News

The collectibles world is once again reminded of just how vulnerable even the rarest pieces of cardboard can be. A California auction house is suing Best Western after $2 million in vintage baseball cards vanished at one of the hotel chain’s Ohio properties. The case has already made headlines, but it also raises larger questions about security in a hobby where single pieces of cardboard can be worth more than a house.

The story began in April 2024, when Memory Lane Inc. shipped 54 vintage cards to the Best Western Plus in Strongsville, Ohio, ahead of a nearby card show. FedEx confirmed delivery, but when a company representative arrived to retrieve the package, it had disappeared. Inside were museum-worthy treasures, including Hall of Fame legends and a pair of grail-level pieces: a 1909 Ramly Walter Johnson and a 1941 Ted Williams, together valued at nearly $90,000.

Police tracked the theft back to hotel employee Jacob Paxton, who intercepted the delivery and passed the cards off to Jason Bowling at his Cleveland residence. Investigators recovered 52 of the 54 cards, but the Johnson and Williams remain unaccounted for. Paxton was sentenced to four to six years in prison while Bowling received community supervision. Memory Lane, however, was left to deal with the financial fallout and reputational damage in an industry where reliability and trust mean everything.

The criminal case may be over, but the civil battle has only just begun. In July 2025, Memory Lane filed suit against Best Western International and the local franchise operators, accusing them of negligence in hiring and supervision. The complaint alleges that the company allowed Paxton unsupervised access to guest property and failed to protect a high-value shipment. In plain terms, the auction house argues that Best Western put valuable collectibles into the hands of someone unfit for the responsibility.

The stakes are high. Best Western is one of the largest hospitality brands in the world, with more than 62 million loyalty members and billions in annual revenue. A ruling against them could set precedent for how hotels, shipping companies, and event organizers handle liability when collectibles or valuables are stolen on their watch.

For collectors, the Strongsville theft isn’t an isolated case. High-value card thefts have become increasingly common, even at the biggest shows in the country. The National Sports Collectors Convention has faced multiple incidents in recent years, with dealers reporting coordinated thefts of items like a 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle rookie and a 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie. Despite heightened security, the sheer value of inventory on the floor has made it a target for criminals.

The lesson running through all of this is clear: the days of relying on trust alone are gone. Collectors and dealers are investing in locked display cases, surveillance systems, and insurance policies just to safeguard their collections. At the same time, the hobby continues to wait for clearer answers about who should be held accountable when million-dollar collectibles disappear.

For now, the Best Western lawsuit stands as both a warning and a potential turning point. The cards involved may be priceless in the eyes of fans and collectors, but the real impact may be felt in how the entire industry chooses to protect them moving forward.