and tom pittenger among our guest on monday. it will be a busy day and we hope you can join us. reminder to catch my show weeknights at 5:00 p.m. >> 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. [ do]

[ 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 pair of vintage levi's blue jeans. >> 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.

♪i believe, i believe ♪believe we're still worth the fight♪ ♪you'll see there's hope for this world tonight♪ ♪i believe, i believe ♪yeah

♪rock guitar

[ 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. novemeber is noshaver month at city of hope.

that means, throughout novemeber, to raise awareness about prostate cancer, city of hope is urging men to stop shaving, and get screened. but, here's my problem. when i grow out my beard, i end up like this. i mean, have you ever? and you know how long this took me? what do i have? a couple of little hairs here? i mean man, it's useless. how about this? how about this? very lincolnesque, don't you think? how about this? ow! (laughter) well that's not the way i heard it! for all you men watching, do what i can't. let your beards grow. and while you're at it, get screened. noshaver with city of hope. grow it. show it. know it. (laughter) cityofhope.org/noshaver

>> 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 he would 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. >> beauty's in the eye of the beholder. so meet the beholders. >> these paintings just did not appeal to me. and i don't think they appealed to my wife, either. >> i said, well, i guess the salvation army is as good as anyplace. we don't want them. >> but one man's trash... >> it just knocked my socks off. >> we have $50,000. >> within a few weeks, everybody knew about it. >> ...is another's treasure. >> did you ever consider stopping? >> there is a point we all have to stop. but no. >> i'm jamie colby, and today,

i'm in denver, colorado. i'm meeting a retired couple who relocated here to be close to family. it was that move, or rather the downsizing that preceded it, that brought this inheritance surprise to light. >> my name's don camp. i don't know a thing about art, and i doubt you'll disagree when you hear about the two paintings that sat in my basement for years. >> don, phyllis, i'm jamie. >> jamie, glad to meet you. >> you have a beautiful home. don and phyllis's story starts a few years back in 2011, when don retires from his job as an electrical engineer in upstate new york. oh, they have all sorts of plans. they want to downsize. they want to travel the world, see their daughter in taiwan and work with christian charities in africa. and they want to be closer to their grandchildren in denver. so don and phyllis sell their house. how long had you been in that

house? >> about 20 years. we had accumulated a lot of stuff. >> with the move date looming, phyllis assigns don the unpleasant task of going through the basement. >> we had a path with boxes on both sides. it was a challenge. >> it's there that don rediscovers two paintings, draped under a bed sheet. >> both of them were probably the same vintage, probably 1920s, in their original frames. >> i knew about the paintings down there, because i'd covered them up with a sheet. >> did you know how you and your husband had obtained them? >> they came from don's parents, so that's all i knew. >> don inherited the paintings from his mother, lillian camp, who had died 21 years earlier in 1990. >> we weren't fond of them, and so they ended up in the basement. ♪ >> one of them is titled "arizona desert."

>> one was a landscape scene from the southwest. >> it was a nice mountain scene. didn't have any particular meaning to us, though. >> eh. the other is titled "ruth." >> it's a woman standing by a doorway and a wall, and you can't make out her features very well. and in the foreground is a pillar with a vine running up the side of it. and that's about it. >> you wanted them out. >> i even mentioned throwing them in the dumpster. >> but phyllis figures a charity will take them. >> i said, "well, i guess the salvation army is as good as anyplace. we don't want them." >> don's about to give 'em away, but hesitates. did you think they were valuable? >> had no idea. so i wanted to contact our local auctioneer and get an opinion. >> that local auctioneer is

david mapes, in vestal, new york, just west of binghamton. don sticks the paintings in the back of his van and calls david on his cell. >> what were you thinking? >> well, i see a lot of paintings come in on the back of cars, so i wasn't real excited. >> don's not getting his hopes up, either. if this doesn't pan out, his next stop -- the salvation army, that is, if he doesn't pass a dumpster along the way. then he opens the hatch to show the auctioneer. >> what happened? >> they were laid out in the back of my mini-van. and his mouth kind of dropped open. i remember his words. he said, "that's just a painting. this other one is art." >> but first, our "strange inheritance" quiz question. grant wood's "american gothic" is one of the most recognized paintings in the world. whom did wood use as his models? his plumber and the plumber's wife, his sister and his

dentist, or his own parents? the answer after the break. ♪ limu emu & doug look limu. a civilian buying a new car. let's go. limu's right. liberty mutual can save you money by customizing your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. oh... yeah, i've been a customer for years. huh... only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

>> so, whom did painter grant wood recruit as the models for his iconic painting, "american gothic"? it's b. wood chose his sister and his dentist to be the farmer and daughter depicted in the painting.

