>> a booze-born idea... >> he said, "i'm thinking i might buy myself a b-17 and put it over a gas station." >> ...to sell burgers and fuel. >> people were lined up for blocks to get in. 30,000 gallons a day. >> decades later, a dad's dying wish. >> art wanted us to restore it to flying condition. >> a family's flight of fancy... >> they're foolish to be trying this. >> ...that's totally the bomb. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] >> i'm jamie colby, today

driving through salem, oregon, one of the final destinations of settlers on the oregon trail. i'm here to piece together an inheritance story that revolves around a wild bar bet, a crazy roadside attraction, and a sky-high tale of guts and gumption. >> my name is punky scott. when my father passed away, he left me a massive, corroding world war ii bomber that he acquired in a most bizarre adventure. >> i meet punky at this airplane hangar. hi, i'm jamie. >> hi, jamie. thanks for coming today. >> inside isn't a plane, but rusted-out hunks of metal, disheveled stacks of doors and flaps, damaged pieces strewn about. what is all this? >> these are all b-17 parts. >> the b-17 bomber? >> b-17 bomber known as a flying fortress. >> this is an inheritance?

>> this is my inheritance. >> i have got to learn more about who would've left you this. that would be art lacey, punky's father and a character for the ages. during world war ii, the amateur pilot joins the army corps of engineers and worked stateside on military fortifications along the pacific. >> they were looking for someone who was knowledgeable about the coast range, and my dad was very, very helpful. >> in 1944, art opens up a gas station outside portland, oregon, and when the war's over, he wants to rev it up. >> he was very ambitious and intuitive about what customers would really like to have. >> what he thinks they really want to have is not just gas, but an experience. the eureka moment comes when art learns that altus army airfield in oklahoma is selling surplus war planes -- b-17 bombers, to be precise.

>> he said, "you know, i've been kicking around the idea of getting a world war ii bomber and using it as a centerpiece for a gas station." >> jayson scott is art's grandson. >> he thought, "i can end up with a canopy, but i'll also have a roadside attraction that'll draw people to the facility." >> art sets his sights on the right plane, says rob collings, who runs a foundation that organizes living-history events featuring war planes like the b-17. >> it's got a 104-foot wing span, it's 75 feet long, and it has nearly 5,000 horsepower. when this thing was first produced, it was one of the biggest airplanes ever to take to the skies. >> was it very valuable in combat missions? >> yes. heavy bombers, strategic bombers were the most valuable asset that we had. >> so, america builds more than 12,000 b-17s, which drop more than half a million tons of bombs over enemy territory. each plane costs about 200 grand, but the government

heavily discounts them in a post-war garage sale. >> once the war was over, these were just obsolete, so they were basically cutting these things up as scrap. >> so anyone, you give them your cash and you walk off with a plane? >> we didn't need them. there was gonna be no more war. world war ii ended it all, right? >> it's at his 34th birthday party in 1947 when art blurts out his cockamamie scheme to buy one of those b-17s. >> he was with all his cronies and they were having a few adult beverages. one of the guys said, "well, art, there's no way in heck you can do that. that's just not gonna happen." >> well, that wrong thing to ever tell him, because he was gonna prove you wrong until the day he died, and he said, "i'll bet you $5 i can do it." >> when the alcohol wears off, he doesn't say to himself, "oh, my god, what was i thinking?" >> never. never in his whole career. >> he sounds like he was a little eccentric. >> he was a wild child, yes.

>> the wild child scrapes up 15 grand and hops the first flight to oklahoma. >> my grandmother never actually admitted whether she thought he was nuts or [laughs] had lost it. >> the flight back would not go so smoothly. >> he slid it across the runway... [ crashing ] ...and he crashed it into another parked b-17. >> but first, our "strange inheritance" quiz question. which hollywood star filmed the crew of a b-17 through 24 missions during world war ii? the answer after the break.

>> so, which hollywood star filmed the crew of a b-17 bomber through 24 missions during world war ii? it's "a" -- clark gable. >> well, how was it? >> you know, cap, i don't think those germans like us. >> he flew with the 351st bombardment, making a documentary called "combat america." >> in march 1947, gas station owner art lacey shows up at altus army airfield in oklahoma, cash in hand, to purchase a surplus world war ii bomber and fly it back to portland, oregon.

