The Story Seems To Check Out

His widow is from Hawaii, where he wrestled. She was cleaning out the attic getting ready to move back there. (Why anyone would leave Hawaii and move to New York is beyond me lol). 

He wrestled Buddy Rogers, and was Tag-Team Partners and Champions with Buddy Rogers. So it stands to reason that he would have a Tag-Team Championship belt sitting in his attic since he would have won that belt. They posed a big riddle about who would have the other belt... my guess, his Tag-Team Partner! 

As far as the main Championship Belt... Buddy Rogers was the United States Champion. He came up to New York with the belt. He dropped the belt to Bruno Sammartino. After that, Vince Sr. made a new belt for Sammartino which he held for the next 8 years. So no one ever saw the old belt again. 

It makes sense that Bruno would have given the old belt back to Buddy Rogers since it was his belt all along, and they were just using him and his belt to give the new promotion's Championship Belt some credibility. So it would be the nice thing to do to give the belt back to Buddy Rogers and say thank you. 

But after that, what his Buddy supposed to do with his belt? He can't wear it anymore, he can't defend it anymore, he can't even really be seen with it anymore. So before he leaves New York he probably was at his friends place, and he must have just left the belt there. Clearly, the belt never left New York. Maybe Buddy left before Bruno bothered to give it back to him, so Bruno handed it over to Buddy's friend to give back to him, but his friend never bothered to give it to Buddy lol. Or maybe Buddy just told him to keep it, either way it must not have been too important to Buddy since he never came to get it back and left it rotting in Barend's attic. And it wasn't important to Barend since he left both belts rotting in the attic instead of on display for everyone to see in his house. (I'm sure his wife made him throw it in the attic in the first place lol, now all these years later she goes up and gets it and gets to sell it and get her picture in the paper lol). 

Regardless of the details, the belt that Buddy Rogers brought to New York, and dropped to Bruno Sammartino as the very first WWWF (WWF/WWE) Championship Belt has been sitting in this attic for decades and now that it has been found should be put in the WWE Hall Of Fame... and they should induct Bruno Sammartino finally and he should go in with the belt! (Buddy Rogers is already in the WWE Hall Of Fame). 

Induct Bruno Sammartino, the original WWWF Champion, who held the title for 8 years, and bring him in with the original belt, I think it would be an epic moment in wrestling history!