>> retirees don and phyllis camp are busy packing for their move from upstate new york to denver, colorado, when they decide to get rid of two paintings don inherited from his mother decades ago. >> they were not our favorite. >> [ chuckles ] >> if we'd fallen in love with them, then i think it would have been a different story. >> on a lark, don takes them down the road to local estate appraiser david mapes. first, david eyeballs that southwestern landscape. >> it was a pleasant picture. >> pleasant? >> yeah. >> then the appraiser takes a good, long look at the woman in the red shawl. while the appraiser is staring at that painting, don is staring at the appraiser. >> and his mouth kind of dropped open. >> it just knocked my socks off. >> right in the parking lot? >> it just spoke to me. it's just one woman. you can't see her face. it's covered with a shawl. this simple, plain, exciting

scene of this woman. >> they bring the paintings inside so david can look up the signatures on his computer database. first, he types in the signature on that "pleasant" western landscape. >> karl hoerman, a german artist. >> did he tell you what he thought that one was worth? >> maybe $800. >> nothing to sneeze at. then david examines the picture of the woman in the red shawl. in the lower left-hand corner, a signature -- victor higgins. >> victor higgins. how much did you know? >> i never heard of him before. >> turns out, the guy's work sells for big bucks. >> one of his paintings sold at sotheby's for over $400,000. >> he appeals to the modern aesthetics, not only back then, but specifically today. >> mark sublette, an authority on western painting, knows all about victor higgins.

born on a farm in indiana in 1884, the artist leaves home as a teenager and studies painting at the art institute of chicago. in 1913, he's one of many american artists blown away by an international exhibition of modern art called the armory show. >> you had all these cubist and impressionistic paintings coming from europe. and it really shook up the entire art world. >> the staggered american artists, including higgins, resolve to develop their own modern styles. so several artists from around the country converge in taos, new mexico -- at the time, a sleepy southwestern pueblo. >> we have crystal-clear, blue skies with wonderful light penetration. it's a perfect setup for a colony, and that was exactly what happened. >> they establish the taos society of artists.

higgins travels to taos and becomes a member. his southwest paintings are a hit with his wealthy, big-city patrons. >> higgins makes most of his money sending paintings from taos to chicago and new york. >> his work becomes even more popular after his death in 1949. back in upstate new york, appraiser david mapes shares the news with don camp. that painting he was ready to toss in a dumpster is a big deal. >> it's an unknown painting. it just popped up, and here it is. i said to him, "this is a very valuable painting," and he said, "how valuable?" i said, "well, it's going to sell for over $100,000." >> i was amazed. >> that's a good number. >> [ chuckles ] yes. >> what did you think would happen? >> i had no idea. i was just glad that they were out of the house. [ both laugh ] >> keep in mind, don and phyllis are busy clearing out their house for the move to denver.

don doesn't think twice about leaving both paintings with his eager new acquaintance. >> he wasn't counting on it being worth anything, so it's gonna be christmas, whatever it brings. >> but before david can put a painting that he hopes is worth six figures on the market, discriminating buyers will need to know a lot more. >> they may be fakes or frauds. that's the first thing as a dealer -- is it real? 'cause often, they're not. >> here's another quiz question for you. what's the name of the desert in southern new mexico? is it the chihuahuan, coyote, or sonoran desert? the answer when we return. so with xfinity mobile

