Cops Recover Gold Bookmark Said to Have Been Hitler's

18-carat memento seized by Feds in sting

An 18-carat gold bookmark said to have belonged to Adolf Hitler was recovered earlier this week as part of a federal undercover operation in Washington State.

The Associated Press reported today that "Christian Popescu, a Romanian national, was arrested Tuesday outside a Starbucks in Bellevue, Wash., after trying to sell the bookmark to an undercover agent for $100,000, according to papers filed in U.S. District Court."

The bookmark was purportedly given to Hitler by Eva Braun, the longtime girlfriend who became his wife shortly before they would both perish in a suicide pact on April 30th, 1945, just days before the end of World War II in Europe.

The bookmark is engraved with a portrait of Hitler as well as an imperial eagle and a swastika, and its inscription indicates that Braun gave it to Hitler to console him after German forces surrendered at Stalingrad.

Federal prosecutors said the bookmark was among several items taken in an auction-house heist six years ago in Madrid. At the time, some antiquities experts questioned its authenticity. Just the same, notwithstanding the provenance of the item, authorities said the heist was still a crime.

"Artifacts of historical significance are not souvenirs for illegal sale to the highest bidder," Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's office of investigations in Seattle, said in a statement.

The operation began when ICE learned that a man was trying to sell the bookmark in the Seattle area. An informant contacted Popescu, who confirmed he had the bookmark and provided pictures. Popescu told the informant he wanted $150,000 for it.

Spanish authorities estimated the bookmark was valued at between $13,000 and $17,000, according to court documents.

"My Adolf, don't worry," reads the inscription, adding that the loss to the Soviets was "only an inconvenience that will not break your certainty of victory." It continues: "My love for you will be eternal, as our Reich will be eternal. Always yours, Eva. 3-2-43."

(Photo from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement via AP)