Art thief John Tillman's infamous collection on its way back to owners
RCMP are touring Nova Scotia returning items stolen by notorious art thief John Tillman.
This week, they made stops in Charlottetown and Hantsport.
In Hantsport, a 130-year-old painting of the Hamburg tall ship, worth about $10,000, was returned.
The Hamburg painting was stolen by Tillman six years ago in broad daylight from the town’s museum in Churchill House.
It was found displayed in Tillman’s house above his bed.
Hantsport historian Clair Patterson said it is a huge weight lifted.
“To get something as valuable as that back --- you never thought would come back.”
Tillman, now in prison after pleading guilty to 40 charges, had 7,000 pieces of pilfered art, artifacts and Nazi memorabilia in his home.
RCMP constable Darryl Morgan is now giving the items back to their owners all over Atlantic Canada and into the U.S.
“It’s the RCMP antiques roadshow these days, getting these back to the museums where they belong,” he said.
They have already returned hundreds; however there are thousands of items left that police have not yet identified the owners.
