Thousands of dollars of collectibles stolen from Phoenix business

PHOENIX - Phoenix Police are investigating after thousands of dollars worth of collectibles were stolen.

Store owners say someone broke into an off-site storage facility, hauling away thousands of dollars worth of Star Wars and other memorabilia.

At Collector's Marketplace, Senior Manager David Crowe loves re-kindling childhood joy with his customers.

"It reminds people of a simpler time in their lives when all it took was a new action figure to make you happy," said Crowe.

However, the major theft meant that Crowe saw the dark side of the business.

"We found someone broke into our off-site storage facilities and stole a lot of rare, key items," Crowe said.

With the theft, years worth of work, along with thousands of dollars worth of items, are gone.

"Someone was very knowledgeable about what they took, because they took approximately 300 vintage Star Wars figures that were still in the package from the 1980s, including the last ones made in the 80s. Those are the rarest ones in existence," said Crowe. "There were some lightsaber replicas from Disneyland that were also taken, and we are still surveying, so they could have been more."

A three-foot tall Godzilla statue was also stolen.

Crowe said the thief smashed through a side door of the storage unit. They still don’t know the force behind it.

"It’s a tight-knit group of employees here. We are all like family, so we know it couldn’t be an inside job," said Crowe. "It was just some stranger who was wrecking our hard work."

After 30 years in the community, they are asking for help.

"Keep your eyes open," said Crowe. "If you find a deal on rare Star Wars stuff that seems too good to be true, it definitely is."

Anyone with information should call Phoenix Police.