Vatican’s stolen Christopher Columbus letter found in Atlanta
For years, investigators searched the world for a stolen letter written by Christopher Columbus in 1493. And it was right here in Atlanta all along, or at least for the past 14 years.
The 8-page, handwritten letter had been preserved in the Vatican Library. But at some point it was stolen and replaced with a forged copy, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Then, in February 2004, an Atlanta art collector purchased the original letter for $875,000 without knowing it had been stolen, according to investigators.
The letter is one of a few dozen authentic, reprinted copies of Columbus' original letter, which was handwritten in Spanish and reprinted in Latin. The explorer sent the letter to Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to offer his first impressions of what he believed to be the eastern edge of Asia. The letter was one of several historical documents given to the Vatican in 1921....
