I e-mailed Jim B. of the National Registry of Surviving CW Ordnance... his reply:
Hello George,
Thanks for passing this along.
I was actually the one who informed the broker it was stolen; one benefit of having cannons listed in the Registry.
Jim B.
For any and all surviving CW ordnance it is important we support the continued maintenance of the National Registry. I for one believe our posterity will appreciate any of our efforts. Jim and I became aquainted when I was looking at wheels and a vendor said his product was being used on the Hope Cannon, in Hope, SD. As fate would have it the cannon was one that had fallen out of the registry and thanks to Lance Hites and Jim B. and the wonderous networking of the internet, it is now in the registry. If YOU ever wonder if a piece is recorded, post it so it can be further scrutinized and verified with the registry.
George/GOW