instagram. good night from new york. >> from dusty boxes forgotten in the attic... emerge military artifacts handed down across five generations... >> the writing is unbelievable. i can't believe it's in such good shape. >> ...an heirloom that may be a long-lost piece of history. >> i think this is a once-in-a-lifetime find. i'd never seen one before, and i don't expect to see one again. >> value is just rising with literally every fold. >> a war, a map, a mystery. >> i had a little momentary roller coast there. >> will it lead to one family's hidden treasure? [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ]

>> i'm jamie colby, and today i'm in birmingham, alabama, which is in the rolling foothills of the appalachians. they say that wars are fought to change maps, and this episode of "strange inheritance" is actually about a map, a very old map, and one that survives in a family whose history spans from texas to virginia and then back here to alabama. >> my name is patrick martin. my parents died in 1999, and my sister and i inherited the house and contents. we were surprised when we figured out what it contained. >> the house that patrick and his sister, peggy, inherited here in birmingham is now their home. patrick, thank you so much for having me over. >> it's our pleasure. >> patrick's parents moved to alabama from maryland and bought the house in the 1960s. patrick, an architect, returns to take care of his ill parents in 1994 but then has his own health scare. >> i had a quintuple bypass

surgery here. >> patrick's heart trouble leads him to an early retirement at age 47. with lots of time on his hands, he starts rummaging through the house, including the attic. it's here that he comes across a box he remembers from his childhood. this looks very, very old, just right from the start. the box contains family letters and legal documents, some going back to the 18th century. >> this packet is letters from the 1780s. >> patrick also discovers an old u.s. army muster book, an official ledger listing soldiers and keeping track of their pay. the writing is unbelievable. i can't believe it's in such good shape. >> this book is put into two sections -- the war of 1812 and then the mexican war. >> patrick's family has a long history of military service. in 1846, his great-great-grandfather, nicholas martin, leads a virginia battalion in the mexican-american war, one

of the most controversial in u.s. history. >> although the war is very little known among americans, it's actually the most important war fought between two neighbors in the western hemisphere. in 1845, texas is annexed by the united states, but the texas boundary claim now becomes an american problem. >> and, it turns out, an opportunity for president james k. polk, a slaveholding tennessee democrat who believes god has ordained the united states to expand across the continent. many opponents of war with mexico condemn this idea of manifest destiny as simply the conquest of territory for new slave states -- including a fresh-faced freshman congressman from illinois. >> abraham lincoln is an opponent of this war. he gives a series of speeches blasting the polk administration. >> the war -- the first in history documented with photographs -- breaks out in april 1846.

mexico surrenders in 1848, losing half its national domain. >> the united states acquires not just the american southwest, but also california. >> left unresolved -- where slavery will be allowed in those territories. >> the debate over whether those territories are going to be slave or free is going to be so contentious and so divisive that it's ultimately going to lead to the civil war in 1861. >> patrick's box contains a number of civil war items, too -- cool stuff like some certificates from the confederate postal service. he can't be sure how all those items came to his family. some most likely are from that great-great-grandfather who fought in mexico. >> the other possibility is his son hudson, who was a lawyer, and he represented soldiers. >> the artifacts are passed down through the generations, ultimately making their way to the family estate

in virginia. when patrick's grandfather dies in 1956 and the family is clearing out the house, his father winds up with the historical items by chance. >> on a whim, he just said, "we'll take those six boxes." >> the boxes end up in the basement of patrick's childhood home outside washington, d.c. they become a way to kill boredom for a curious 12-year-old boy. patrick, did you really play with all this stuff as a kid? >> i did. i did. i loved the boxes. you'd find letters from the civil war talking about troop movements or political discussions just before lincoln's election. and you felt a connection to family and a fun connection to history, so -- >> your imagination could run wild. >> absolutely. >> one of his favorite items -- an old map of texas. >> it was a fun toy. i just enjoyed the fact that texas was so different. it had indian villages,

