What should be returned to a merchant from whom a bird was stolen 14 years ago, given the differing opinions of experts regarding its value then and now, and should he be reimbursed the price for which its owner sold it ($1), or the price for which it was sold after the theft ($8), or its current estimated value, ranging from ($14-$100)?

If the stolen item is lost or damaged and is not a fungible item, its value at the time of theft must be returned, not its value at the time of restitution, even if prices have changed. This is based on the statement of Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah: "If the price changes and the like is lost, then one transitions to the value at the time of usurpation, and this is the most sound opinion."