>> he said, "i'm thinking i might buy myself a b-17 and put it over a gas station. >> so, what happened when he said, "hey, i'm here to buy a b-17"? >> it was all controlled by the war assets administration officer, and he was able to strike a deal on a plane. it was $13,750. >> but there's a hitch. >> he didn't know how to fly any aircraft that had more than one engine, and a b-17 has four. he also needed to have a co-pilot, and he didn't have one. >> so in art's telling, he just wings it. >> he said it looked like it was about a mile off where the tower was, and nobody could tell what was going on. >> he slid it across the runway. [ crashing ] and he crashed it into another parked b-17. >> art slumps back to the airfield commander, who art

discovers really wants to get rid of these planes. >> he said, "worst case of wind damage i've ever seen," and wrote that plane and the one he crashed into off as wind damage. >> and then the fellow that was in charge said, "can you come up with any more money?" and he said, "i have $1,500 left to my name in the world. that's it." >> deal. a new bill of sale is typed up, and art's given the title and keys to another flying fortress, number 44-85790. this time, art calls in some pilot buddies to help get the thing home. it must've been some trip, says rob collings. turns out the collings foundation owns a b-17, too. rattling around in the noisy aluminum cockpit, i see that

art's 1,800-mile trip from altus to oregon is no easy flight. of course i have perfect flying weather, unlike art's crew. >> they got caught in a terrible snowstorm, and all of a sudden, they see a mountain right in front of them. fortunately, didn't crash. >> sounds like a movie of the week. >> it does. >> did you ever doubt the story your dad told? >> no. he would embellish, but he always was a pretty truthful man. >> this much is indisputable. art does fly the b-17 all the way to oregon. there he faces another hurdle --

how in the world to get the 100-foot-wide plane the last 20 miles from the airport to his property. can't just drive the beast down the road. or can you? >> he told the trucking company, "no matter what happens, you just keep on going." >> here's another quiz question for you. the answer in a moment. the show's about to start! how do i look?

like a bald penguin. [ laughing ] show me the billboard music awards. show me top artist.

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the tv classic followed the exploits of a group of allied pows led by colonel robert hogan, played by bob crane. >> in 1947, art lacey lands this recently purchased b-17 bomber in portland, oregon, planning on using the war plane as a canopy over a new set of gas pumps. but first, he has to figure out how to get the massive aircraft to his property. >> he had to take it apart and put it on trucks, but they wouldn't give him any permits 'cause it was still too big. and so he decided he was going to do it anyway. >> in the middle of the night, art sneaks his partially dismantled b-17 out onto the highway. >> he told the trucking company that was moving it, "no matter what happens, you just keep on going, and i'll pay any tickets that you get." made it all the way out there with no problem at all. >> local officials are not amused. >> he was in trouble, but of

course the sentiment right after the war was very patriotic. a woman justice of the peace took sympathy on what was going on, and so she fined him $10. >> four months later, art opens his new bomber gas station with his shiny b-17 canopy. word soon spreads about the unusual attraction. >> his business boomed, and people were lined up for blocks to get in, and in order to keep people in line, we would give them free coke floats and we would wash every windshield, and we pumped a lot of gasoline. >> then art opens a second b-17-themed business right across the lot, the bomber restaurant. he decorates its walls with world war ii photos and memorabilia. >> i was very popular with all my friends. i had an airplane out in front and a cool place to fix meals. >> did he ever get an offer to sell the plane?

>> oh, all the time. >> big numbers? >> million dollars. >> rumors spread that paraguayan rebels and rich collectors are making the seven-figure offers. art says it's not for sale. >> that's a lot more than he paid. >> but it was his sign of his business. >> a business that's making money hand over fist. >> at one time, he was the largest volume single-unit gasoline station in the world -- 30,000 gallons a day. >> for all his nuttiness, he was a smart businessman. >> he very much was so. >> but by the late 1980s, the business of owning an independent gas station is getting tougher. art's mom-and-pop pumps can't compete with the big corporate chains, even with a b-17 overhead. so in 1991, art, now 78 closes down the bomber gas station after 44 years of operation. >> it broke his heart, but that

