Video allegedly showing theft of $15,000 Patrick Mahomes card is going viral

The sports trading-card boom continues to trend upward.

Former Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady was joined in June by several card-collecting Royals players when his memorabilia store opened in Kansas City. And an Athletic story noted that more than 3.5 million cards were authenticated by the major industry leaders in June and four cards sold for more than $1 million in that month alone.

Read more Woman’s body recovered from the Broad River in Columbia, authorities say

So, trading cards are not just a hobby, they can be big business. There are dozens of card shows planned just in the month of August in the states of Kansas and Missouri.

One card show that apparently took place in Illinois purportedly shows a man and boy stealing a card of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, valued at $15,000. Video of the alleged theft went viral, and sparked a debate on social media.

“Who leaves a 15k card out and not watching it.,” one Instagram user asked.

Another wrote simply: “Fake”

“They’ll only remember this exact moment every time they see any trading card,” an X user wrote. “Gotta love that core memory for your child.”

Another X user wrote: “The handoff to the kid in the middle of that packed aisle is what stands out most. Involving a child like that takes it beyond a simple grab and makes the whole thing harder to watch. Hope the unique bag helps security track them down before the card disappears for good.”

“Six glances up to the vendor, two glances around to see if anyone was looking,” another person wrote. “The kid actually looks hesitant there to be honest as he knows it’s not right.”

Read more One person dead, another arrested after shooting in Columbia area, sheriff says

Another shared this: “And now I get why most have their cases locked. And sometimes overstaffed. Can never be too safe with that kind of money at stack. Also… shame on that adult teaching a kid that it’s okay to just take what isn’t yours.”

Here is the video of the alleged theft, which has been viewed millions of times on social media. There is no way of knowing if this is real, but focus on the man in the white hat and the kid in the orange shirt at about the 25-second mark.

Here is a closer look at the Topps Mahomes card that allegedly was stolen.