PORTLAND, Ore. -- More than 100 ancient artifacts recovered in Oregon during an FBI investigation were returned to the government of Panama on Tuesday.

FBI officials said the widow of an amateur archeologist was storing the items in and around the southern Oregon town of Klamath Falls. A FBI news release said her late husband acquired many of the items while working as a teacher on a U.S. military base in Panama during the 1980s.

Slideshow: Looted Panama Artifacts Returned

During that time, he married his wife, a Panamanian citizen, and the two brought many of the items back to the United States in the late 1980s, officials said.

Over the years, the FBI said, the couple sold some of the items on the Internet and at various markets. The artifacts include a number of pottery pieces and gold works, including jewelry.

According to the FBI, experts date many of the objects to the pre-Columbian period of 1100-1500 AD. Authorities estimate the monetary value at $500-$3,000 per piece, depending upon the item's age, quality and preservation status.

"The people of Panama have been deprived of the ability to view these unique items -- part of their cultural heritage" said Daniel Roberts, the FBI's deputy assistant director of the criminal investigative division.

The 1972 Panama Constitution and a 1982 Panamanian law made it illegal for people to own antiquities from that country, FBI officials said. Only the Panamanian government is allowed to own the artifacts.

The Klamath Falls man died of natural causes in October 2004. No charges are expected in the case.