So we’ve all seen the movies or TV shows that center around long lost artwork (stolen by the Nazi’s or whatever)

So using the stolen by the Nazi’s idea as that most certainly happened, what happens if you find a long lost Rembrandt or whatever hidden in your walls or some such. After so much time is it “yours” so to speak? Is there a “statute of limitations” at play or would it be asked to be relinquished etc.

I just happened to be watching “one of those” movies and it got me thinking.

Chris.

Also I doubt I’ll have this problem in my 2019 built house but hey who knows one day.

Years ago they were tearing down some old buildings in town and they discovered Morgan dollars, etc. type coins left in the walls. Probably left there by those who built the building. I myself have taken on that tradition and whenever I have "wall" work or some other type of hidden remodel work, will place coins or treasures in the void before it's patched back up.

Maybe someday it will be a treasure to whomever finds it.

Items stolen always go back to the original owner, even if it is the next of kin. The descendants just need to show a claim. As for stolen Nazi art, there is a whole industry to establish claims, and when art comes to the surface, get it to the rightful owners. Art is identifiable since originals will have a provenance and can be tracked.

The fun argument would be items that cannot be traced. Say you are hiking in the German/Austrian Alps. You climb a hill for a better view, find a small cave, and inside you find a crate with a couple bars of gold. The only identifier is the Nazi Eagle/Swastika stamped on the bar. Since there is no way to identify the owner(s) of the gold, which likely was melted and re-cast by the Germans, so the original owners will be impossible to locate. Then the laws of the nation will dictate who gets the gold.