ALLEN, Texas — Allen police are investigating the reported theft of around $2 million worth of sports cards at the Dallas Card Show on Sunday.
The reported theft happened Sunday at the Marriott Dallas Allen Hotel and Convention Center, where the Dallas Card Show is held several times per year. The show, which is one of the largest in the country, was coming to a close Sunday afternoon when card dealer Ashish Jai noticed a case of his valuable cards had been stolen.
Allen police in a statement to WFAA this week confirmed that a report was filed in the case and that officers are investigating.
Hobby news outlet Sports Collectors Daily initially reported about the theft on Sunday, and Jai had posted about the incident, including surveillance video, on X.
In the video, Jai explained, members of his team were distracted by three people while a fourth person reached under one of Jai's tables and walked away with the case.
Jai said the man who took the case had been stacking chairs nearby for over an hour, leading Jai's team to think he was just a worker at the venue.
"These guys had been scoping us out all day after footage review, and even went thru a process of changing clothes," Jai posted. "It was predetermined, and targeted because they knew exactly what case to take, which contained a large portion of my inventory."
The cards reported stolen by Jai included multiple graded copies of the famed 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card, ranging in price from $32,500 to $175,000 each. Numerous other high-priced cards of Mantle, Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, Nolan Ryan, Babe Ruth, Pete Rose and Hank Aaron were also in the stolen case.
Jai on Monday posted that he's offering a reward of $70,000 for the return of the cards or information that helps get them back. He asked tipsters to message him on X or call the Allen Police Department at 214-509-4321.
