$2M Best Western Lawsuit Shows Card Theft Is a Hobby-Wide Problem

The sports collectibles world is reeling after a lawsuit revealed how easily millions of dollars’ worth of cardboard treasures can vanish. Memory Lane Inc., a California-based auction house, has sued Best Western following the theft of $2 million in vintage baseball cards at the chain’s Strongsville, Ohio, hotel. Beyond the headlines, the case has become a symbol of how vulnerable collectors and dealers remain—whether at shows, in transit, or even at supposedly secure venues.

A Package Too Valuable to Lose

The story begins in April 2024, when Memory Lane shipped 54 rare cards, including Hall of Fame legends, to the Best Western Plus in Strongsville for a nearby card conference. FedEx confirmed delivery, but when a Memory Lane rep arrived, the package was missing.

Police soon uncovered the culprit: hotel employee Jacob Paxton, who intercepted the delivery and passed it to Jason Bowling at his Cleveland home. Authorities recovered 52 cards, but two remain missing—a 1909 Ramly Walter Johnson and a 1941 Ted Williams, valued at nearly $90,000 together.

Jacob Paxton and Jason Bowling at their arraignment appearance. | John Tucker for Cleveland.com

Paxton was sentenced to four to six years in prison, Bowling received community supervision, and Memory Lane was left not only with financial losses but reputational harm in an industry where trust is everything.

From Crime Scene to Courtroom

The criminal case ended, but Memory Lane pushed further, filing suit in July 2025 against Best Western International, Inc. and local operators. The lawsuit alleges negligence in hiring and supervision, accusing the hotel of allowing Paxton unsupervised access to guest property. In blunt terms, the complaint argues Best Western “hired a known crook” to watch over packages, and failed in its duty of care.

And Best Western is no small target. With an estimated $8.1 billion in annual revenue and more than 62 million loyalty members, the global hospitality brand faces tough questions about liability when guest property goes missing—especially when that property happens to be museum-grade collectibles.

The Hobby’s Broader Theft Problem

While the Strongsville heist makes for dramatic headlines, it’s hardly an isolated event. Over the last two years, the National Sports Collectors Convention has seen a troubling spike in high-value thefts. In 2024, multiple dealers reported significant losses, with targeted thefts of rare cards drawing attention to gaps in show security.

The trend continued in 2025, when two particularly valuable cards—a 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle rookie and a 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie—were stolen from dealer cases in coordinated incidents on the show floor. Despite increased surveillance and heightened awareness, these high-profile crimes have fueled concerns among collectors about the vulnerability of prized inventory at even the hobby’s most significant event.

The Bottom Line

The lawsuit against Best Western may set new precedents for accountability, forcing hotels, shipping companies, and event organizers to rethink how they safeguard valuable property. For now, collectors and dealers are left to upgrade their own security—locking cases, installing cameras, and treating every transaction like a high-stakes exchange.

Pokemon card thefts are surging at trade shows across America.
Grown men snatching these TCG playing cards worth tens of thousands of dollars in some cases. But cops are cracking down. Look at this big boy weeping like a baby after being placed in handcuffs.🤡 pic.twitter.com/P8ufXLoNnF
— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) June 24, 2025

Whether it’s a hotel clerk, a convention-floor thief, or a package handler, the lesson is clear: in today’s hobby, trust alone isn’t enough to keep the cards safe.