Steven Mace
03-22-2006, 04:26 AM
Rare gun found 24 years after Bergen theft
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
By JUSTO BAUTISTA
STAFF WRITER
A rare Civil War pistol stolen from a Bergen County collector 24 years ago has been recovered by a federal interstate theft task force, the FBI said Monday.
"We're in the process of returning it to its rightful owner," FBI spokesman Steve Siegel said.
The pistol, a Griswold & Gunnison .36-caliber Confederate pistol, was part of a collection that included presentation swords and scabbards that were stolen from a house in Woodcliff Lake on Aug. 13, 1982, the FBI said.
The collection was valued at $650,000 in 1982, Siegel said.
The pistol has a current value of $40,000.
The pistol recently was spotted in the estate of a deceased North Jersey man, the FBI said. While settling his father's estate, the dead man's son had offered the pistol for sale to various collectors.
"The father could have been a bona fide collector," Siegel said.
The pistol was spotted at an East Coast gun show by a collector who recognized the "1550" serial number, Siegel said.
The collector was not identified, but the FBI said that, because the pistol is so well known among collectors, it was recognized as the same pistol that was stolen in 1982, Siegel said.
"People into the Civil War knew about it -- it's a small fraternity," he said.
The task force soon learned of the pistol and began an investigation.
No other items from the 1982 burglary have been recovered, Siegel said.
Details about the burglary were not immediately available Monday.
The pistol, manufactured in 1862 in a converted cotton gin factory in Griswoldville, Ga., is known for its distinctive brass frame. Only 3,600 were produced.
The FBI asked anyone with information about the case to call (973) 792-3000.
The task force is made up of FBI agents and detectives from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, the Newark Police Department and the Essex County Sheriff's Office.
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk0OSZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NjkwMTE0MCZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM=
Steve Mace
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
By JUSTO BAUTISTA
STAFF WRITER
A rare Civil War pistol stolen from a Bergen County collector 24 years ago has been recovered by a federal interstate theft task force, the FBI said Monday.
"We're in the process of returning it to its rightful owner," FBI spokesman Steve Siegel said.
The pistol, a Griswold & Gunnison .36-caliber Confederate pistol, was part of a collection that included presentation swords and scabbards that were stolen from a house in Woodcliff Lake on Aug. 13, 1982, the FBI said.
The collection was valued at $650,000 in 1982, Siegel said.
The pistol has a current value of $40,000.
The pistol recently was spotted in the estate of a deceased North Jersey man, the FBI said. While settling his father's estate, the dead man's son had offered the pistol for sale to various collectors.
"The father could have been a bona fide collector," Siegel said.
The pistol was spotted at an East Coast gun show by a collector who recognized the "1550" serial number, Siegel said.
The collector was not identified, but the FBI said that, because the pistol is so well known among collectors, it was recognized as the same pistol that was stolen in 1982, Siegel said.
"People into the Civil War knew about it -- it's a small fraternity," he said.
The task force soon learned of the pistol and began an investigation.
No other items from the 1982 burglary have been recovered, Siegel said.
Details about the burglary were not immediately available Monday.
The pistol, manufactured in 1862 in a converted cotton gin factory in Griswoldville, Ga., is known for its distinctive brass frame. Only 3,600 were produced.
The FBI asked anyone with information about the case to call (973) 792-3000.
The task force is made up of FBI agents and detectives from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, the Newark Police Department and the Essex County Sheriff's Office.
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk0OSZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NjkwMTE0MCZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM=
Steve Mace