WASHINGTON — When investigators seeking stolen historical documents showed up to search the apartment of a New York presidential memorabilia collector they brought just a few boxes. They ended up having rent a truck to haul away items, an investigator who worked on the case said Thursday.

Mitchell Yockelson, a National Archives employee who helped investigate the case of collector Barry Landau, spoke about Landau’s thefts during a discussion at The National Archives in Washington. Yockelson said investigators entering the apartment didn’t realize they were about to uncover one of the biggest thefts from historical institutions in years.

Investigators found priceless documents throughout the home. A letter written Benjamin Franklin was lying on an ottoman.

Landau and his assistant Jason Savedoff are both now serving prison sentences.

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