Chicago museum locates $5 million worth of artifacts stolen 30 years ago

CHICAGO - Chicago's Polish Museum received a huge gift in the form of stolen documents, military medals and other artifacts that were stolen from the institution decades ago.

FBI officials found more than 120 items, valued at about $5 million, in the basement of a Chicago home, according to a Huffington Post article.  They include letters signed by Abraham Lincoln, documents from the 18th century and Nazi propaganda.  The items have been missing since the 1970s and 1980s.

The investigation started when a Chicago antiques dealer called the Polish museum to notify them they had purchased several items that were traced back to the institution.  The FBI was called in and met with the sellers, who said they had found the artifacts in the basement of the home they were renting.

The home belongs to the mother of a former curator at the museum. No charges can be filed because the FBI doesn't know for sure who stole the items and when.  The statue of limitations has also run out in the case.

The museum president says they will catalog the items and put them on display in the next few years.  They still believe there are more missing documents out there.