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>> so, what's the name of the

desert in southern new mexico? it's a, the chihuahuan desert, which extends into west texas. >> in upstate new york, don and phyllis camp learn from their local estate appraiser that one of two paintings inherited from don's mother might be worth 100,000 bucks or more. >> it was good news. >> it's this portrait of an elusive pueblo woman, signed by the prominent taos school artist victor higgins. >> it's a very good field to be selling into, because a lot of collectors love that type of painting. >> first, david mapes has to appraise and authenticate the painting for auction. there are three notations on the back, written in pencil -- the name "ruth," victor higgins, and $600. >> and if you think about it, that was quite a bit of money back then. >> after decades in a dusty basement, mapes has a name and a

purchase price. but he still needs to know how "ruth" got into the hands of don's family. >> david asked me, "what's the story behind this painting?" i talked to my brother. we agreed that it must have come from our great uncle, curtis. >> why do you think he would have been interested in southwestern art? >> well, uncle curtis was a corporate attorney, as i understand, and he was on the board of the chicago art institute. >> where victor higgins studied. the appraiser concludes the painting is authentic and was likely painted in the 1920s. he knows he's about to stun the art world. you're like in the outskirts of new york. you're not in manhattan. you're not in the southwest. this is not your expertise. >> for the most part, we do estates. whenever somebody passes away, we go and take everything out that we can sell. we often find treasures in there, but not like this. it had everything going for it.

>> and when he shares his findings with art experts, he learns there's even more reason to love this painting. it turns out that ruth is a rather special lady. that's because after the 1920s, higgins switched his focus from painting human figures to landscapes. >> higgins quit doing paintings with figures. quite frankly, the pieces that are going to demand the most value in today's market are the ones with figures. >> for example, this higgins landscape sold for $130,000 in 2005. but a higgins similar to "ruth," entitled "four shawled women," sold at sotheby's for more than three times that amount, over 400 grand. that would be quite a payday. but remember, don and phyllis stuck the painting in their dusty basement for years. >> the canvas was a bit saggy, a

little bit loose. there was quite a bit of cracking in the paint. >> i'm thinking, "well, okay, maybe it'll draw $100,000." >> little does he know, mapes gets a far bigger offer for "ruth" even before he advertises the auction. david's on the road when a top dealer reaches him on his cellphone. >> he said, "i want to make you an offer before the auction." i pulled over. i said, "what's your offer?" he said, "$300,000." >> impressive. >> [ chuckles ] exactly what i said. >> even a small auction house in the middle of new york countryside, within a few weeks, it was apparent that everybody knew about it. >> mark sublette isn't surprised that big-city dealers would circle around the small-town auction house. >> generally, a painting like that's gonna go to one of the major auction houses. and as dealers, we hope that we might be able to get a bargain, quite frankly. >> did you call don? >> no, but things are going through my mind. if he wants to pay $300,000,

then other people are going to pay more. i thought about it for a short period of time, and i said, "no." >> that's risky, isn't it? >> it could be, but i was so confident in this picture and the market for it. >> next lot is the higgins. >> so, is the small-town auctioneer in over his head? >> okay. >> will savvy dealers paint him into a corner? or will ruth provide a windfall to a couple in their golden years? >> okay, we have $50,000 to start. who'll do $60,000? >> 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." >> a victor higgins painting entitled "ruth" is headed for auction. art dealers are intrigued that a work by the famous taos society artist has turned up out of the blue, or, in this case, out of

the basement. >> as a dealer, we love to get pieces that are one-owner, family. it makes it more special. >> it's don and phyllis camp's strange and rather ironic inheritance. in their own words, they never cared much for ruth. >> what is it you didn't like? >> the lady looked very sad, like she was floundering. it left me with an empty feeling. >> listen, art is in the eye of the beholder. >> that's right. she's very lonely. i'm not a lonely person. >> but the lonely figure of ruth is precisely why an arizona art collector named ray harvey is so excited about the painting. >> the thing about higgins -- the figures are very rare, very hard to come by, and very much in demand. >> you were committed from the minute you saw the image? >> pretty much. >> you could say ray has a special interest in ruth. he purchased that similar higgins, entitled "four shawled women," from a private seller in

2008 for more than half a million bucks. was there extra intrigue because no one had seen "ruth"? >> definitely. it's just so nice when a painting like that comes up undiscovered. >> ray will be out of the country when ruth goes up on the block. he makes plans to watch the auction online from a hotel in positano, italy, and bid by phone. >> as it happens, don camp and his wife, phyllis, won't be there, either. they're visiting their daughter in taiwan. did you tell your daughter, "oh, by the way, while we're here, we're auctioning these two very ugly paintings we can't wait to unload"? >> [ laughs ] yes. >> we had 10 people on the telephones, fielding bids, and then we had a number of people in the audience. >> others are booting up their computers, like ray harvey in positano, where it's 1:00 a.m. >> you're always nervous about auctions, especially when you're buying something sight unseen.

