Ultra-rare Gretzky hockey card leads RCMP to arrest hobby shop thief, store owner says

An Edmonton man has been arrested after he tried to sell a limited-edition Wayne Gretzky hockey card roughly 40 kilometres away from where it was stolen, the card's owner says.

The Gretzky collectible, worth about $2,200, was among thousands of dollars worth of goods taken during a break-and-enter at the The Hobby Spot in Leduc on Feb. 5.

"It's very hard to move pieces like this," shop owner Luke Crisby explained.

"It should deter thieves from all over North America from hitting hobby shops, along with the fact that we do document all the serial numbers on our cases and we video all of the cards in our display cases."

The card is an "autographed pro-gear booklet" that is numbered 12/12, Crisby said. He initially estimated $75,000 worth of cards were taken. RCMP pegged the stolen goods at $55,000.

The Gretzky card raised eyebrows when a man brought it into Froggers House of Cards and Autograph Gallery in west Edmonton, an employee there told CTV News Edmonton.

"When I saw the card, I was like, 'Oh, where'd you get this from?' And he had no idea about the card. He had no information on it," said Konnor Kelly-Flett.

"So that kinda set off a red flag for me. And I was like, how do you have this big of a card and you don't know anything about it? That's kinda suspicious."

Kelly-Flett texted Crisby, who is a friend. He then called police.

RCMP said three of the cards stolen from The Hobby Spot were sold in the city, leading police to a 32-year-old suspect and his home in southeast Edmonton.

RCMP said a semi-automatic rifle, ammunition, crystal methamphetamine, stolen mail and a large stash of various collectibles were seized from a home in Edmonton on February 10, 2023. (Credit: RCMP)

Officers searched it on Friday. RCMP said they also uncovered a semi-automatic rifle, ammunition, crystal methamphetamine, stolen mail and a large stash of various collectibles.

Roughly $35,000 worth of collectibles have now been returned to Crisby in Leduc.

"I'm surprised. It was close to half. We still have to [categorize] everything today but we think we have somewhere between $30,000-$35,000 back," he said.

"We got a lot of help from our friends in the industry."

The accused is facing charges of:

• Break-and-enter
• Trafficking property over $5,000
• Two counts of possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000
• Unsafe storage of a firearm
• Unauthorized possession of a firearm
• Possession of a controlled substance – methamphetamine
• Four counts of failing to comply with a release order

He has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear in Leduc Provincial Court on Feb. 28.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's David Ewasuk