The Honus Wagner card depicted in the movie is the one published by the American Tobacco Company. The card was pulled from circulation because Wagner didn't want to promote smoking to his young fans, but around 200 of the cards made it onto the market. One such card was bought by Ken Kendrick, owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in 2007 for $2.8 million, the highest fee ever paid for a sports card.
Mr. Swindell's first name is Paul, as seen on the hotel website into which Melissa hacks.
Based on the novel "Swindle" by Gordon Korman.