LOS ANGELES , California ( CNN ) -- A 1965 Volkswagen van stolen 35 years ago in Spokane , Washington , was found by customs agents in a shipping container in the Los Angeles port last month , a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official said . The blue van , in pristine condition , was bound for Germany along with several vintage Volkswagens , Customs and Border Protection Port Director Todd Hoffman said . The Arizona company that was shipping the van had no idea the vehicle was stolen from a Spokane auto shop in 1974 , Hoffman said . Customs and Border Protection agents routinely run vehicle identification numbers through the National Insurance Crime Bureau database for all vehicles being loaded on ships for export , he said . They recover stolen vehicles about once a week , but they usually are high-end late-model luxury cars , he said . While it was likely worth just a few hundred dollars when it was stolen , the VW is now valued at about $ 27,000 , he said . Allstate Insurance Company , which paid the original owner for the loss decades ago , now owns the van , according to Allstate spokeswoman Megan Brunet . The insurance company has not decided if it will sell the van at auction -- which is the routine -- or put it to other use because of it 's history , she said .
Van stolen in Spokane found in Los Angeles shipping container . Score: 6 Van now worth about $ 27,000 ; insurance company is owner .