# Famous Missing Objects **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 27, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536 "2010-10-27T15:51:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/161 "2010-11-05T20:08:36Z")
> [@tsar4](#): > > Glenn Miller > Atlantis You find one, you’ve found the other. The truth is out there. ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/162 "2010-11-05T22:25:20Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Don’t forget Jimi Hendrix losing the master tape to _Axis: Bold as Love_ in a cab. Actually, it was only side 1, but I still hold out hope that it might pop up one day, like Black Gold and the Fillmore East tapes did. Also, a lot of Jimi’s gear was looted after he died. I also remember hearing about Zack Wyld’s original [bullseye Les Paul](http://www.hollywood-music.co.uk/product_images/i/955/Zakk_Wylde_Bullseye__97662_zoom.jpg) was stolen years ago, and I don’t know if it was ever recovered. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/163 "2010-11-06T01:19:59Z")
I thought the Glenn Miller disappearance had been long solved? His plane flew into a bomb jettisoning area off the coast of England and got hit by jettisoned ordnance from an RAF bomber that had aborted its mission. One of the crew (Flight Navigator? Radio Operator?) noted it in their flight log, but no-one made the connection between “Small, unidentified plane crashing off the coast of England in a bomb jettisoning zone in bad weather” and “Hey, no-one’s seen Glenn Miller for a while. Wasn’t he flying to France in a small plane in bad weather?” until much, much later. And Miller’s disappearance was covered up at the time to prevent damage to Morale (for obvious reasons), and by the time it stopped being A Matter Of Utmost Importance the myths etc had started and/or been well and truly established. On the subject of missing aircraft and Aviators, though: Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and the plane he was flying in. Somewhere off the coast of Burma is about all anyone’s managed to work out. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/164 "2010-11-06T01:39:15Z")
I’ve seen that story about Glen Miller’s plane, and while likely true, it’s not been proven nor have the plane or bodies been been found. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/165 "2010-11-06T01:52:25Z")
Here’s a 2001 Staff Report on Glenn Miller’s disappearance: [Did band leader Glenn Miller die in a French brothel? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1905/did-band-leader-glenn-miller-die-in-a-french-brothel) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/166 "2010-11-06T03:14:56Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I’ve seen that story about Glen Miller’s plane, and while likely true, it’s not been proven nor have the plane or bodies been been found. And it _won’t_ be proven… … since he used the bombing run as the perfect cover to make a break for Atlantis. [QUOTE=Ernest May, “Miller’s Crossing”, Harvard University Press] Glenn Miller wanted to retire to a small estate on the island of Atlantis, but his manager and the US Armed Services were adamant about keeping him in uniform and making records. [snip] His pilot was a fellow trombonist who realized that Miller’s only chance to escape was to file a flight plan that’d take them through the bomb disposal area. They diverted from that plan almost immediately (no, there was NOT a report of a small plane going down-- that was added later) and headed for a private airstrip on the north shore of Atlantis. [/quote] ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/167 "2010-11-06T04:25:48Z")
> [@AutumnLeaves](#): > > I’ve always wondered about that - you can’t hang it in your foyer, and presumably you can’t insure it, you can’t let any non-criminal acquaintances you have see it… what can you do with it, other than sell it on the black market? But I read a little while ago that these expensive stolen paintings are sometimes used as collateral in drug deals, which I thought was fascinating, if true. Former FBI agent Robert Wittman, who specialized in stolen art and antiquities undercover work for over twenty years, was recently profiled on NPR’s Fresh Air. He said about 90% of all art theft are the smaller, valuable, but not unique and priceless items that thieves can unload at auctions, private sales, even flea markets. The other 10%, the really big ticket big publicity items, can’t be sold and usually aren’t displayed by a collector. They have been, however, held in ‘reserve’ by criminals, so to speak. If they get arrested for something else, it’s a bargaining chip. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/168 "2010-11-06T04:53:41Z")
Glenn Miller reminds me: the body of actor Leslie Howard (Ashley Wilkes from _Gone With the Wind_/Henry Higgins from _Pygmalion_) was never recovered during WW2 either. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/169 "2010-11-07T00:58:20Z")
Some notebooks of da Vinci Many “conversation” books of Beethoven Ancient Greek stuff, Rennaissane musical works by masters And my favorite, the letters of Nora Joyce in response to her hubby’s “ten dirty letters,” some of which, according to James, were smearing and getting too crusty to read. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/170 "2010-11-08T01:32:50Z")