was part of a business that just had to happen. >> art keeps his bomber up as a symbol of the restaurant, but after four and a half decades exposed to the elements, the war plane is starting to look like she just came out of battle. corroded fuselage, busted parts, even graffiti. maybe it's finally time to send old number 44-85790 to the scrap heap. as he tries to figure out what to do, art learns something that really troubles him. of all those b-17s built to win world war ii -- 12,000 of them -- fewer than 50 have survived. >> we're literally down to a handful of these planes remaining in the world. >> so, battle plans are drawn up to restore the bomber to full flight-worthy condition. >> over the years, i really think it got to his heart. he loved that aircraft.

and he always talked about the veterans and how they valiantly served our nation, and that aircraft stood for that. >> the collings foundation has restored several world war ii bombers. rob collings knows firsthand what art is up against. is it realistic, and what's involved? >> it's monumental. i would say, to a degree, they're foolish to be trying this. >> what are we talking about in terms of time and money? >> i would say about 97,000 man hours. you equate that into one person working, that would be about 54 years of work to do and tens of millions of dollars. >> but art is once again ready to wing it, intent on taking the controls of his flying fortress before he pulls into that big filling station in the sky. to officially kick off the restoration, art finally gives his plane a name, christening her the lacey lady.

>> we were cheering and we were taking pictures and we're playing loud music. it was a lot of fun. >> but this time, art won't see his wild scheme through. in april 2000, he dies of heart failure at age 87, and his family inherits the daunting challenge of restoring the b-17. >> i mean, we are restaurateurs and caterers, not airplane manufacturers. you can't just go down to the store and buy the parts. >> what's your "strange inheritance" story? we'd love to tell it. send me an e-mail or go to our website, strangeinheritance.com.

>> now back to "strange inheritance." >> the family of art lacey is determined to restore the broken-down world war ii b-17 bomber they've inherited and get her back in the air. >> there were probably a few people who wondered, you know, maybe we're crazy.

but it represents a great era for our country and we need to take care of it. >> did he leave money to do that? >> well, yes and no. at the time, we had to remove all our underground storage tanks from the old gas station, and we had to put almost $600,000 into that. >> the environmental regulations take a big chunk of the money art left behind. the family quickly burns through another 400 grand on costly restorations. at some point, did you realize this was going to cost more than you actually had in your pocket? >> yes, i was somewhat naive. the money that our family had to put into it was just going to not go all that far. >> it was more than we could take on by ourselves. i mean, we are restaurateurs and caterers, not airplane manufacturers. >> so the family creates a nonprofit foundation called the b-17 alliance.

to their amazement, interest in the bomber quickly takes off. >> our volunteers went from 10 volunteers to over 100 volunteers. >> people out of the blue show up and say, "hey, this is a great project and i want to be a part of it. >> those 97,000 man hours suddenly seem possible. donors show up in force, too. >> we just finished a campaign to raise $50,000 in two months, and we were successful. that's really exciting. >> to date, they've raised nearly half a million dollars, enough to move the lacey lady to a restoration facility. but they'll need much more than that to get the plane back in the skies. >> it's a lot of money to restore a b-17 bomber. you can't just go down to the store and buy the parts. >> then another really big break. >> just recently, we had an aerospace manufacturing company that approached us. they said, "we are prepared to donate materials and to build parts free of charge for the

duration of the project." >> a gift potentially worth millions. so what kind of condition is the lacey lady in today? i get a sneak peek at the progress art's heirs have made. >> this is the first section that was restored, and this is the navigator bombardier's compartment. >> how long did this take? >> this took us about three and a half years and about $350,000. >> this ball turret, one of the dozen machine-gun stations, has also been restored. >> this one cost about $25,000, and it's taken a couple of years. >> the current focus -- the bomber's 100-foot wingspan. are these ever gonna be fly-worthy? >> absolutely. they will definitely be flight worthy and reassembled to the fuselage. >> it's a great start, but the family still has a long journey ahead. how many years do you think this will take? >> it's at least a 10-year project.

