Delaware attic turns up $1 million gun and key to unsolved mystery

GEAR CHECK: Our readers don't just follow the news - they stay ready. Featured gear from this story is below.

Staff Writer

A burglary spree that took place more than 50 years ago at a Pennsylvania museum has been solved – thanks to a discovery in a Delaware attic.

The case was cracked after the owner of a home in Wilmington discovered a treasure trove of stolen artifacts, including a valuable gun worth $1 million.

The artifacts were taken from the Valley Forge Historical Society in 1971, and the case had been cold for decades. But when the homeowner found a box of items in the Delaware attic, including guns, swords, and other museum pieces, it triggered a renewed interest in the case.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delaware?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delaware</a> attic held secret to museum burglary spree 50 years ago – and a $1 million gun<br>.....seems there&#39;s lots of corrupt people from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delaware?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delaware</a> šŸ‘‡<a href="https://t.co/vIbQBH2kGl">https://t.co/vIbQBH2kGl</a></p>&mdash; Stacy Stone (@We_Make_America) <a href="https://twitter.com/We_Make_America/status/1638937411165061122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Authorities investigated and were able to trace the items back to the 1971 burglary. The most valuable item found was a rare British Brown Bess musket, which is worth $1 million on its own.

According to the investigators, the suspects in the 1971 burglary used a stolen vehicle to make off with the items. They then hid them in various locations before eventually stashing them in the Delaware attic.

While most of the stolen items have been recovered, some items are still missing. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are hopeful that they will be able to recover the remaining items.

The discovery has been met with great excitement by the Valley Forge Historical Society, which had believed that the stolen items were lost forever. They are now working with authorities to recover and restore the stolen artifacts.

This case serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving historical artifacts and the damage that can be done by theft. While it may have taken more than 50 years, the recovery of these stolen items is a victory for the preservation of history and culture.

Ā 

You may also like

Blog

Iran is already fighting the United States. Yemen’s Houthis are attacking Saudi Arabia. North Korea is firing ballistic missiles again. And behind these flashpoints sit nuclear powers, military alliances and rival superpowers. None of this means World War III is inevitable, but the connections between these conflicts show how quickly a regional crisis could become something much larger.
A deadly Los Angeles bus crash had already killed two people when a second tragedy unfolded just blocks away. A news helicopter covering the first crash suddenly lost altitude and plunged from the sky, killing a reporter, her pilot and a man on the ground.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is putting a record $1.17 billion behind a problem that still affects thousands of Americans who once wore the uniform. The money will go to 680 organizations nationwide to help homeless Veterans and those at immediate risk of losing their homes. The funding comes after the VA housed 51,936 homeless Veterans in fiscal year 2025, its highest total in seven years.
About 90 sailors aboard the USS Kearsarge returned to Naval Station Norfolk after 10 days at sea, only to discover their cars had been towed. The vehicles had been left in a fenced lot near Pier 14 during a base concert, leaving sailors waiting for hours at the impound lot to get them back.
What started with cars spinning donuts in a Houston parking lot ended with a vehicle flipping repeatedly, one person dead, three hospitalized and firearms discovered inside. Five people were in the fleeing vehicle, most or all believed to be juveniles. But the biggest question remained unanswered: who was behind the wheel?

Like This Story? Check Out What Our Community Is Buying

Our best sellers are designed for real-world use - not hype.

View Best Sellers