He’s on a mission to catch them all—again.
A toy manufacturer from California, who faced a staggering loss of $4.5 million in Pokémon cards during last year’s Palisades fire, is working to rebuild his rare collection while also assisting neighbors in restoring their homes.
Jeremy Padawer, who has been building a million-dollar zoo project for years, has mentored influencer Logan Paul, known for his own extensive collection.
“I can’t even begin to fathom the incredible treasures that have been lost forever,” Padawer, the president of Jazzwear, which sells various merchandise including Pokémon and “Star Wars” items, remarked.
Moreover, Padawer plays a significant role in a group called They Let Us Burn, which seeks to hold local officials accountable for what they claim was mismanagement that led to the devastating January 2025 fire. This incident resulted in nearly 7,000 homes destroyed in Palisades and around 10,000 in other areas of Los Angeles County.
For over a year now, Padawer and his team have been advocating for improvements in the inspection and permitting processes, plus advocating for tax exemptions on construction materials. The Palisades region still feels desolate.
But insurance payouts can’t replace the irreplaceable heirlooms and art pieces that belonged to generations of creatives who once considered this area home.
“I really don’t think people have fully grasped the extent of the loss,” Padawer said.
His lost Pokémon collection included a first edition of the trading card game—one of only ten known to exist.
Padawer detailed other treasured belongings that were lost, including sports memorabilia, Peanuts comic books, a sealed first-generation iPhone, and a prototype of a popular toy. The total amounted to about $7.5 million, with only a third covered by insurance.
One of his neighbors, who is a third-generation writer, also lost valuable first editions and manuscripts during the fire.
The catastrophe wiped out around 100,000 original scores created by iconic composer Arnold Schoenberg and his son.
Bud Kling, a 79-year-old former tennis coach at Palisades High School, lamented the loss of his celebrated collection of Olympic memorabilia, which took him 47 years to gather.
“It was utterly shocking to see everything gone. It feels like the end. You can’t get it back,” he expressed.
Initially angry about losing his collectibles, Padawer found motivation in hearing the similar struggles faced by friends and neighbors.
“I started to realize the magnitude of pain people were undergoing, not just in Palisades, but also in areas affected by the fire like Altadena. That’s when I felt compelled to advocate for change,” he shared.
A collection of cards might seem small compared to a grand manuscript or artwork, but, as Padawer described, Pokémon represents the “grandpa” of children’s collections, defining a whole generation.
In 2021, Padawer facilitated Logan Paul’s purchase of the priciest Pokémon card ever sold—the 1998 Pikachu Illustrator card—in Dubai.
This year, Paul sold it for an impressive $16.49 million, more than triple its original price.
Padawer has focused on new additions to his collection post-fire, such as a Weekly Shonen Jump magazine that features the first chapters of “Dragon Ball” and “One Piece,” both of which went on to become massive animated series.
He and Paul acquired those last week. Dragon Ball holds the record for the most expensive manga comic ever sold at $550,000, while One Piece fetched “several hundred thousand,” though Padawer didn’t specify the exact amount.
Now, both items are safely stored, kept “out of reach of fire,” he confirmed.