>> how much money is this gonna cost? >> we estimate the project to be about $6 million on the aircraft itself, and then in order to build a permanent home and museum for the aircraft, about $3 million. >> that's right. the family plans on using the lacey lady as the centerpiece of a museum dedicated to the legacy of world war ii heroes. in fact, they've already created a temporary one here on site. >> we're still a little bit grassroots, but last year we had over 15,000 visitors. >> what is your hope for the restoration? >> i fully expect to see it flying around our country, telling the story of our country and the sacrifices of our veterans. hopefully i'm still around when that is completed. >> a legendary war plane helps preserve freedom, becomes the icon for a small-town business,

and is now inspiring americans once again. what's dad thinking? >> i talk to my dad every day, and it's so important to him and to our whole family that this happen. it was a dream of his, and we've carried it on, and it's coming along beautifully. >> since it may be a while before punky and her family get their b-17 airworthy, we thought we'd leave you with a look at another one of the dozen or so b-17s still flying. in june 2016, a dozen world war ii b-17 veterans, all in their 90s, met at the boeing airfield in seattle to take to the skies. the vets recalled the beating the planes took on combat missions over europe. one vet said, "we brought some back so badly butchered up they never flew again, but they got us home." i'm jamie colby.

thanks for watching "strange inheritance." and remember -- you can't take it with you. >> a wild west pioneer... >> there's a saying, "the cowards didn't come." so you had to be brave. >> he truly was the john wayne of the 19th century. >> he leaves behind a trunk of relics... and a classic, woven into the fabric of america itself. >> there was a pair of old blue jeans in here. >> what'd they look like? >> they said that they were the oldest unworn pair they had ever seen. >> that's unbelievable. >> so are the lengths to which folks go for vintage old denim. >> finding any levi's pre-1900 is a massive rarity. that's the holy grail. >> what do you think they're worth? ♪ [ door creaks ]

[ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] ♪ >> i'm jamie colby in tucson, arizona. wagon trains used to pass right through here on their way to california during the gold rush, and one of the rough-and-ready pioneers who helped settle this area left behind a very strange inheritance. i'm here to get the skinny on it. >> my name's jock taylor. in 2009, i inherited a wooden trunk full of family heirlooms going back more than a century. now i'm told i could pocket a small fortune. >> i meet jock, a 60-year-old electrical engineer, at his home here in tucson. >> hi, i'm jamie. >> i'm jock. >> i heard you have something very unusual from your great-great grandfather. >> i certainly do. come on in. >> jock shows me that inheritance -- an old trunk that's been passed down through the family for more

than a century. >> the trunk contained the family bible, a very ornate saddle blanket, a pair of old jeans -- >> jeans? who keeps jeans? >> they've been in the trunk for so long, i don't think that my mother really knew what else to do with them. >> according to family lore, all the items in the trunk, including the jeans, once belonged to this man, jock's great-great grandfather, solomon warner, one of tucson's original pioneers. >> very distinguished. >> old solomon's story, and the story of those dungarees, begins far from tucson in upstate new york, where he's born in 1811. as a young man, he heads west, in search of adventure and wealth. >> a lot of farm boys or small-town boys in new york couldn't wait to get away from home. >> jim turner has written several books on the history of arizona and its important pioneers like solomon warner.

>> he worked on steamboats in the 1830s, and then he went to the gold rush. after that, he went to south america, looking for gold there. >> but the gold thing doesn't pan out. solomon returns to america in 1853, still searching for a way to strike it rich. the following year, the united states completes the gadsden purchase from mexico, adding nearly 30,000 square miles, including tucson, along our southern border. solomon sees a new frontier to be conquered. >> what makes pioneer status? >> the willing to risk. there's a saying, "the cowards didn't come," and so you had to be brave to come out to the frontier. >> a big, powerful man, 6'1/2" tall, solomon hauls 13 mules loaded with merchandise into the new territory and opens a general store in tucson, then just a small town

of less than 1,000 people. >> he was the first to sell american goods in tucson. >> who were his customers? >> the butterfield stage came through tucson, and whatever you wanted, you had to buy it from solomon warner. >> as the town grows, so do warner's riches, but his business interests are interrupted when civil war breaks out in 1861. >> tucson was under the confederacy and captain sherod hunter asked all of the citizens to swear an oath to the confederacy. >> what about solomon warner? was he game? >> he wouldn't do it, and when he wouldn't do it, they confiscated all of his goods. >> solomon retreats to mexico, then returns to tucson after the war to reclaim his store. but another kind of bloodshed breaks out along his trade routes. this is, after all, the wild, wild west. >> was that an easy thing to do in those days, getting goods back and forth? >> it was dangerous. >> several times, he had been shot by arrows from indians

