page_title: Robert King Wittman
section_title: The Tiffany Presentation Sword
hierarchical_section_title: Robert King Wittman / Major recoveries during Wittman's FBI career / The Tiffany Presentation Sword
caption_attribution_description: English: Annapolis, Md. (Jan. 12, 2004) -- The historic Worden Sword rests on a table with its belt and scabbard laid out for display. The FBI recovered the priceless sword missing since 1931, and returned it to the U.S. Naval Academy. The Tiffany sword was originally presented to Rear Adm. John L. Worden by the state of New York for his command of USS Monitor in its famous battle with CSS Virginia in Hampton Roads, Va., and March 9, 1862. Rear Adm. Worden also served as the seventh Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy. U.S. Navy photo by Cliff Maxwell. (RELEASED)
context_page_description: Robert King "Bob" Wittman is a highly decorated former Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent who was assigned to the Philadelphia Field Division from 1988 to 2008. Having trained in art, antiques, jewelry and gem identification, Wittman served as the FBI's "top investigator and coordinator in cases involving art theft and art fraud". During his 20 years with the FBI, Wittman helped recover more than $300 million worth of stolen art and cultural property, resulting in the prosecution and conviction of numerous individuals. In 2005, he was instrumental in the creation of the FBI's rapid deployment Art Crime Team. He was named the ACT's senior investigator and was responsible for instructing the newly formed team. He also was instrumental in the recovery of colonial North Carolina's copy of the original Bill of Rights in 2005, after it was stolen by a Union soldier in 1865. Wittman represented the United States around the world, conducting investigations and instructing international police and museums in recovery and security techniques. After 20 years with the FBI working against art theft, he worked as an art security consultant for the private sector.
context_section_description: Theft from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1932 of an 1862 Tiffany presentation sword awarded to Admiral John Lorimer Worden, for his heroic command aboard the USS Monitor during its historic Civil War battle with the CSS Virginia (Merrimac). Recovery: the Tiffany presentation sword valued at $650,000.
caption: The recovered Tiffany sword
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop 7.0", "Image DateTime": "2004:01:13 13:47:39", "Image ExifOffset": "156", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "294", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "5622", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2880", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1970"}