>> are you already logged onto the internet? >> well, tried to. couldn't get on. the connection was bad, and i'm thinking, "i sure hope they can get through to me." >> then, just before the bidding gets under way, ray connects by phone with the auction house in upstate new york. >> what if the phone hadn't gone through? >> it's unfortunate. you would just miss out. guys like myself, i guess the chase is a big part of it. >> the first one is the lot 97, the karl hoerman. >> first, a warm-up -- the other painting that don inherited, entitled "desert landscape." >> margaret buys it at $1,100, 161. >> it sells for a more-than-expected $1,100. is that an omen for "ruth," who don and phyllis considered donating to the salvation army, if they didn't just throw her out? >> everybody on the phones? >> i asked for an opening bid, and it opened at $50,000. >> okay. we have $50,000 to start. who'll do $60,000? >> the dealer who offered david mapes 300k a month before

the auction is there and still eager to bid. so is ray harvey. >> $70,000. we have $80,000 in the back. now $90,000. $90,000. >> they had quite a bit of action on it. >> do you remember your first bid? >> it was $300,000. >> i have $300,000. >> okay, we have $300,000. >> that would have been a good price? >> that would have been a steal. >> can i get $310,000? >> no one's getting a steal today. >> $320,000. $330,000. >> it keeps on climbing, past 400k, $450,000. >> we get up to $500,000. >> anyone drop out at that point? >> oh, yeah, a lot of people did. it was down to ray harvey, plus the floor bidder. >> did you ever consider stopping? >> you know, there is a point we all have to stop. but no. >> $640,000's bid. $650,000. we have $650,000 on the phone from italy. >> going once, going twice... >> is the camera ready for this? [ laughter ] [ crowd cheering ] >> sold to the arizona art lover

ray harvey. >> you want the total number? >> sure, why not? >> $650,000. >> i'm gonna fall off my chair. >> okay. [ both laugh ] that's about what i did. i had no concept, no concept, that it was worth that much. >> holy smokes. >> as of now, that's the third highest price that his paintings have ever sold for. >> victor higgins' enigmatic painting of ruth darn near ended up in a dumpster. >> well, i think the main thing i like about it is the color and the simplicity of the woman. >> ray will soon loan "ruth" to various museums, but today, she lives in his entryway, looking every bit the masterpiece. >> and the condition to this day after so many years in a basement, under a bed sheet. >> it's an amazing story. and i refer a lot to paintings that are collection-makers, you know? this would be considered a collection-maker. >> here's my wedding. >> as for don and phyllis, that unexpected windfall courtesy of

"ruth," gives them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a charitable donation bigger than they ever imagined. they fund the completion of a well for a needy community in africa. >> we gave 1/4 of it to a christian mission in kenya so that that well could be completed. >> that's spectacular. what did you buy for yourself? >> we bought a new car. that was all. >> a ferrari? >> no. a honda odyssey. >> you're so sweet, phyllis. >> we were just grateful. >> turns out, don isn't the only one in the camp family who inherited a painting that once belonged to old uncle curtis. his big brother also got one by another prominent taos artist named walter ufer. the difference is don's brother actually liked his, so much so it's been hanging in his home for half a century.

i'm jamie colby. thanks for watching "strange inheritance." and remember -- you can't take it with you. a terrific weekendl street" begins right now. maria: happy weekend welcome to the program looking at the week that was i ever read bartiromo with a respected voice on the economy and then later in the program changed silicon valley forever and eric schmidt is here but first us economy smashed estimates in the first quarter 2019 going at a better than expected rate of three.2 percent