it had forts -- it had all kinds of interesting things for a 10- or a 12-year-old. >> somehow, the map avoids being used to make a fort or a halloween mask. >> i showed it to my parents, and they knew i was playing with it, and that was fine because it was just the old texas map. >> as patrick grows up, the map and the other items in the boxes become distant childhood memories. in 1967, his parents move to birmingham, where the boxes are stored and forgotten once again -- that is until patrick moves here to take care of his folks and rediscovers them. his parents pass away in 1999 within 10 days of each other. the family home and those timeworn boxes are now patrick and his sister, peggy's, inheritance. proud of his family heritage, he shows off the heirlooms during dinner parties. >> i'm crazy about history,

and this was a resource that i wanted to share with people. >> he even brings them out to the thanksgiving table. >> so, this thanksgiving dinner, literally between the gravy bowl and the turkey, you bring the map out and put it on the table, this table? >> that's true. it was the end of dinner, so it was mostly messy plates, and that probably made it worse, you know, as far as danger to the map. at the time, its value was the joy it would give you looking at the thing. >> but by 2013, patrick wonders if he might reap another kind of joy from his strange inheritance. to be blunt, he could use the money. since retiring early at age 47, patrick has accumulated substantial credit-card debt -- not to mention a home-equity loan that he and his sister, peggy, took out. >> the credit-card debt is monumental. we have a small home-equity loan that this potentially

could pay off. >> patrick notices than an auction house is holding an appraisal fair in birmingham. >> i thought, "i'll throw a box of stuff together and see if anything's worth anything." >> at the fair, patrick cautiously breaks out the old family war stuff. >> did you feel like one would be worth more than the others? >> i actually thought the muster book was gonna be of more significant monetary value. as it turned out, he says he thinks the muster book probably would be a couple of thousand dollars. and i thought, "well, that's nice, you know, but it's not life-changing." >> patrick shows a few more heirlooms and gets the same tepid response. down to his final item, he unfolds his childhood plaything, that old texas map. what happened when you pulled the map out? >> you could tell his demeanor changed. i mean, his face lit up. he was very excited. >> what's your heart doing at that point? >> it's beating very well.

[ laughs ] >> what had been sitting in the attic all this time? >> i'd never seen one before, and i don't expect to see one again. >> that's next. >> but first, our "strange inheritance" quiz question. which war saw the most combat veterans go on to become u.s. president? is it the revolutionary war, the mexican-american war, the civil war, or world war ii? the answer when we return. what's going on up here? can't see what it is yet. what is that? that's a blazer? that's a chevy blazer? aww, this is dope. this thing is beautiful. i love the lights. oh man, it's got a mean face on it. it looks like a piece of candy. look at the interior. this is nice. this is my sexy mom car. i would feel like a cool dad. it's just really chic. i love this thing. it's gorgeous. i would pull up in this in a heartbeat. i want one of these. that is sharp. the all-new chevy blazer. speaks for itself. i don't know who they got to design this but give them a cookie and a star.

>> so, which war saw the most combat veterans go on to become u.s. president? it's "c," the civil war. five future presidents -- grant, hayes, garfield, harrison, and mckinley saw combat during the civil war. >> in birmingham, alabama, in may 2013, patrick martin visits a traveling appraisal fair, hoping some of his family's old military artifacts can pay off his growing debts. it's not going well -- that is until he pulls out an old map of texas for heritage auctions' appraiser joe fay. >> i had seen this map before, but i had only seen reprints of it. >> joe instantly recognizes the print as apparently the work of jacob de cordova, who commissioned the first maps in 1849, right after the u.s. won the mexican-american war.

