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The FBI helped return a Revolutionary War-era musket to the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia on July 1, 2024—more than 50 years after it was stolen from Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
The .78-caliber firearm was stolen during an October 24, 1968, heist.
Its recovery—and subsequent repatriation—were the result of teamwork between the FBI and our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, the Upper Merion Township Police Department (UMTPD), and the museum.
“Investigating art and cultural property crime requires determination, perseverance, and collaboration, as these cases often cross jurisdictions and may span decades,” said FBI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs. “We appreciate the assistance from our partners here today, and we thank members of the public who provide tips that are integral to these cases so that we can do our best to investigate, recover, and return to the public domain important artifacts such as this historic firearm that help document our American history.” The investigative team originally shared the details of the complex art crime case for an April 10 story published on fbi.gov.
UMTPD Detective Brendan Dougherty shared a link to the story with historical firearms expert and professional appraiser Joel Bohy, who’d worked with the local police department on a past case. Minutes later, Bohy text messaged Dougherty saying he’d spotted the musket.
Bohy said the musket had caught his eye at an event because of its rarity. “There’s only two others known,” he explained, adding that he’d photographed it at the event and thought about it afterwards.
Bohy shared the photo with Dougherty to confirm his hunch and met with FBI Philadelphia Special Agent Jake Archer from the Bureau’s Art Crime Team the next day. From that tip, investigators traced the musket to an antique firearms collector in Maryland.
After meeting with investigators, the collector—who didn’t know the musket was stolen and wasn’t connected to the heist—willingly turned over the musket to the FBI Art Crime Team.
The firearm was formally given to the Museum of the American Revolution during a ceremony at the Philadelphia institution.
