Stolen treasure trove could take year to ID

Police say it could take a year or longer to work through the hundreds of antique and historic items seized in an investigation into stolen goods.

John Mark Tillman of Fall River isfacing 29 charges, including theft and possession of stolen property.

Police now say the number of items seized in connection with the case has reached 2,000.

RCMP Sergeant Colin MacLean said it's a huge job to track down where the artifacts came from and to whomthey belong.

"You know I think we said back in January that it would take months but I think were looking at more than that now, it could take a year or more. Its taken a long time so far and weve only really scratched the surface," he said.

Tillmans son, 23-year-old Kyle Tillman, is also charged with obstruction of justice, perjury and possession of stolen property in relation to the case.

Some of the objects of note include a letter from George Washington written before the American Revolution, which had been taken from Dalhousie University Library Archives.

The thefts also included rare editions of books such as Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, a full suit of armour, and a W.H. Yorke painting worth as much as $40,000.

Police say they have also found a book of philosophy by Boethiusa sixth-century Roman philosopherthat was published in the late 1490s.

Police said the goods were taken from several universities, museums and private collections and are worth around $1 million. They think Tillman built the collection up over two decades.