101-year-old Bell telephone memorial plaque recovered with only 'minor damage'

A 101-year-old bronze plaquepried offa memorialin Brantford, Ont. thatcommemoratesthe invention of the telephone has been returnedonly a little worse for the wearafter being missing for almost a week.

The heavy piece of metal sat on a massive memorial dedicated to Alexander Graham Bell for more than a century before it was broken off sometime on March 20.

City officials issued a public plea for help finding the "cherished" plaque and it appears their calls were answered Monday.

Police say they received a tip from a member of the public around 5:30 p.m. abouta historical plaque that had been spotted on Marlborough Street.

Officers scoured the street and say they discovered the plaque "still fully intact, with minor damage to one corner."

"We are thrilled to announce that the plaque has been returned to its rightful place in history!" the city announced in a post on Twitter along with a photo showing a smiling staff member posing with the plaque.

The picture shows one of the plaque's flowered corners is cracked where the metal was bolted to the monument.

Maria Visocchi, director of communications and community engagement for the city of Brantford, said the plaque's return is "great news."

"It's in really good condition. There's jut a very, very tiny, tiny piece of it that was cut from one of the corners. But otherwise it's in fine condition," she said.

Visocchi said she couldn't speculate as to why someone would take the plaque, but did note that sometimes historical assets are taken for their value as scrap metal.

"I don't know the motivation of who took it," she said. "We do know that has been motivation for people in the past."

Police thanked the public and media for helping spread the word.

No charges have been laid so far, but investigators say the case remains open.