In the spirit of historical preservation, I wanted to share a story that truly resonated with me—and beautifully illustrates the importance of returning artifacts to their rightful place.
Recently, we were entrusted with handling the estate of a dedicated World War I & II collector who had passed away. His family faced the daunting task of finding new homes for his extensive collection, which was far too vast for any one person to manage. To help, we organized a series of online auctions aimed at connecting these items with fellow collectors and enthusiasts.
Among the hundreds of artifacts was something unexpected: an identification tag from a historic B-52 bomber—one that had been meticulously restored by the Museum of Flight. How it ended up in the late collector’s hands remains a mystery, but one thing was clear: this tag belonged back with the aircraft it had come from.
I contacted the museum to let them know what we had discovered. Within an hour, I received a call. Their reaction was unforgettable. The tag had been missing for over 20 years. They had long assumed it was lost forever. The excitement and gratitude in their voices were incredible.
The museum plans to create a replica of the tag for display on the aircraft, while the original will be preserved in their archives—a fitting outcome that honors both the artifact and its history.
Could we have sold the tag to a collector for a significant sum? Probably. But sometimes, the true value of an item isn’t monetary. It’s about restoring history, one piece at a time.