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In a remarkable recovery operation, over $2.1 million worth of vintage baseball cards were retrieved after being stolen from a hotel in Ohio, leading to the arrest of a former hotel employee. The theft occurred at the Best Western Plus hotel in Strongsville, Ohio, where the cards were temporarily housed in preparation for the annual Strongsville Sports Collectors Convention. Memory Lane, a Tustin, California-based collectibles company, reported the cards missing on April 18, shortly after they were delivered to the hotel.

Jacob Paxton, a 27-year-old former employee of the hotel from Brunswick, Ohio, was apprehended on Wednesday. He faces a charge of first-degree felony theft. The missing cards were shipped via FedEx, intended for a Memory Lane employee who had traveled from the east coast to manage their display at the convention. When the employee attempted to retrieve the package, hotel staff reported it missing, although security footage confirmed its delivery.

Contained within a heavy cardboard box, the collection included highly valuable and rare items such as 14 Cracker Jack cards from 1914, numerous T206 tobacco cards, several 1911-14 Brunner’s Bread cards, and high-grade cards of baseball legends Mickey Mantle and Roberto Clemente. Each card was protected in standard-sized grading company holders.

The investigation led by the Strongsville Police kicked off shortly before 4 PM on April 18. Information emerged that Paxton had tried to sell some of the stolen cards at a local shop just days after the theft. Following a tip, police executed a search warrant at a residence on Roanoke Avenue in Cleveland, owned by an acquaintance of Paxton. There, they recovered 52 of the 54 stolen cards. The ongoing investigation seeks to recover the remaining two cards, valued at approximately $90,000. These include a PSA 8 graded 1941 Play Ball Ted Williams and a PSA 5 graded 1909 T204 Ramly Walter Johnson.

Despite the theft, Memory Lane proceeded with their scheduled auction last month, while maintaining hope for the recovery of all stolen cards before its closure on May 4. The company had delayed any official statements about the theft until they received clearance from detectives, who requested confidentiality to avoid jeopardizing the investigation. This strategic silence was pivotal in facilitating the swift recovery of the stolen items.

Memory Lane has informed its customers that the recovered cards will be returned soon, allowing winning bidders the option to complete their purchases. The incident highlights the significant value and desirability of vintage sports cards in the collector’s market, as well as the swift and effective response of law enforcement in such high-stakes theft cases.