Postal Clerk Confesses To Memorabilia Heist East Of Salmon Idaho

A United States Postal Service employee was terminated after allegedly stealing dozens of pieces of sports memorabilia and attempting to sell them to a local store. The thefts reportedly occurred over several weeks from a mail sorting facility east of Salmon, Idaho.

A former postal sorter employed by USPS was found to be in possession of numerous stolen sports items after police were tipped off by the owners of a collectible store in Billings, Montana, according to details shared by nbcmontana.com. The staffer admitted to his role in the thefts, which mainly included sports cards, according to nbcmontana.com. The individual is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Some of these cards can fetch thousands of dollars (or more) at online auctions held by companies like eBay.

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In the sports card industry, the most common way to obtain them aside from buying directly from a specialty shop is by making online purchases through websites such as Amazon and eBay. The owners of the cards then wrap them in protective packaging and ship them out to the purchaser with tracking information. It was while these cards sat at the sorting facility they were allegedly stolen, according to nbcmontana.com.

The man now faces a possible five-year jail sentence and a $250,000 fine for mail theft, according to nbcmontana.com. The sports collectible market has experienced a rebirth in the past decade after many businesses began allowing collectors to make live, online purchases during card opening sessions, or "box breaks."

The most lucrative sports cards currently in circulation are rookie autographs that aren't mass-produced. Some of these cards can fetch thousands of dollars (or more) at online auctions held by companies like eBay.