I think I'm going to be sick

[86Dude]

As some of you know my grandmother just died. We've gone through her stuff and found some pictures that I've never seen before. I'm an historian and collector of civil war artifacts. From 1905 until 1985 my great aunt and uncle owned a major part of what is federal civil war battlefield called Pea Ridge. They had a museum. My ancestors picked stuff off the battlefield and kept it for over 100 years. In the 1980's my great aunty got senile and some goddamn rednecks stole some of her civil war stuff from the museum and later sold it to a yankee collector sonofabtich that I want to kill in Springfield MO, he and I are going to have a talk. Anyway, later on that same collector bought the rest of the collection for 8500 dollars. That collection today would be worth 100's of thousands. Anyway, I found a picture today of some of that collection, guns, flags, and then something familiar. The custom handmade sword of one Sterling Price, major general of the CSA. The sword is custom made of silver, steel, ivory, and gold. It was made in Missouri. I had no idea it was in their collection. This sword was stolen, and is now in the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond Virginia. Until today, I had no IDEA that something this fantastic was in my families collection, but there it sits in the Richmond VA. I'm so mad I want to kill, and I would if I knew the goddamned sonofabitch who swiped that focking sword. The value of the sword is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Look it up if you want. The handles is made to look like a corn cob and is one of a kind. Off to go punch something.

[Judy]

china comes up against the similar things. i heard a thief stole an ancient vase has passed a few generations in a family, and then was going to sell it to a state museum. the staff members of the museum knew the vase was a stolen good, but purchased it. until now the family still ask the museum to return their vase constantly, even are going to seek lawing help, but ... now the vase is a state stuff.

[86Dude]

Statute of limitations plus no hard evidence precludes me from doing anything legal about it. Anyway, if anybody ever visits the Museum of the Confederacy please remember to view our stolen sword. At least it's in public curation.

I just can't believe they had Sterling Prices sword, I am totally floored. It might as well have been Robert E. Lees.

[wallflower]

Sorry, 86.

Fetch a lawyer, try to collect evidence and sue!

[Mystlet]

Sorry, Dude.

At least it's safe, and not in the hands of some redneck who gets drunk and beats his pickup with it.

[86Dude]

Beats his pickup, lol, haven't heard that one.

[Mystlet]

You've never seen an angry drunk assail his wheels? I must have spent more time in the stix than I thought...

[tinhorn]

Originally Posted by Mystlet

Sorry, Dude.

At least it's safe, and not in the hands of some redneck who gets drunk and beats his pickup with it.

Yeah, what she said. Man, this has gotta be tough.

[Manu]

I'm sorry Dude, that is very tough. But at least you know it was part of your families history.

[86Dude]

Originally Posted by Manu

I'm sorry Dude, that is very tough. But at least you know it was part of your families history.

The odd thing is that Sterling Price didn't lose his sword there. They must have purchased it later. I mean here this was in podunk Garfield Arkansas in a backwater Museum, later stolen, and now it's in the former white house of the CSA in Richmond. It was like someone hit me in the head with a brick.

[oki]

would b hard to proove that it was stolen, yea unless theres a police record I guess. you shoud check. thhe pick proves it was once in your family at least.

[86Dude]

Even if I could the statute of limitatons has long sense passed. The museum was robbed in 1985. I wouldn't have known it was there had I not seen a picture from 1967 and a postcard.

[oki]

then you have only one option left: steal it back.

[The face of Jacob]

I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother.

[86Dude]

Thanks jake. She was awesome.

[Judy]

Originally Posted by oki

then you have only one option left: steal it back.

a good idea. edmond dantes would like it.

[Betrade]

Originally Posted by wallflower

Sorry, 86.

Fetch a lawyer, try to collect evidence and sue!

Exactly. The museum has to have either a bill of sale (which the thief may have been stupid enough to use his or her real name on), or some type of record of the transaction. If they can't prove it was obtained legitimately, and you can prove it's yours, they may have no choice.

My Dad's grandparents lost everything during the civil war. Their plantation was burned to the ground after it was completely ransacked. They did manage to sink a few things in the Rappahannock river, like silverware and some coins, but they were never able to go back and actually live there. The place was ruined and they moved North to Richmond, and then MD. That's why I ended up being born in MD instead of South Carolina.

I didn't know until recently that most of my family fought for the South. I have 63 Ancestors who fought for the North and somewhere around 345 who fought for the South. I have some friends who belong to the Sons of the Confederacy, and they're always hounding me to join. I probably won't because I don't really see the point.

I wasn't there, and nowadays, if you're interested in the confederacy and happen to show it publicly, the dreaded "R" word is thrown at you by the PC commie types, as if you want slavery reinstated or something. Who needs the aggravation??

Anyway, if I were you, I would call that museum TODAY and start the process of at least attempting to get that sword back. I had a crooked uncle who had my Great Grandmother sign over 3.5 million bucks to him when she went blind. he told her she was signing checks to pay the bills. That was my private school and college money (I was supposed to go to Loyola High School, and some college I can't even remember; my family is very Catholic, but that's another bizzare story), as well as for all of my siblings and cousins, of which there are many. My uncle must have felt guilty after the fact, so he left it to the local Catholic church, who haven't touched the principal in years, and collect the interest like clockwork. At even 5%, it's a nice income for doing nothing. In the 80's , they were collecting over 20% on a huge chunk of that money. I know, because a lady that handles it at the church told me so. Anyway....

I know what it's like to see what's rightfully yours stolen out from under you. I'm actually in another situation like that right now, and It doesn't look good. I'm actually paying someone who is supposed to be paying me, and I have no choice as long as my mother is living. It's amazing how fast your own family will screw you when money is involved, which makes me wonder???

Have you asked any of your relatives if they sold the sword?? People will do strange things if they get short on cash. That could be what happened, and if the deal was legit, you'll never get it back. If someone did, and you find out, you can at least expose them for the dirty lying thief that they are, and possibly save some other relative from being screwed over in the future, if the culprit is still alive.

I would think back and try to remember if there were any times when some relative seemed to be buying more than they could normally afford. If they were, you may have your culprit.

You just may know the person that did it. Good luck either way.