Officials with Argentina’s central bank, the Banco Central de la Republica Argentina (BCRA), recently recovered eight stolen paper money proofs from 1935, 1941, 1948 and 1983.
The proofs were slated for auction in the United States; however, following an investigation led by the International Criminal Police Organization – also known as INTERPOL – they were recovered and returned to the Consulate General of Argentina in New York before being sent to the capital Buenos Aires.
The proofs were reported missing from the Héctor Carlos Janson Numismatic and Historical Museum in Buenos Aires in 2018, after which time they were entered into an international database of stolen art.
More recently, U.S. law enforcement contacted the numismatist who had the sketches in his possession.
“The collector, now under investigation, denied knowing that the sketches had been stolen and handed them in to the FBI,” reads a statement issued by the BCRA.”
In turn, the court ordered their repatriation through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina.”
To read the BCRA’s full press release, visit bit.ly/33HJH1V.