when he was bringing dry goods back and forth. >> sounds like a hollywood character in the making. >> it was amazing that not only did he survive apache attacks, he lived to be 89. >> when solomon dies in 1899, tucson's in mourning. >> there was a great ceremony because he was a revered citizen at that time. >> after solomon's death, his son, john, packs up some of his father's belongings into a trunk that bears the family name, and over the years, the cedar chest gets handed down through the generations. >> john solomon warner, when he passed away, it went to his only daughter, josefina, and then everything that she had went to my mother, elva. >> why has the family held on to it? >> it's an heirloom. my mother always used it for storing ancient family relics. she was very proud of it. >> the trunk stays in elva's living room until she passes away in 2009.

then her son jock, one of four heirs, moves the crate to his home and takes an inventory of its contents, including those old blue jeans. >> what'd they look like? >> they were very weird jeans. they didn't have belt loops, and they only had one pocket on the back. they looked like a pair of old blue jeans that had been washed once and then folded and put away. >> weren't they worn out? >> they are in like-new condition. >> like brand-new? >> like brand-new. >> and on the back of those spotless jeans, a famous marking. >> they had the leather patch on the back that said levi's on them. >> that's right -- levi's, the most iconic blue jeans of all time. >> did you just take the jeans out of the trunk and try them on? >> actually, they're way too big for me. they come up almost to my chest. >> jock assumes jeans that big probably belonged to old solomon.

but he can't say for sure what went into and came out of that chest in the 110 years since his great-great grandpa's death. >> any proof of purchase? >> not that i know of. >> a picture of him wearing them? >> no. >> you sure it's not just family lore? >> i don't know. >> what could they be worth? a bundle, says this prospector, who actually mines for ancient blue jeans. >> true vintage denim can be worth thousands of dollars. >> for a reason you might not expect. >> all the earlier jeans that they had went up in smoke. >> that's next. >> but first, our "strange inheritance" quiz question... the answer after the break. door]

[ wind howls ] >> so, what's the best-selling blue-jean brand after levi's? it's "a," wrangler. the original cowboy brand has been outfitting rodeo stars and stars on rodeo drive since 1904. ♪ >> in 2009, jock taylor inherits a wooden trunk that's been in the family for over a century. it was purchased by his great-great grandfather, solomon warner, who founded the first american store here in tucson back in 1853.

>> he had that pioneer spirit. he saw the opportunity here, and he could see that the city had potential to grow. >> inside that trunk is a pairo. >> so, they were pretty ratty? >> no, they actually were very well-preserved. it's cedar, and it protected the jeans very well. >> if they're indeed solomon's from way back when, the jeans are also a remarkably well-preserved relic of a completely different pioneer success story. mike harris, author of "jeans of the old west," knows all about that. >> how did this whole levi boom start? >> well, in 1870, jacob davis, who was a tailor in reno, nevada, he was approached by a woman who was married to a woodcutter. >> turns out that her woodcutter husband constantly rips through his pants pocket. it's a common problem. whether concealing a pistol or hauling heavy gold nuggets,

the weak pockets just can't handle the stress. >> so jacob davis gets the idea. he saw the rivets on his workbench, and he decided to put those in the pocket corners. >> adding rivets to pockets -- it's one of those seat-of-the-pants innovations that make america great. the result? stronger dungarees that can stand up to the tough work thrown at them by the miners and laborers of the day. >> and after about a year, he was getting so many orders, he couldn't fill them. >> davis, who needs capital and manpower, goes into business with wealthy san francisco merchant levi strauss. on may 20, 1873, american blue jeans are born. a pair costs about a buck. levi's markets their denim overalls as the uniform of the working class. >> who bought them at the time? >> miners in the west, farmers, mechanics -- anybody that did hard labor would have bought levi's back then.