de cordova used the map as a promotional tool to lure adventurous immigrants to the state. >> he was a land agent who helped settle people in texas, and he wanted a document that showed them the vastness of the land that was available for them to settle. >> de cordova obtained official signature endorsements from famous texans, including sam houston, to further his cause. >> sam houston, on the floor of the u.s. senate, referred to this as the most accurate depiction of texas that anyone had ever compiled. >> with patrick's copy, joe is excited but skeptical. he knows such a famous map has countless reprints and forgeries. >> i noticed that the paper was right, consistent with the period, but still it could be a reprint. >> fortunately for joe, de cordova himself left a vital clue. >> there's a printed notice that basically says, "without my signature, this map is fraudulently obtained." >> patrick's map includes

a signature that appears to match de cordova's, but is it hand-signed or printed? another clue. >> i could see the ink bleeding through to the back of the map, which only happens if it's authentically signed with ink. once i saw this, really, nothing else mattered that weekend. >> the map is no doubt the find of the appraisal fair. >> he said, "we had this auction last year, and the second edition sold for $44,000." >> a first edition from 1849 would be worth even more. only a few are known to still exist. joe suspects that patrick's map could be a first edition. geography will tell the tale. >> there are several features of this map that wouldn't be recognizable to somebody looking at the state of texas today. >> you see, the republic of texas once stretched as far north as wyoming and as far west as santa fe. over the years, those boundaries are chipped away.

the biggest land transfer comes in 1850, when texas gives up vast tracts of western land to the federal government in exchange for debt relief. come to think of it, that's the same outcome patrick's aiming for. the end result -- the texas shape we know today. so, what version of texas did patrick's map show? >> just north of the state line of texas is an area that's referred to on the map as "indian territory," which we know today as oklahoma. there's a strip on the left side of the map that's santa fe territory. so at that point, that was that eureka moment of, "this is actually an 1849 de cordova map." >> joe ups his initial appraisal. >> he said, "yours is a first edition. therefore, we think it would be $60,000 to $80,000." so i called my sister and decided to sell the map. >> joe tells patrick the value could go up or down

depending on the map's condition and previous sales. he wants to hold on to the heirloom for more research. joe gets on a plane to dallas to show the map to sandra palomino, who specializes in texana artifacts. all she needs is one look. what kind of condition was the map in when you got it? that's next on "strange inheritance." >> here's another quiz question. what role did future army general and u.s. president ulysses s. grant play in the mexican-american war? was it quartermaster, sniper, or medic? the answer when we return. hmm. exactly. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. nice. but, uh... what's up with your... partner? not again. limu that's your reflection.

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180 over 111. 150 over 90. 160 over 110. i had a stroke. narrator: this is what high blood pressure looks like. you might not feel its symptoms, but the results from a stroke are far from invisible or silent. if you've come off your treatment plan, get back on it. or talk with your doctor to create an exercise, diet and medication plan that works for you. go to loweryourhbp.org if i would've followed a treatment plan, i would not be in this situation.

we like drip coffee, layovers- -and waiting on hold. what we don't like is relying on fancy technology for help. snail mail! we were invited to a y2k party... uh, didn't that happen, like, 20 years ago? oh, look, karolyn, we've got a mathematician on our hands! check it out! now you can schedule a callback or reschedule an appointment, even on nights and weekends. today's xfinity service. simple. easy. awesome. i'd rather not. >> so, what role did future army general and u.s. president ulysses s. grant play

in the mexican-american war? the answer is "a," quartermaster. grant was in charge of distributing supplies and provisions to the 4th infantry regiment. >> in birmingham, alabama, patrick martin is eagerly awaiting the latest appraisal of his strange inheritance -- an 1849 first-edition map of the new state of texas. joe fay has pegged its value at $80,000. if he's right, that would go a long way to wiping out the debt patrick has run up since retiring after quintuple bypass surgery. >> although the map meant a lot to me, when you put a dollar value on it that can change your financial base, you're thinking, "i can get rid of this debt," but you don't want to buy into it yet. >> after all, patrick knows his map hasn't exactly been treated like a museum exhibit, and it's condition can have a major impact on its sale price. that's why joe fay

brings the map to dallas to get a second opinion from sandra palomino. it's why dallas is my next stop, as well. what kind of condition was the map in when you got it? >> it was in wonderful condition. it was just amazing to us that there were no separations along any of the folds. condition is everything, and value is just rising with literally every fold that we're opening. >> did you know, as an expert in maps and documents and other historical artifacts, that it existed? >> this particular map is newly discovered because it was on nobody's radar. >> now big is the market for maps? >> for collectors in general, they love that period from 1834, 1835, up through the late 1850s. >> that's because so many families trace their texan roots back to the immigration boom of that period. >> texans are very, very prideful of their roots,

