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NEW BEDFORD – A 24-year-old resident was arrested this week in one of the biggest heists in the city in recent years.
Richard Jovahn Nunes was charged with grand larceny in connection with the theft of more than $100,000 of Pokémon cards from 1st Edition Collectibles, a downtown store, after a coordinated operation by city and Taunton police.
The theft took place on Tuesday, July 8, at approximately 2:30 a.m. A hooded figure smashed through a rear door and a plate-glass storefront to steal several high-value collectible Pokémon trading cards, including highly desirable and fan-favorite Charizard cards and scarce sealed booster pack boxes — items worth well into five figures.
“I was mostly in disbelief,” recalls Filipe Andre, a co-owner of 1st Edition Collectibles. “Adrenaline took over and I rushed down [to the store] as fast as I could.”
Nunes was taken into custody on Monday, according to New Bedford police. Detective Nicole Rodriguez of New Bedford received a tip when a $30,000 booster box went on the market. An active felony warrant for Nunes’ arrest was issued out of Taunton District Court.
Following the arrest, Nunes’ apartment was searched and several of the serialized graded Pokémon cards were found in a shoe box, according to the police. Police said the items matched the serial numbers of the cards stolen from 1st Edition Collectibles, including:
- 1999 Charizard 1st Edition (Grade 8.5) – Valued at $12,232
- 2006 EX Charizard #100 (Grades 9 – Beckett and PSA) – Valued at $10,600 each
- 2003 Skyridge Charizard (Grade 8.5) – Valued at $7,131
- 1999 Base 1st Edition Blastoise (Grade 7.5) – Valued at $2,000
- 1999 Charizard Holo Shadowless (Grade 9) – Valued at $5,535
The Pokémon collectible trading card market is at a fever pitch in the United States, and the card game grossed an estimated $1.9 billion in global sales from 2023-2024. With the trading game in such high demand, the store owners feared an incident like this.
“It wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when,” said Sean Viera, another of the store’s co-owners.
1st Edition Collectibles became a sought-after location for fans of the hobby as soon as it opened its doors three years ago. Yet the card store offers much more to those who hang out there.
“I grew accustomed to the people. I’ve made friends, and I enjoy the competition,” said Elijah Gonzalez, 22, a Pokémon card game player who frequents 1st Edition Collectibles.
The store is an officially recognized Pokémon League store, which requires a lengthy process by the Pokémon Company International. The store hosts weekly free-to-play league nights on Tuesdays and Fridays, tournaments, and pre-release events for new trading card sets.
Co-owners Viera, Andre, and William Gilmour have cultivated an environment that welcomes all players, young or old, on the South Coast to participate in the hobby. The three high school friends first opened a small space in the Kilburn Mill in 2021. The business took a “leap of faith” by moving into a larger store on Purchase Street in 2022, Viera said. Since then, the store has found success with many veteran players and newbies gathering to play in-person after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aside from nostalgia, some players relate to the Pokémon ethos.
“I’ve always been a quirky dude, and Pokémon gave me a place where I feel like I belong. I kind of resonate with that quirkiness,” said Shawn Garcia, 24, another frequent customer.
For Garcia, the community keeps him returning to the store to play games with other fans of the hobby.
“It’s a community; everyone knows each other. I feel like if you go to other places, it’s not like that. If you walk into 1st Edition, you know people,” he said.
Viera, recognized as an official Pokémon professor, takes pride in owning a league store. After growing up with Pokémon in the late 1990s, Viera has always wanted a place to play the trading card game with his friends.
“My lack of access as a kid is 100% why I wanted to have a league. Sometimes I’m happy with it, sometimes I’m frustrated, but I put a lot of work into it. It’s the heartbeat of the hobby,” said Viera.
After the theft and the store’s temporary closure, 1st Edition Collectibles opened its doors for the first time since the robbery on Friday, July 18, to a relieved community of Pokémon fans. Justin McAfee, 21, a player and longtime Pokémon fan, said the store felt the same.
“Despite the glaring door issue, everything felt the same,” McAfee said, referencing the broken door with a wooden plank covering it.
The store is currently selling shirts on its website until July 29, which the owners said would have raised money for the missing cards. Now that they’ve been recovered, the store will opt to donate the proceeds to charity. For now, all of the stolen items remain in NBPD custody, and the investigation is still ongoing.
Brenton Jackson is a summer intern with The New Bedford Light, as part of the South Coast Internship designed for local students.
People have commented about bars in windows, bars in windows don’t seem so stupid now do they. Now a days alarms are ok to notify, but bars would make it less of a smash and go. Perhaps that would be worth investing in especially where the items are high value. Welcome to New Bedford, best of luck with the business.
Good reporting Brenton, on the robbery and interesting coverage of the store.
Great reporting and very very well written story!!!