Natick sports memorabilia shop burglarized, more than $20K in collectibles stolen

NATICK — Gary Gilbert said a break-in at his sports memorabilia shop has left him feeling violated, but the outpouring of love from customers and friends has been eye-opening.

Gilbert, who owns Gilbert's Sports Nostalgia, said someone broke into his 222 North Main St. (Route 27) shop sometime early Sunday morning and stole more than $20,000 worth of memorabilia.

"I kind of feel like Jimmy Stewart in 'It's a Wonderful Life,'" said Gilbert, 64, who also lives in Natick. "You have this major violation but so many people have reached out and offered to help — it really makes you feel good."

Gilbert said he was last in the store on Saturday evening before going out to dinner with friends at a restaurant across the street. On Sunday afternoon, the Natick Police Department contacted him about the break-in.

Gilbert said police believe the incident happened between 3 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday. The burglar, or burglars, smashed the front glass door of the business and when they couldn't break down the inner door, they attempted to break in the back door. They eventually threw a "softball-sized rock" through a window and entered that way.

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"There was glass everywhere," said Gilbert. "I think they were only in there for about 10 minutes, because there's a lot of stuff that they could have taken (but) they didn't. But they hit us pretty good."

Gilbert said among the items stolen were a soccer ball autographed by Pele; mini-football helmets signed by John Elway and John Madden; a Joe Montana rookie card; and several valuable basketball cards featuring Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Steph Curry.

Store has 34-year history in Needham and Natick

Gilbert said the outpouring of well wishes has been amazing. His store has been open for 34 years — the last 16 in Natick and the previous 18 in Needham. He said he runs a club for children that has more than 2,000 members and has a strong base of longtime customers who have been with him since the beginning.

"Hundreds of people have reached out to me asking how they can help and volunteering to help come clean up the glass," he said. "I've had many children, and adults too, offer to give some things from their own collections to help replace what we lost."

Gilbert said he believes the burglary was carried out by someone who was familiar with the store's layout because they appeared to target certain items.

Gilbert said this isn't the first time his store has sustained a financial hit. Sometime during the 1990s, he lost more than $120,000 worth of merchandise in a flood. A Major League Baseball strike and steroid scandal, both of which occurred during the 1990s, put a damper on baseball card sales, which was the biggest seller back then. His daughter had a heart transplant at 3 months old and he took a break from the store to care for her and he said he survived the pandemic.

"We survived all of those and we will survive this," Gilbert said.

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Gilbert is offering a $200 reward for anyone who can provide information about the identity of those responsible for the break-in and theft. Anyone with information should contact the Natick Police Department at 508-647-9500.

"I obviously want to get the items back, but I really want to know who did it," he said. "It's such a violation."

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wcickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMIllerCrime.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: More than $20K in sports memorabilia stolen from Natick shop