HALTOM CITY, Texas — The owner of American Dreams Sportscards in Haltom City shared the surveillance video of an overnight burglary, which is now in the hands of police.
The break-in is nothing short of a nightmare for the owner who is working his dream job since getting his first sports card as a young boy.
"Just shock, you know, shattered dreams, you know," said owner Scott Mann.
Burglars broke the glass to the display cabinets where Mann kept part of his collection.
Mann opened the shop about three years ago. The business even thrived during the pandemic because more people started buying, trading, collecting and selling sports cards.
The surveillance video shows one of the burglars carrying a backpack. The other burglar served as the lookout as his partner in crime did the smashing and grabbing.
Mann said, "They left the hammer behind, and the police confiscated the hammer."
Sports cards prices can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, such as one triple autographed card valued at almost $5,000. In many cases, Mann uses Ebay to determine the value of a sports card.
The different factors that make a card more valuable can be rarity, athlete popularity, autographs and upkeep. Cards that are not kept inside cases tend to lose their value in some situations.
Mann's father discovered the break-in after finding the front door's glass broken.
However, in less than 24 hours, there was a break in the case from another card shop.
"I know for sure some of the cards that they found at the other card shop last night, those are my cards," said Mann.
A sports card colleague called Bedford police about a woman who allegedly tried to sell him Scott's stolen cards.
Jeremy Jones used to work for Mann at American Dreams Sportscards, so he is familiar with much of the inventory. The woman entered the Bedford shop wanting to sell the cards. Jones strategically stalled and was able to contact authorities.
When the woman realized she was under suspicion, she left the shop. But her suspected getaway driver took off. An exterior camera captured a snapshot of a person sitting in the passenger seat of a car the woman can be seen exiting upon arrival.
By the time the woman made it to the parking lot, officers from the Bedford Police Department had already responded to a 911 call. Officers detained the woman outside. Eventually, they confiscated the sports cards belonging to Mann.
It's somewhat of a relief for Mann who will get some of his cards back. But based on what's missing from the store there are still plenty more unaccounted for right now.
Sports card collecting is a unique hobby that has grown in the past two years. Mann has had the pleasure of buying, selling, trading and collecting some of the most coveted sports cards in the country. Many of them are one of a kind.
Mann actually credits the pandemic for sparking the boost in card collections.
"During COVID, we started doing online box breaks, live breaks online, and our card shop really took off at that point," said Mann. "My favorite card of all time, and my girlfriend's going to laugh about this, is a Josh Allen one of one black 2020 mosaic, that's my favorite and luckily they didn't get that but the case was cracked so I sent it off to get a new grade on it."
But with all the sports cards that Mann as seen in his years of collecting, he still has his sights set on the card of his dreams.
"I'd love to have a Mickey Mantle rookie," said Scott Mann. "I plan on having a Mickey Mantle rookie before it's all said and done."
But for now, Scott hopes either the woman who was reportedly found with his stolen cards or the burglars caught on camera will come clean.
"If they want to anonymously return them, that's fine by me," said Mann. "I just want the cards back."
Anyone with information about the burglary at American Dreams Sportscards can call Crime Stoppers anonymously, or reach out to Bedford Police Department.