Giovanni Prisco: Yes, and it is a paint stolen at the end of 1990 and was from a private house. Massimo De Caro, a notorious Italian book thief, just finished serving a seven-year sentence for stealing thousands of ancient books and manuscripts from Italian libraries and selling them overseas. The country has more than 18,000 libraries. Chanca.--Memorial of the results of the second voyage. Columbus, for all his achievements and all his faults, did something that nobody had ever done before. Massimo De Caro: Yes, it all. Jon Wertheim: You think you can fool them? It is probably the first contemporary account of anything to be published across Europe. And then the ability to know where and how to sell these Columbus letters – on the private market. Upon his return, his letter was printed and distributed throughout Europe, making for blockbuster news. Massimo De Caro: Let's say that I am more expert than them. If there is one library in the world you'd think would be impervious to theft, this would be it. And now it was Needham's turn to travel to Europe to examine the letters. Jay suspected the library's letter had been stolen and put up for sale, which meant whatever was currently in their collection was a fake. What would someone pay for this? Jon Wertheim: And there's a market for it? His unit investigates property theft from private homes, churches and libraries. © 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Jamie McCall: Yes, Massimo De Caro was prosecuted by the Italian authorities for pilfering thousands of rare books and he was involved in the sale of at least one of the Columbus letters at issue. And that's pretty much the most consequential news ever published, isn't it? Both very small and very valuable their value per leaf of paper is higher than for any other printed book. Last year, Ambrogio Piazzoni, the vice prefect of the Vatican library, was on hand when it was returned to its rightful home. That we had some people in Europe stealing these treasures of the world and replacing them with high quality forgeries. Ambrogio Piazzoni (Translation): Look I do not know. Jay Dillon: This is the very stuff of history. Massimo De Caro: Oh if I try? Jon Wertheim: You could've reproduced one of these Columbus letters. When Columbus' letter arrived at the royal court in Spain in 1493, it was promptly sent to Rome, where it was translated into Latin and printed, spreading the news of his extraordinary expedition. They even don't know how is made one book. It's just impossible. Correspondent Jon Wertheim with Giovanni Prisco, Correspondent Jon Wertheim with Massimo De Caro. Jay Dillon: This was one of the first bestsellers. [Ambrosian text]--Second voyage: A letter addressed to the Chapter of Seville by Dr. Jamie McCall: He is a subject in the investigation. Copies of a letter written by Christopher Columbus describing his first impressions of the Americas have become so rare and valuable, they're being stolen and replaced with forgeries at some of the world's most prestigious libraries. Alloftheseautographs,excepttheToscanelliletter,werewritten during the last years ofhis life, andmost of them while Columbus was residing in theold monastery of LasCuevas,on the outskirtsof Jon Wertheim: This was someone who's been involved in these kind of crimes before? He actually made the globe a globe. Above all, Christopher Columbus was a navigator and an explorer. In it, he describes his first impressions of the new world. Eight years into the joint U.S.-Italian investigation, no arrests have been made in the case, but three stolen Columbus letters have been recovered. He acted like all of them. It requires the ability to create high quality forgeries. And I made it my business from that moment on to look at every original I could. He showed us another Galileo reproduction he made. In the letter, Columbus made clear that the future colonists would include not only soldiers and priests, who were needed for conquest and conversion, but also farmers, who could grow the crops that would maintain the colony. Jon Wertheim: Why is it so difficult to protect books from theft? It was here in 2011 that Vatican officials first discovered that one of their prized items, a Columbus letter, had somehow been stolen and replaced with a fake. Homeland Security special agent Mark Olexa led the investigation, along with assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Delaware, Jamie McCall. Jay Dillon: This is some of the biggest news ever. An original Tiepolo. They were found in the most surprising places. De Caro admits he sold two Columbus letters, which he says he bought legitimately from an anonymous collector. It was discovered in the north of Italy. Massimo De Caro: You know, first of all, the police in Italy, regarding books are the worst, ok? Obviously, in the eyes of Columbus, this was a “new Spain.” 8. Paul Needham: There's always been a market for it.