Nearly $25,000 worth of Pokémon trading cards were stolen from a game store in Carroll County, according to Maryland State Police and the store's owners.

Deputies are searching for two suspects in the theft who were caught on surveillance video. Store owners believe the suspects may be connected to robberies at other local businesses.

Maryland game store robbery

Deputies said the theft at Storm Crow Games in Eldersburg was reported on September 6, around 7 p.m. 

The store owner told police that multiple collections of the popular trading cards were stolen. 

Samantha and Tyler Clark are still reeling nearly a week after the theft happened. Both recounted the robbery during an event at their store, Storm Crow Games, on Saturday evening.

One of their security cameras caught it all: you can see two men go toward the back of the store, where their office is. One of them, wearing a backpack, enters the office, while the other keeps an eye on others in the store.

Samantha Clark said she did suspect something was off, especially when the man with a backpack walked out of the office.

"I didn't think quick enough and I just thought he walked in there by accident," she said.

The two got out of the store minutes later, making it off with three binders full of cards.

Deputies initially reported the cards had an expected value of $19,000. But on Friday, the Clarks told WJZ that the stolen collection, which included rare and one-of-a-kind cards, was valued at $25,000

Deputies said they were working to identify two men. One was described as wearing a black hoodie, gray sweatpants, and white shoes. The other man was wearing a black hoodie that read, "Crooks Castles" on the front with blue jeans, deputies said. 

In a social media post, the store said they believed the suspects were involved in robberies at similar businesses in Bel Air, Ellicott City, and Reisterstown. However, neither state police nor Howard County police confirmed that the cases are connected. 

Howard County police told WJZ a shoplifting incident was reported at Time Warp Games in Ellicott City after two suspects stole video games. A worker at Games-Corps also confirmed the store was hit by thieves as well.

The Clarks had only opened Storm Crow Grows a little under three years ago, but they've been able to build a community of regulars fast.

"Everybody was excited to have a game store, especially for trading cards, back in Eldersburg. The last one closed almost a decade ago," Tyler Clark said.

But despite that, it's still hard to keep the shop open. The stolen cards were a kind of safety net to help ensure they'd be able to get out of a bind.

"We've definitely had times that have been difficult, where in order to pay rent or pay a very large wholesale order, or pay for a medical emergency...she's liquidated those binders before," Tyler Clark said.

The Clarks are worried the cards have been pawned off already, or will be soon. They have a short message for the thieves: "I do hope you get caught."

Anyone with information is urged to call police at 410-386-3000 or email ethan.wheeler@maryland.gov. 

Pokémon card craze

Pokémon trading cards have become a coveted collectible in recent years, with some selling for upwards of $1,000. 

The cards, which depict characters from the 1990 animated show, used to retail for about $3 to $5 when they first debuted. 

In mid-August, a card trading shop in Detroit experienced a similar burglary where thieves took nearly $5,000 in cards, CBS News Detroit reported. 

In Japan, fast food giant McDonald's ended its Happy Meal campaign after resellers bought the meals and threw out the food to get their hands on the included Pokémon cards. 

According to McDonald's, the meals, intended for children, included a Pokémon toy and a card. The items sold out in a day, Japanese media reported.