had torn through everything. I knew having a storage unit robbed would hurt, but not this much. It was mainly because I usually would never have so much stuff in one unit or vault at one time. But getting close to the end of year and after so many years of storage, I became neglectful and moved some things into this particular unit as it was convenient, but I wasn’t really keeping a track of all that was in there, especially with how much prices have gone up over the last 12 months. I have had it all playing over in my head again and again.
The storage facility that was supposed to have 24/7 monitoring, alarms, patrol vehicles, and access only through individual customers cards was robbed without them noticing until the morning. They are a big company and a trusted provider. I was one of over 40 units to be robbed that night. I felt angry with the storage facility. Pissed off at myself. It wasn’t just about the items and value, but all the time I had spent collecting each piece. I had many plans for my collection; doing proper documentation to share online, opening some stuff for the 30th anniversary, selling pieces here and there to help family and projects (it had to go eventually, but not like this).
I have always thought about security and that is why I moved my collection into multiple secure storage units and vaults. But I wish I had taken the time more often to review and upgrade my collections security. It was something I put off as there always seemed more important things to do and it is hard sometimes for me to break from the collecting rhythm and think about the administrative maintenance that comes along with collecting when it is just a hobby. Getting robbed is also not a nice thought.
Did I have insurance, no, did it feel way too expensive to have, yes, do I feel at a loss now, yes. But I believe it is Best to get insurance for peace of mind, shop around, don’t get put off by ridiculous quotes like I did. But the main thing is to manage your security in full. I should never have put all that stuff in one storage facility; insurance won’t save you alone.
I really wish I had:
Made a thorough documented security plan
Set a fortnightly reminder for me to check I hadn’t over stored a unit (especially with price increases).
Installed security cameras with motion sensors into my storage units (ensuring the cameras couldn’t spread a fire if they caught alight somehow).
Packed phony items with tracking devices into them (the robbers left all the storage boxes behind, maybe they opened everything further and this wouldn’t have helped, but better to have then nothing I feel).
I also really wish every 6 month I had put a whole day to:
Review my security plan, check that I had my collection in the best storage facilities and vaults around
Review insurance options to compare value
Replace batteries in tracking devices
In the end I have to be grateful. Obviously worse things can happen in life to oneself and their families. I have always thought minimising one’s collection always makes one appreciate the pieces you have more. And luckily there was stuff left behind (not the valuable stuff, the robbers did a good job picking the valuable stuff). I would be lying if I said it didn’t throw me completely out, that’s why it took me so long to even write this post.
I will include photos of three items below that I think are quite unique. If you see them up for sale or posted by someone let me know and I will try and ID them with their seals. Any help would be deeply appreciated. I also had a bunch of BW sealed boxes and every Japanese booster pack up to DP. I will also offer a generous reward to anyone who helps return the items.
I started from little so if I have collected before, I and others can do it again (or perhaps start a new slightly different chapter in your life to rise through). I wanted to thank everyone on E4, I am not much of a writer, but I have always appreciated being a part of the community, reading and learning. All the creativity, research and enthusiasm. Please if you read this, take a moment to think about the security of your collection, wish we didn’t have to, but in this day with prices and thief’s targeting Pokemon collectables it must be done more often. Do it in foresight rather than talk in hindsight like I am. Set some time to question your current security again, put reminders in your calendars for a review every few months.
Thanks to everyone who has already sent me supportive messages. Stay safe.
And I wish everyone a Happy New Year in 2026!