Last month, a card shop owned by the iconic NFL quarterback Tom Brady fell victim to a brazen robbery. According to reports, a thief made off with nearly $10,000 worth of prized trading cards from CardVault, Brady’s store nestled in the vibrant SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan.

FOX 5 in New York City revealed details of the incident, noting that the suspect attempted to buy baseball and Pokemon cards. However, his payment was declined.

In a cunning move, the suspect managed to exploit the touch-to-pay system, successfully bypassing the transaction process and leaving the shop with the valuable loot. The NYPD confirmed these details to the local news outlet as they continue to investigate the case.

Police said the man used the touch-to-pay system to bypass the purchase and leave with the cards. 

The theft occurred on Oct. 20. 

CardVault is part of a game store chain owned by Brady, with locations across the country:

• Dallas, Texas
• Chicago, Illinois
• East Rutherford, New Jersey
• Boston, Massachusetts 
• Foxborough, Massachusetts
• Mashantucket, Connecticut
• New York City (SoHo and East Hampton)

A new location at the Mall of America in Minnesota is expected to open this weekend. 

Since retiring in 2023, Brady has kept busy both in the world of sports and in independent business ventures. 

He joined Fox Sports as the network’s lead NFL analyst, and is a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and the Birmingham City FC soccer team. 

He’s also developing a business empire, partnering with Delta Air Lines as a “strategic advisor” on teamwork and starting up the quickly-expanding CardVault franchise. 

Sports Illustrated reports that the theft is part of a larger trend of high-end card thefts. 

Pokemon cards, sports cards and other cardboard collectables have become hot targets for thieves, who are drawn by the portability and easy sales potential of the cards. A Massachusetts card shop had more than $110,000 worth of merchandise stolen in an overnight smash-and-grab robbery. 

And in 2024, a heist at the 2024 Dallas Card Show resulted in the loss of over $2 million in valuable baseball cards, including a 1952 Mickey Mantle card valued at $175,000.