FBI RECOVERS VALUABLE HISTORIC FIREARM

Special Agent in Charge (SAC), Kenneth W. Kaiser, FBI Boston, SAC Jeffrey A. Lampinski, FBI Philadelphia, and Clark Guy, SAC, National Park Service, Northeast Region, announce the recovery of a rare antique firearm. The firearm was returned to its rightful home of the Springfield Armory Museum in Springfield, Massachusetts during a ceremony conducted on the grounds of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site.

The firearm was stolen over 45 years ago from the world famous Benton Small Arms Collection at the Springfield Armory Museum in Springfield, Massachusetts. The gun, a short flintlock musket called a "musketoon", was manufactured at Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1839. It is estimated to be worth $50,000, and is the only one known to exist. Unique markings on the weapon indicate that it was a prototype made by the United States Army to be considered for field production. There is no indication that it was ever authorized or placed into service.

Originally designed with a Flintlock firing system, the US Government rejected the design in favor of a percussion firing system. This is the only known example of a Flintlock Musketoon made for the US Army. It is believed the gun was bought and sold at least seven times, the latest being in 1997 from Butterfield's Auctions in San Francisco, California. The gun was received from a private collector who purchased it at the 1997 auction. It was turned over to Special Agents of the FBI after the owner was notified of the theft from the Armory Museum which occurred in 1958. The collector asked not to be identified. This recovery was a result of FBI Philadelphia's ongoing Cultural/Historic Property Investigative Initiative.

The US Army operated the Springfield Armory Museum when the musketoon was stolen. The US National Park Service now operates the museum as part of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site which was established in 1978. The Armory Museum, established in 1871, has experienced other thefts of rare antique firearms throughout its long history. The National Park Service and the FBI encourages the public to provide information leading to the recovery of other items stolen from the museum. For a list of other missing items from the Armory Museum, contact the Springfield Armory National Historic Site at 413-734-6477, extension 232.

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