Stolen 261-year-old powder horn returned to Detroit Historical Society

(FOX 2) - "This is a pretty magical day for us Things like this don't happen very often," said Elena Rugh of the Detroit Historical Society

The magic being referenced by Rugh has coalesced around the rediscovery and return of a 261-year-old artifact: An ancient powder horn.

Dating back to the 18th century, the ornate decoration had been used in the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Then it was sold to the Detroit Historical Society in 1947 for $75 by the original owners. 

However, when it was on loan to the Dearborn Historical Museum, it was stolen in 1952. The robbery remained a mystery until a couple years ago, the Dearborn police discovered the horn had been sold at an auction in 1991 for $13,000. 

The FBI in Detroit and Philadelphia's art crime unit tracked it down to an estate sale in Nov. 2018, where the seller told them they didn't know it had been stolen.

It'll be on display until Spring of 2019.