and they see it almost as a responsibility to preserve the history and pass it on. >> and many of those early texans were influenced by de cordova and his map. >> it's a treasured piece of history, and that's what this map is to texana collectors. >> a few days after the original appraisal, patrick receives a call from heritage auctions. >> joe fay calls, and joe says, "i missed the estimate on the map." >> oh. >> so, i think he's overpriced it. >> instead, fay says it could be more than $80,000 -- a lot more, six figures easy. >> so, you know, right away, i'm ecstatic. >> on march 15, 2014, patrick martin's first-edition map of texas goes up on the auction block in dallas. patrick monitors the auction by computer from his home in birmingham. things are not off to a smooth start.

>> the auction actually was going slow generally. things weren't reaching their auction estimate, so as my map came up, i was trepidatious. >> the map opens at $75,000, and it appears only two bidders will be competing for it. the amount slowly creeps higher from 75 to 85 grand, then to $97,000. patrick knows he should be ecstatic, but you know how it goes. when you're told six figures, it's six figures you want. >> this time, it stopped long enough that the auctioneer said, "fair warning," and so i thought, "it's gonna go at $97,000." >> is he right? that's next on "strange inheritance."

>> now back to "strange inheritance." >> after being passed down through five generations of patrick martin's family, a rare first-edition map from the early days

of texas statehood goes on the auction block in dallas in march 2014. the bidders push the price up from $75,000 to $85,000. it's a lot of money, but patrick has been led to believe this strange inheritance would fetch a lot more than that. the bidding jumps to $97,000, then stalls again. >> i had a little momentary roller coaster there of letdown, euphoric, letdown. >> then, after what seems to be ages, the bidding picks up again. soon, it passes the $100,000 mark and keeps on climbing. the final sale price, including a premium the buyer pays to the auctioneer -- a whopping $149,000. after paying seller fees, patrick and his sister take home $96,000 -- 48 grand each. they can finally get rid of all their debt -- every penny of it. >> immediately, within a day,

we had paid off the home-equity loan and the credit-card loans, so it was great. >> it's admirable that you paid off debt with the money you got from the map, much more money than you expected, but come on, patrick. you must've bought a little splurge here or there for you or your sister, peggy. >> well, actually, we both still have a chunk that's waiting to splurge. we're trying to figure out what the splurge will be. >> a map somehow ends up in the hands of a distant ancestor, makes it way from basement to attic to moving van and back, escapes the ravages of a kid's imagination and dinner-party show-and-tell. the martin family treasure survived an improbable course no cartographer could map out. any regret? >> none. i have no problem with selling the map, even though i did enjoy it and i loved sharing it. but in a way,

you're sharing it again. >> and what about all those other precious family heirlooms? could there be more treasure from the attic? >> well, hopefully. i could only dream that it would be as good as the map. >> the man who commissioned the texas map that patrick inherited, jacob de cordova, was one of the most enthusiastic and colorful promoters of texas, and he put his money where his mouth was. he himself bought up a million acres of land to sell to settlers. during the civil war, in fact, many texans lost everything and were unable to pay off their liens. although de cordova stood to lose a fortune, he refused to foreclose, saying, after all, he was the one who encouraged them to move to texas in the first place. i'm jamie colby for "strange inheritance." and remember -- you can't take it with you. do you have a "strange inheritance" story

you'd like to share with us? we'd love to hear it. send me an e-mail or go to our website, strangeinheritance.com >> a ball club older than mighty casey... >> they were recognized as the best team of the 1860s. >> their 155-year-old baseball card... >> we are looking at a very significant piece of baseball history here. >> and she's looking at a very strange inheritance. >> he's my great-great-uncle on my dad's side. >> which one is he? >> now here's the payoff pitch. >> one of the big ones. this was a family heirloom. >> will there be joy in mudville... >> he was looking for a piece of the action, but i didn't know that. >> ...with jamie at the bat? [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] ♪

