By: Alyssa Hong

A copy of a letter stolen in the 1980s written by Christopher Columbus written was returned to Italy after 30 years.

“It is my pleasure to be here to celebrate the return of this important artifact to its rightful owners—the people of Italy. This is the fourth original edition of this letter stolen over the past decades and we could not be happier to return it,” said Patrick J. Lechleitner, deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Columbus had first written the letter in 1493 to his patrons, Spain’s King Ferdinandand Queen Isabella, describing his findings in the Americas. The letter was ultimately sent to Rome and reprinted in Latin as a pamphlet that wound up in libraries throughout Europe. This particular copy of the letter is one of the most rare ones because it is a copy of the first edition.

The ICE placed its value at more than $1.3 million when it announced its discovery in 2020. “Culturally significant artifacts are assigned a monetary value in the world’s marketplaces in which they are traded,” William Walker, acting agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Philadelphia, said. “But the cultural and symbolic worth of these objects far surpasses any given dollar value to the nations to whom they rightfully belong.”