Just my luck...

I recently got a phone call from a lady in the US who claims to be the daughter of one of the previous owners of a helmet in my collection. The stuff I have from him is a WWII airborne liner, 1953 Fort Knox unit poster, and some tame tags. I bought this little grouping around 2006 from ebay and now I find out that the items were stolen from the owner while he was still alive. He apparently just passed away in 2008.

I am not handing anything over to her until I can get definite proof that she is his daughter, but all indications are pointing in that direction. I have tried to get info on this guy for years, but always ran into roadblocks. He retired a full bird Colonel so I suspect that is why his records were not available, plus he was still around up until a few years ago.

Just my luck that this was my only real(but rigger modified) WWII airborne liner...with painted on Captains bars...but now I find out that he was apparently quite the soldier. He was part of the first jump into the Phillipines with the 11th airborne and ensuing battles from there on. He earned the silver star late in WWII. He also served in occupied Japan, throughout the Korean war, and in Vietnam. He also commanded the Fort Knox Armoured training school for a while.

sigh...yep, just my luck

Anyone else ever run into something like this before?

I haven't run into it, but have wondered/worried about it before. Not sure what the legalities are, but it certainly presents a moral issue. You obviously have a financial interest in this stuff and you obviously didn't steal it. I would ask for a police report that lists this stuff as stolen. Perhaps someone in the family sold the stuff because they weren't interested in it and now the daughter has decided she wants it back.
If it can't be proven stolen, maybe she compensates you to get the stuff back? If it can be proven stolen, the police may trace the chain of ownership backwards and the ebay seller you got it from is financially responsible. Tough one, for sure.
How did she find out you have it? How did she get your name and telephone number?
I have gone back and edited details out of pictures and posts I have put up on other forums as a quick google search of a relatives name can pull up the posts where we name the vet, etc. It certainly makes me think twice about posting the names associated to the stuff we collect.

I'm afraid my spider sense if tingling over this one. I agree that unless she can validate the claim that the items are stolen I would be very cautious. Maybe her father sold or gave away the items and now she sees a chance to make a buck.

Cheers,

Geoff