FBI searches for Revolutionary War-era firearms stolen in robbery

(WHTM) – The FBI and other law enforcement agencies are searching for Revolutionary War-era firearms that were stolen nearly five decades ago.

Since 2009, law enforcement has been searching for memorabilia stolen from and around Valley Forge Park in Pennsylvania in the 1960s and 1970s. Three men who admitted to stealing the items have helped investigators, but not every piece of history has been recovered.

Several firearms have been seized this year, including a musket that was returned to a Philadelphia museum earlier this month.

Authorities provided a list and description of the items that collectors should look out for.

1. John James Audubon’s shotgun
   • This double-barreled, double-hammer shotgun in 12 or 16 gauge once belonged to John James Audubon.
   • The weapon was stolen from the Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University in March 1972.
   • It may have been auctioned after 2000.
   • The weapon is 4.5 feet long.
2. Lesser Grey Eagle
   • This carving was created by Wilhelm Schimmel.
   • This item was stolen from the York County Historical Society in Pennsylvania in January 1979.
   • It may have been sold at auction after April 1998.
   • The carving has a wingspan of 10 inches and is 6.5 inches tall.
   • It is painted brown with white and black spots.
   • A small piece of wood is missing from the criss-cross spotted head feathers.
3. Greater Grey Eagle
   • This carving was created by Wilhelm Schimmel.
   • This item was stolen from the Reading Public Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania in February 1979.
   • It may have been auctioned after April 1998.
   • The carving has a wingspan of 17 inches and is 9.5 inches tall.
   • It is painted black and has a crosshatched carved body. It also has a green base and pastel yellow and orange paint over its wings.
   • The object is missing wood at the top of the head and feathers.
4. Carved powder horn dated 1776 with deer and Indian scene
   • This powder horn was stolen from the Old Stone Fort Museum in Schoharie, New York in June 1971.
   • It is gold colored, about 34.3 cm long and has a flat pinewood shaft.
   • The powder horn features a “CDM” monogram and “1776” above a drawing of a snake and the initials “JW” above a drawing of a stag with antlers.
5. 1690 English Bible box made of oak
   • This box was stolen from the Haverford Township Historical Society in Pennsylvania on April 14, 1979.
   • The Bible box is made of oak wood.
   • The date “1690” is engraved on the front plate.

Clues in the case reach as far as San Francisco.

“It was important to all of us to see justice done. We not only wanted to bring the objects home, but also to see appropriate prosecutions of those who committed these crimes,” said Special Agent Jake Archer, a member of the FBI’s Art Crime Team who worked this case for FBI Philadelphia.

“With the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution approaching,” said James Taub, the museum’s assistant curator, “the collaboration and partnership between local police and the FBI in Philadelphia and the historical community at large has given us a really great opportunity to reach out to people in ways that have never been done before, through objects that people of my generation have not seen and that previous generations may not have seen since the 200th anniversary of the American Revolution.”

If you recognize any of the items, you are encouraged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or at tips.fbi.gov. You can submit tips anonymously.