The body of JFK’s older brother, Joseph Jr. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/171 "2010-11-08T01:54:35Z")
USS _Bonhomme Richard_, John Paul Jones’s ship, severely damaged and sunk after his victory over HMS _Serapis_ in 1779. > **[USS Bonhomme Richard (1765)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Bonhomme_Richard_%281765%29)** > > Bonhomme Richard, formerly Duc de Duras, was a warship in the American Continental Navy named for Founding Father Benjamin Franklin. She was originally an East Indiaman, a merchant ship built in France for the French East India Company in 1765, for service between France and Asia. She was placed at the disposal of John Paul Jones on 4 February 1779, by King Louis XVI of France as a result of a loan to the United States by French shipping magnate Jacques-Donatien Le Ray. > Bonhomme Richard was or... ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/172 "2010-11-09T14:58:46Z")
There is also this classic: [Frederick Valentich and his Cessna](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentich_Disappearance). ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/173 "2010-11-09T16:07:30Z")
I lost my keilbasi down the sewer. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/174 "2010-11-09T18:46:00Z")
Hitler ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/175 "2010-11-09T20:33:30Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > The body of JFK’s older brother, Joseph Jr. Well, yeah, along with a million or so other servicemen killed in WWII, plus probably 10-20 million civilians. So that’s hardly a unique missing object. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/176 "2010-11-09T20:52:02Z")
But…but…but… it’s a KENNEDY! Actually, I don’t think the body is missing. I think it no longer exists – it was probably pretty much vaporized in a huge explosion. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/177 "2010-11-10T15:06:17Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > But…but…but… it’s a KENNEDY! > > Actually, I don’t think the body is missing. I think it no longer exists – it was probably pretty much vaporized in a huge explosion. Yeah, the body was identified from barometric records. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/178 "2010-11-10T16:42:03Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, and that is worth a grin. The actual fact is more like (wiki) "\*Conflicting with this is the finding of Rohault de Fleury, who, in his Mémoire sur les instruments de la Passion 1870 made a study of the relics in reference to the criticisms of Calvin and Erasmus. He drew up a catalogue of all known relics of the True Cross showing that, in spite of what various authors have claimed, the fragments of the Cross brought together again would not reach one-third that of a cross which has been supposed to have been three or four meters in height, with transverse branch of two meters wide, proportions not at all abnormal. He calculated: supposing the Cross to have been of pine-wood (based on his microscopic analysis of the fragments) and giving it a weight of about seventy-five kilograms, we find the original volume of the cross to be .178 cubic meters. The total known volume of known relics of the True Cross, according to his catalogue, amounts to approximately .004 cubic meters (more specifically 3,942,000 cubic millimeters), leaving a volume of .174 cubic meters lost, destroyed, or otherwise unaccounted for. > \* > > As far as The Maltese Falcon goes (wiki) _"There were several 11-1/2 inch tall falcon props made for use in the film because Humphrey Bogart dropped the original during shooting. The original is on display to this day in Warner Brothers’ movie museum, its tail feathers visibly dented from Bogart’s accident. Some of the copies of the falcon were cast of plastic resin, and some of lead. Only two 45 lb. lead falcons and two 5 lb., 5.4 oz resin falcons are verified to exist today. One lead falcon has been displayed for years at various venues. The second, which was marred at the end of the film by Sydney Greenstreet, was given to William Conrad by studio chief Jack L. Warner. It was auctioned off in December 1994, nine months after Conrad’s death, for $398,500 to Ronald Winston of Harry Winston, Inc. At that time, it was the highest price paid for a film prop. It was used to model a 10 lb. gold replica displayed at the 69th Academy Awards. The replica has Burmese ruby eyes, interchangeable claws (one set of gold, one set of coral) and has a platinum chain in its beak with a 42.98 flawless diamond at the end. Its value is estimated at well over $8 million. The lead and resin falcons are valued in excess of $2 million. "_ Thanks-I wonder if the thief who stole the one from John’s Grill has sold it? Probably something pretty easy to fence-but on the other hand, how would you authenticate it? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536/179 "2010-11-10T17:59:45Z")
The SYFY Channel has a program called"Hollywood Treasure". They auction artifacts from Hollywood and TV. They auctioned Hamilton’s wicked witch hat for nearly 200,000 bucks. They sold the Kato hat of Bruce Lee for almost 25 thou. They have to authenticate everything they auction. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missing-objects/558536.md?page=8)