>> i'm jamie colby, and i'm in the berkshire mountains on my way to great barrington, massachusetts. i'm meeting a woman whose ancestor played on one of the great teams in the early days of baseball. his picture is on her strange inheritance, which may just be the world's oldest baseball card. >> my name is florence sasso. my great-great-uncle archibald mcmahon was a member of the 1860s atlantic nine baseball team. i inherited this card from my mother when she passed away. >> hi. i'm jamie. >> hi. i'm florence. >> heard you have a great story and a very strange inheritance. also heard you're a new york girl. >> yes. >> i'm from queens. >> i'm a brooklyn girl. >> uh-oh. 75-year-old flo lives alone and runs an electrolysis business from her house. what a lovely home. she explains that fate has handed her a very unusual

inheritance in the form of a 2 1/2-by-4-inch antique baseball card. oh, my goodness. is this what i think it is, florence? may i touch it? >> sure. >> look at the players. 1860. >> before the civil war. >> and a relative of yours is in here? >> my great-great-uncle archibald mcmahon is in here. >> which one is he? >> we don't know. it hasn't been identified. >> well, can you make a guess on which one he might be? is there any resemblance to you or your parents? >> no. i couldn't figure it out. i was just looking at the ears, because that side of the family had big ears. >> who were the brooklyn atlantics? >> i think it's the oldest baseball team in history in brooklyn. ♪ >> at least one of the oldest, says ed elmore, captain of today's incarnation of the brooklyn atlantics. so brooklyn atlantics started when? >> they played a long time.

they were recognized as the best team of the 1860s. >> baseball before the civil war? you can look it up. the first officially recorded game is actually played in 1846. and within 15 years, the sport is on the verge of a boom. these guys practicing today in long island, new york, use the same rules and equipment as old archibald did back then. was pitching different? >> the first 40 years, actually, of baseball was underhand pitching. for the first 20 years, if a ball was caught on a bounce it was an out. it was thought of as a gentlemen's game at the very beginning just by who was playing, not necessarily by how they played. >> so who is archie mcmahon? a butcher in brooklyn is about all flo knows. that's a sign of how organized baseball is evolving and becoming more democratic. it's no longer just a game played by wealthier men -- doctors, lawyers, and bankers.

and although flo can't identify which one of these gentlemen is that great-great-uncle on her father's side, we can i.d. couple of his teammates. at far left is chris smith. two men to the right is shortstop dickey pearce, who's credited with inventing the bunt. looks like a straitjacket. baseball uniforms have really changed over the years. i can see why. got to love this cap, though. take me out to the ballgame. so this is the bat. i see they're not playing with gloves. what about the balls? >> well, i have just the man to talk to for that. wild horse. >> wait. wild horse? >> that's his nickname. he runs the bases with wild abandon. >> you make those? >> i start with a rubber center, two cords of yarn. everything was handmade.

>> ready? >> all right. >> really? oh, no. no gloves. aah! oh. it didn't hurt that bad. have you heard of the name archibald mcmahon? >> he's listed in the roster of the 1860 atlantics. actually, he played center field, and he batted third. so that's an indication that he was one of the better hitters. >> after the 1860 season, however, he becomes a bit of an enigma. he may have played for a pro team in manhattan, but census records after the civil war show him working as a butcher in san francisco. after that, his only appearance in the public record is a mention in the 1928 obituary of his younger brother, john, a civil war veteran. >> in the obituary, it talks about his brother, how he loved baseball. >> the obituary reads, "he had a picture in his home of the original atlantics team,

of which his brother, archibald mcmahon, was a member." when they mention it in an obit, you know the card is a true family heirloom. flo's father, joseph, is 17 years old when his uncle john dies. it becomes his strange inheritance. but it's his wife, mildred, who keeps it safe in their brooklyn home. >> my mother had had it in a fanny farmer box in a secret drawer in a piece of our furniture. >> when florence grows up, she moves to massachusetts, gets married, and then divorced. over time, the family is drawn back together by old age and illness. eventually, flo convinces her parents to move up to massachusetts and live with her. >> the fellow i was dating at the time was an architect, and he designed an addition for us. >> how much did that cost? >> $125,000. >> did you have that money? >> no. i had to remortgage the house. >> flo's dad dies in 1995.