>> that's because workers love how tough and durable the pants are, as this pair from 1890 proves. >> from the 1800s? i mean, they feel like they could be right now. they really could withstand a lot. >> absolutely. >> so it was all about strength? >> it was all about strength. >> now, here's something really important to remember in this "strange inheritance" tale. in 1906, the epic san francisco earthquake devastates the levi's headquarters... >> their building, it was completely leveled. >> ...along with all of levi's records and inventory. the first 30 years of the company's history -- gone. of course, for the next century and more, the company thrives. indeed, the pants it manufactures become an american icon. think about it. is there anything the world loves more about america than blue jeans? they're right up there with blockbuster movies, fast-food burgers, and rock 'n' roll.

so you probably aren't surprised there's a demand for vintage jeans. but i bet you would be surprised how far some people will go to meet that demand. >> true vintage denim can be worth thousands of dollars, and finding any levi's pre-1900 is a massive rarity. that's the holy grail. that's what we're all looking for. >> brit eaton is a modern-day prospector who scours old west barns, ghost towns, and mining sites -- not for precious metals, but antique overalls. >> my gold is what the gold miners were wearing while they were seeking their gold. in order to be a great denim hunter, you have to be ruthless, relentless, and rugged. i've rappelled into pits, i've killed rattlesnakes to get by. there are so many potential dangers. >> exploring abandoned mineshafts can be treacherous, but often worth the risk. >> finding things in mines is the equivalent of big-game hunting.

you find a time capsule just sitting there in the middle of nowhere. the feeling of seeking something is a true american sort of pioneer feeling. you're literally filling a gap in in history. >> and that's a good way to pose the question facing our heir, jock taylor. does his strange inheritance fill a gap in history, or are they closer to the jeans that fill the gap at the mall? >> they were in such great shape that i thought, "why are they showing me new jeans?" >> stay tuned for "p.s.i." -- pants seam investigation -- next. >> here's another quiz question for you... the answer when we return. ways .

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and a network. comcast business. built for security. built for business. [ wind howls ] >> so, who said, "i had holes in my jeans well before it was fashionable"? it's "b," kenny rogers, who "knew when to fold them." >> a cedar box inherited by jock taylor of tucson, arizona, contains a cache of old family heirlooms that he assumes have been sitting in the trunk since his great-great grandfather solomon warner passed away in 1899... including this curious item -- a pair of seemingly never-worn levi's jeans. >> how many years do you think those jeans may have been in that trunk? >> in excess of 110 years. >> so jock and his wife, pat, take the levi's to a traveling appraisal show here in town with high expectations. they walk up to the table of daniel buck soules, owner

of daniel buck auctions. >> they had a pillowcase, and i had no idea what they had. and when they pulled out these jeans, they were in such great shape that i thought, "why are they showing me new jeans?" >> so, you were suspicious at first? >> oh, absolutely. but it wasn't until i really started looking at them that i went, "okay, these are a little bit better than i think they are." >> just how much better? daniel's detective work begins with the obvious -- these belong in the big-and-tall department -- waist, 44, length, 37. >> he had to be 6'6", 6'8". he was a mountain of a man. >> next, he examines the leather tag. >> does this identify the jean in some way? >> it does. they started adding this around 1886, but they still use that. even to today, it's still there. >> that sets the base. the jeans are no older than 1886, but they could have been made any time after that. so daniel turns his attention

to those famous pocket rivets. >> one of the problems they actually had was the placement of the rivets. if you were a cowboy and on a saddle, the outside rivets would wear on saddles. what you find is they had to cover these with cloth at one point. >> those covered rivets first appear in 1937, but jock's are exposed, meaning the overalls are at least older than world war ii. daniel searches the waistline for more clues. >> there's no belt loops. >> there's no belt loops because of the fact at this time, they only had suspenders, and it wasn't until 1922 that they actually added the belt loops. >> we're back to the roaring twenties, and the pockets reveal one more thread to the story. >> when levi's first started manufacturing jeans, you had the two front pockets and the single back pocket, and this other pocket, which is for change or a pocket watch. and it wasn't until around 1901 they added the fifth pocket in the back. >> which is missing on jock's

jeans. so now we've narrowed it down to that 15-year window between '86 and '01. finally, daniel spots a stamp on the inside of the pocket that helps age the overalls all the way to 1893. jeans historian mike harris is amazed. >> how unique is this pair? >> to find an 1893 pair of levi -- very scarce. this could be one of two examples known, so it's very rare. if one shows up, then it's quite valuable. >> and to find an 1893 pair inperfectcondition? unheard of. so how much cash could jock expect for his strange inheritance? >> size really does matter when it comes to vintage levi's. >> find out next. what's your "strange inheritance" story? we'd love to tell it. send me an e-mail or go to our website, strangeinheritance.com.

