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That's a cool story, and nice to see it returned to its' rightful place as a historical artifact. It's not often these stories have a happy ending like this one does.
 
So just thinking about business,
If the rifle was insured and stolen, the insurance company paid out the 15k for the rifle.
Did the museum have to pay that back to the insurer?
And was the nice gentleman that turned it back in adequately compensated for this expense and honesty.
 
Rightfully, the insurance company now owns it as they paid out the $15M to the previous owner long ago. It's the same as if your stolen car is later recovered, or a lost shipwreck from 1750 is now found (assuming the carrier is still in business). I suspect it was their call as to what to do with it.
 
I'd like to know if the gun had been fired while it was on the lamb. Somebody might have been using it as their deer rifle, who knows.
 
Years ago, two Paterson Colt revolvers were stolen from the museum in Paterson, NJ. A few years ago, the guns were recovered. The City wanted nothing to do with them - since they would have to return the $235,000 dollars to the insurance company, and the money was long spent.

Richard/Grumpa
 
Rightfully, the insurance company now owns it...,
Correct!
I'm sure the PSSR could probably raise the funds to keep the rifle, though.
Technically, the fellow who "recovered" it at that barn sale would be due $1500.00 (10% recovery fee is standard) + "expenses" (the cost of buying it at the barn sale for example).

LD
 
I am happy this valuable artifact has been returned. Kelly Kinzle is to be congratulated not only for his good fortune in discovering the Oerter rifle, but also his diligence in research and seeing it returned.

My only criticism is with the way the return was reported to have been handled. As the article states, "Authorities presented the rifle, which will soon go on view in the Philadelphia museum’s “Cost of Revolution” exhibition, during a ceremony held last week."(boldface and underline added). Screw the "authorities". Mr Kinzle did all the work and, in my albeit narrow view, should have had the honor of presenting the rifle to the Museum of the American Revolution. Hopefully, the article was incomplete and Mr. Kinzle was able to make the actual presentation.

Rant mode off. This is still a great story.
 
I am happy this valuable artifact has been returned. Kelly Kinzle is to be congratulated not only for his good fortune in discovering the Oerter rifle, but also his diligence in research and seeing it returned.

My only criticism is with the way the return was reported to have been handled. As the article states, "Authorities presented the rifle, which will soon go on view in the Philadelphia museum’s “Cost of Revolution” exhibition, during a ceremony held last week."(boldface and underline added). Screw the "authorities". Mr Kinzle did all the work and, in my albeit narrow view, should have had the honor of presenting the rifle to the Museum of the American Revolution. Hopefully, the article was incomplete and Mr. Kinzle was able to make the actual presentation.

Rant mode off. This is still a great story.

I agree. I read articles saying that the gun was "recovered by the FBI"... They apparently had nothing whatsoever to do with it.
 
In this link, a sword was recovered that was carried by President William Henry Harrison. This was recovered shortly before it was to go to auction. Provenance is somewhat cloudy as the theft wasn't initially reported and the dealer that had the sword consigned to the auction was not necessarily compensated. Not all these recovery stories have fully happy resolutions.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/b...e-presidents-sword/ar-AAJVvUN?ocid=spartanntp
 
My opinion of the FBI is that they really don't dig in to things like this unless the evidence is presented to them on a silver platter. Even then they often don't seem that interested in following things through. For a $15M cold case like this where there has already been a compensation payout many moons ago I can't see them moving heaven and earth to get things returned---unless there is some kind of big PR payoff for them. And they can use some positive PR these days after the last 3-4 years of bad press huh!
?
 
I agree. I read articles saying that the gun was "recovered by the FBI"... They apparently had nothing whatsoever to do with it.

I worked part time at a county public works dept. Soon after I got there they sent me to an awards ceremony and I was shocked to get an award for intuitive thinking. Seems months before I was hired I came up with an (illegal?) idea to store extra corpses from the ME office in a semi reefer in the PW yard??! Goo fo youse as they say:confused:
 
My question: where are the brass stars and engraving on the stock? I couldn't see any and think for a representative AWI rifle, it's perfect: minimalist and has the look of elegance and function. I know there are builders nowadays who seem to be focused on carved, chased, and highly decorated flint guns, but these a works of art...so far as I'm concerned. I figure the average rifleman in the AWI far more likely to possess a plain, well-made (at least as well made as he could afford) rifle rather than a work of art that I think are Golden Age post-war rifles made for rich folks. A display of wealth rather than one to trust his life to.
 
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