her mom, mildred, inherits the card. mildred is well aware flo has gone into debt and wishes she could help. but it never strikes her that she has the means until great-great-uncle archibald comes up in a genealogy class at the senior center. so he suggested that that card could be worth what? that's next. >> but first, our "strange inheritance" quiz question. who in 1888 declared baseball "the american game"? queen victoria of england, indian chief sitting bull, or poet walt whitman? the answer in a moment. [female narrator] sexual harassment doesn't just happen at work,

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you deserve to be safe at home. if you believe you've experienced sexual harassment file a complaint at hud dot gov slash fair housing. fair housing is your right. use it. ♪ >> so, who first declared baseball "the american game"? if you picked walt whitman, you're right. in 1888, he wrote... [ crowd cheering ] >> long before the brooklyn dodgers and ebbets field, these guys, known as the atlantics nine, are kings of that borough's diamonds. this 155-year-old picture of the team has been passed down in florence sasso's family ever since. one of the team's stars, archibald mcmahon, was her great-great-uncle.

flo's mom, mildred, is caretaker of the card for years. she keeps it squirreled away in a candy box and takes it with her when she moves into flo's house in great barrington, massachusetts. but neither she nor her daughter knows which guy in the picture is uncle archie. what'd she tell you about it? >> she said, "put this in with your genealogy." >> in the spring of 2015, flo's been digging into their family background at the free genealogy program at the local senior center. so do you bring the card to show the class? >> i brought the card to the senior center. he said, "oh, my god. it's perfect." >> "he" is volunteer steve strommer, who runs the class. >> my interest in genealogy started a long time ago. but it's taken on a life of its own, and it's pretty much an obsession. we couldn't find too much on archibald. but that was a very old card. and she said, "how much is this?"

and i said, "well, i'll see if i can find out." >> are you thinking to yourself, "i really have something valuable here"? >> yes, i did. >> especially after steve spots on the internet an 1865 brooklyn atlantics card. it had gone for $92,000 at auction in 2013. florence's card is five years older and may be even more valuable. >> i used to wonder, "why do people jump up and down when something exciting happens?" and here i was doing that. >> pushing 101, flo's mother, mildred, isn't quite jumping up and down. but if she can help pay off the addition flo built for her, she's definitely up for some moneyball. florence, who has no children to pass the card on to, is game as well. that's when steve strommer suggests contacting an auction house. on your behalf? >> yes. he made the connection. >> i was just, you know, doing my job, just trying to facilitate getting

this card in the right hands. >> strommer takes the photo home, scans it, and sends it to chris ivy, who specializes in sports memorabilia at heritage auctions in dallas. >> when the first e-mail came in with images, i showed it to one of my other experts. and we thought, "it looks right from the images, and we are looking at a very significant piece of baseball history here." the photo was in good shape. and the overall condition of the card is very strong. >> of course, it's not exactly the kind of card later generations will collect with bubble gum and wax packs. >> there was no bubble gum involved with this card, no. i don't think bubble gum was around, actually, until the early 1900s. it's considered a carte de visite, a cdv. >> a carte de visite, or cdv, was more like a business card or a souvenir handout at a time when photography was still a novelty. >> i think it was because they were the champions of the league and were proud of that and wanted something to commemorate

it. >> while chris and his team evaluate the card, florence feels steve's way off base. he's taken control not only of the process but the card itself. i think this next part of the story goes under the heading "don't mess with a girl from brooklyn." >> was he looking for a piece of the action? >> he was looking for piece of the action, but i didn't know that. i went down to his house, and i said, "my mother would like to have the photograph back." and he said, "oh, it's safe with me." and i said, "no, and i'd like to give you some money for the work that you did at home." and he said no. >> if there was any disconnect, it was with flo, who, i guess, wanted to know if i was going to charge her anything. and she kept asking me quite often, you know, "keep track of your hours." >> i said, "just give me back the picture." >> and then, she would say, "i have to talk to my lawyer," and all of that. and i said, "fine with me." >> you had to get that card back. >> yes. >> that's next.