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>> now back to "strange inheritance." >> jock taylor is one of four heirs to inherit this pair of antique levi's jeans, authenticated by daniel soules to be from 1893. so, what are they worth? >> $10,000? >> keep going. >> $20,000? >> and more. >> the reason's not just that there are vintage blue-jean collectors around the world. it's also because of the levi-strauss company itself, whose headquarters were destroyed in the 1906 san francisco earthquake, along with the archives of their early denim. >> are they trying to get these historic jeans back? >> they actually are. so when a good pair of jeans do come on the market, they are out there trying to purchase them. the last pair of blue jeans that sold from the 1880s, it's my understanding that levi's paid six figures for them. >> a hundred thou for an old pair of jeans? jock reaches out to levi's.

>> they said that they were probably the oldest unworn pair of levi's they had ever seen. >> and jock says they offer him $50,000 for them. it's a lot of dough, but the family's expecting more. they discuss it, then turn down the offer. >> if levi strauss is valuing a ripped-up, torn pair that's maybe a year or two older at $100,000, i would think that a pair that's never been worn from the same era would be at least worth that much. >> so jock tells auctioneer daniel soules to set a date to sell great-great grandpa's pants to the highest bidder. >> it's a risk, that's true, but when you consider that it's the only unworn pair of blue jeans of that era, i think, yeah, it's a one-of-a-kind item. >> i think the most they could possibly get from a collector is $40,000. >> denim hunter brit eaton believes jock and his family are thinking too big for their britches. >> the vintage denim market

is incredibly volatile. i think if levi strauss is willing to pay $50,000 for them, take the money and run. >> is he right? november 5, 2016 is the date we're to find out. then, just before the levi's go up on the block, daniel postpones the sale due to technical glitches. a few days later, he's talking to a buyer from japan, but the jeans are not a good fit. >> at 44 waist and 37 length, the jeans were too big for them. they were planning on purchasing them to wear. so that deal fell through. it was very depressing. >> size really does matter when it comes to vintage levi's. if it's either too little or too big, it's going to be harder to establish a value, or just not as valuable. >> levi's would not comment on any negotiations with jock, but we do know he has at least one sizable offer very much on the table. >> there's absolutely a market for jock's levi's. i personally would be willing

to pay $35,000 for them. i'll make that mark in blood right now if you want. >> what would ol' solomon warner do? jock's pretty sure his great-great granddaddy would tell him to sit tight. he's positive the frontier merchant is somewhere off in the sunset, grinning. >> for him to know that his jeans that he left after his passing were worth $50,000, i think the world has gone crazy. >> now, that's some tailor-made "close" from an heir not only left big shoes to fill, but a big pair of pants to boot. >> everybody has a pair of their favorite super-comfortable, worn-out jeans, right? these are mine. i can't believe i'm wearing them on a shoot, but i wonder what old levi strauss would think of clothing stores selling pre-ripped denim, often at two or three times the cost of a pristine pair. what's up with kids these days -- too lazy to wear out their own jeans?

i'm jamie colby. thanks for watching "strange inheritance." and remember -- you can't take it with you. lauren: breaking news this morning, president trump scoring a major victory as the house votes to repeal and replace obamacare but the skin of their teeth, 217. still a long road ahead as the bill heads to the senate. happy friday, good morning, i'm left side. nicole: good morning, i'm nicole petallides. we will get the latest job's report this morning that could give us clues as to what we could see for interest rates and how they will go this year. let's take a look at u.s. stock market futures this morning. mixed bag. wait and see mode. s&p futures up 1. lauren: in asia japanese closed for holiday. in china shk shk down four days