Pokémon cards have become serious business. Some collectors spend thousands building their collections, while others go to extraordinary lengths to get their hands on them. In Orlando, however, a woman reportedly went after her ex-boyfriend’s cards for a considerably more personal reason: she knew it would get a reaction out of him.
Nadia Hussain, 23, was arrested November 7 after an argument with her former boyfriend turned into a confrontation involving his Pokémon collection, a cellphone, and eventually a bong. According to an Orlando Police Department affidavit obtained by Guessing Headlights, Hussain admitted she had been “purposefully being annoying” because she felt her ex-boyfriend wasn’t showing her enough affection.
The trouble started when her ex-boyfriend asked Hussain to leave his apartment following an argument. She refused, and he began recording the encounter on his phone. Police say Hussain knocked the device out of his hand, struck him several times, and demanded that he “delete the video!”
Then she spotted the Pokémon cards on his living room table. Whatever the two were arguing about before, the collection quickly became another point of contention.
When Pokémon Cards Become Relationship Leverage
During her interview with Orlando police, Hussain acknowledged grabbing the cards after realizing how much it bothered her ex-boyfriend. She told investigators she wanted an explanation for his lack of affection and wasn’t prepared to leave without one.
Anyone who has spent years building a trading card collection probably understands why somebody reaching for it during an argument would get their attention. There’s money involved, certainly, but there’s also the time spent hunting down individual cards, organizing collections, and tracking down elusive favorites.
As WFTV Channel 9 reported, Hussain noticed how strongly he reacted when she grabbed the cards. She wasn’t charged with stealing them.
Her ex-boyfriend eventually walked Hussain downstairs to her car and returned to his apartment.
There was just one problem. She had left her bong behind.
The Return Trip Made Everything Worse
Hussain returned to the apartment and asked her ex-boyfriend to give her the bong. According to the affidavit, she promised she wouldn’t come inside.
When he opened the door to hand it over, she forced her way past him. He told police he believed she was trying to reach his Pokémon cards again.
The confrontation escalated when he attempted to call 911. Investigators say Hussain repeatedly struck his cellphone to interfere with the call, and dispatchers received a hang-up from his number.
Neighbors eventually helped remove Hussain from the apartment.
She was arrested on domestic battery and witness-tampering allegations, the latter a third-degree felony. Despite all the trouble surrounding the trading cards, no Pokémon-related theft charge was filed.
The unusual case has since attracted attention from gaming publications, including Dexerto, which covered the relationship dispute and its unexpected Pokémon connection.
Meanwhile, Another Collector Lost $12,000 in Pokémon Cards
While the Orlando incident involved cards being used to provoke an emotional reaction, a collector in Colorado recently experienced a much more expensive Pokémon-related problem.
Michael Robinson of Fort Collins told FOX31 Denver that someone broke into his vehicle in late October and stole four binders containing thousands of Pokémon cards.
Robinson had stopped at a fast-food restaurant after visiting a trading card store. He said he concealed the binders beneath the rear passenger seat, but when he returned five to 10 minutes later, someone had broken into his vehicle and taken them.
The estimated loss? Around $12,000.
Robinson told the station he’d been collecting Pokémon cards since he was 10. Some were childhood collectibles, while others were cards he had acquired through years of buying and trading.
His girlfriend, Nalysie Haga, started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help cover the loss.
According to the fundraiser, Robinson also lost approximately $3,000 in cards he’d recently purchased with plans to resell. The stolen collection included cards whose sentimental value was far greater than their monetary worth.
Robinson reported the theft to Fort Collins Police Services, and the collection has not been recovered, according to the accounts provided.
For Pokémon collectors, there’s a pretty substantial difference between somebody grabbing your cards to get your attention and somebody making off with thousands of dollars’ worth of them.
Unfortunately, neither situation sounds like a particularly good day.