>> here's another quiz question for you. it's a timeworn tradition, but who was the first president to invite a professional baseball team to the white house? was it coolidge, taft, or grant? the answer in a moment.

♪ >> so, who was the first president to invite a professional baseball team to the white house? it's ulysses s. grant. the cincinnati red stockings, the first professional team, were grant's guests in june 1869. >> spring 2015, great barrington, massachusetts, and life's thrown florence sasso a curveball. she's in a feud with steve strommer, the genealogy instructor

at her local senior center. >> and i went to the doctor. they doubled my blood-pressure medication 'cause i was so upset about him. >> she's taken a family heirloom, this 1860 baseball card of the brooklyn atlantics, which includes her great-great-uncle archibald mcmahon, and given it to steve. it may be the oldest baseball card in existence. and he's researching its value. but it appears to florence that he doesn't want to give it back. >> you went yourself to the gentleman's house to get it? >> yes. he really wanted to hold on to it. but i didn't trust him with it. >> so essentially, he was trying to help you. he just wanted to be paid. >> yes. >> i may have half tongue-in-cheek, half joking, said, "well, i'm your agent. 10%." but i wasn't really gonna charge her with that. >> you didn't want to pay him. >> i was going to give him a generous gift. but you're not allowed to give them even five cents if they're

a volunteer of the town. >> at this point, both steve and florence learned that town employees may not receive additional income from their official duties. >> the interaction that was going on about being reimbursed was prior to my knowledge about the ethics of town employees taking money. >> so steve gives the photo back to florence. having benched steve, she reaches out herself to heritage auctions. a representative flies to massachusetts to bring the card in for authentication. heritage shows up at your house. >> within 24 hours. >> but while the auction house gets to work, flo's mother is admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. >> may 13th. she was 100 and sound of mind right till the end. and every night, she would just say, "thank you for taking care of me," and then a big smile, and she'd say, "did we get the money yet?" >> later that day, mildred sasso passes on. and what may be the world's oldest baseball card is now

florence's strange inheritance. it doesn't take long to confirm the card is real. >> given the fact that it was in florence's family for nearly 160 years, that's great provenance. and provenance is always key. >> the 1928 obituary of archibald's brother, john, provides a crucial piece of evidence of the card's authenticity. >> that newspaper obituary noted that john was an ardent fan of baseball and he had an original photo of the brooklyn atlantics. so that obituary was referring to this very card. >> remember the 1865 brooklyn atlantics card that sold for $92,000? that kind of money would go a long way to paying off the debt flo incurred when she took in her parents. is her card in that ballpark? chris ivy thinks it is and knows exactly where to find out. >> one of the big ones.

this was a family heirloom. >> that's next. so is this. all right. let's send one down the pike. let's see what you got. what's your strange inheritance story? we'd love to tell it. send me an e-mail or go to our website -- strangeinheritance.com. ♪ limu emu & doug mmm, exactly! liberty mutual customizes your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. nice! but uh, what's up with your partner? oh! we just spend all day telling everyone how we customize car insurance because no two people are alike, so... limu gets a little confused when he sees another bird that looks exactly like him. ya... he'll figure it out. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

hi,like many of youhaw. i took the als ice bucket challenge back in the summer of 2014. it was cold, and it was a lot of fun. but there's nothing fun about als. it robs a person of their ability to walk, to talk and to eventually breathe. it's also fatal, usually within a few years. and it is emotionally and financially devastating to thousands of families across america. it's truly a brutal and nasty disease. but, we're making progress thanks to many of you. since the ice bucket challenge, we've seen new als genes discovered, new technology developed that helps people with als, and new potential treatments in the pipeline. we still have a lot of work to do. i'm no scientist but i can tell you this, if we can cure als we can cure anything.

please join me in the fight against als. ♪ >> now back to "strange inheritance." >> in 1860, florence sasso's great-great-uncle and his teammates on the brooklyn atlantics posed for this photo. 155 years later, it may be the oldest baseball card in existence. florence is about to learn just how valuable that makes it. the auction house estimates its value at 50 grand-plus. that would help cover the $125,000 she spent remodeling her home to make room for her elderly parents.

then again, another brooklyn atlantics card recently went for $92,000. an extra 40 grand would really help. in july 2015, enthusiasts from around the country gather in chicago for the national sports collectors convention. >> $9,500. now to $10,000. where are my cubs fans now? >> the highlight of the auction -- flo's 2 1/2-by-4-inch strange inheritance featuring the pre-civil war brooklyn atlantics. >> one of the big ones. this was a family heirloom. >> how proud are you when you see your family card in a catalog? >> everybody was so excited because they didn't know about baseball before the civil war. >> and it was a bit of brooklyn that you could bring to this town. >> that's right. >> you can follow the auction online, but florence is having computer problems. even so, she feels the same nervous anticipation palpable in that room. >> earliest known team card that we're aware of.

what do we have for lot 009? >> $70,000. >> $70,000. this is gonna go big. $70,000. now to go to $75,000. >> from the start, the bidding is fierce. >> we've got captains of industry and people that are millionaires, billionaires. it's just people that have a passion to collect things. >> $85,000. now to bid $90,000. $95,000 to you, sir. i go you. $100,000. now to $110,000. >> like a sandy koufax fastball, the bidding quickly blows away the $50,000 estimate. >> $110,000. now to $120,000. this is really a smithsonian-type piece here. $120,000. now to $130,000. >> most collectors go into a live auction with a game plan. but you can get enthralled with the moment. so, you know, throw caution to the wind and start bidding. >> $130,000. now to $140,000. $150,000. now to $160,000. you want $155,000? you gonna walk away for five grand? $150,000. i've got it right here. who's gonna beat him? $150,000. anyone else? $150,000. bid $160,000? who's gonna beat him? anyone else now? anyone else?

to white. $150,000. [ applause ] thanks very much. >> after the auction house commission is added, it brings the total to $179,000. and the winning bidder? >> a well-known 19th-century collector, but he didn't want to be revealed. >> the good news comes to florence from a surprising source. >> how'd you learn about it selling? >> steve, the genealogist, was following it on the internet. >> i saw the very end of the bidding for the card. and i called up flo right away and said, "this is great." >> and he called to say it was sold for $179,000. >> that beats flo's wildest expectations. >> i was just hoping to clear my mortgage, actually. >> so basically, the money that you'll get from your family card will help you defer the cost of taking care of mom and dad. >> almost to the penny. >> are you resolved now

that whatever happened in the past is the past? >> absolutely. >> it worked out okay? >> i'm very happy. >> so is steve strommer, that he and flo are friends again. >> we're like brother and sister, basically. you know, she comes in. we'll go through a little bit of genealogy, find what happened to archibald mcmahon. >> and maybe someday they'll even figure out which one of these guys really is old uncle archie. so what ever became of the old brooklyn atlantic dynasty? up until 1869, all the players were amateurs. two years later, the national association of professional base ball players was formed. but the atlantics couldn't afford the cost of the new league, so they didn't join. some of their best players took a walk and signed up with pro teams. i don't get to walk. i got to hit the ball. all right. let's send one down the pike. let's see what you got.

oh. i'm jamie colby for "strange inheritance." and remember -- you can't take it with you. maria bartiromo, wa week starts now. maria: happy weekend! welcome to the program that analyzes the week that was and helps position you for the week ahead.what a week it was. i am maria bartiromo. thank you for joining us.we have a jampacked program. my exclusive interview with president trump, just ahead of his visit to japan for the g 20 summit and his meeting with chinese president, xi jinping. a lot to talk about with the present per the most elusive one on one with huawei chief security officer, andy purdy and the president of the federal