and remember -- you can't take it with you. [ gunshot ] [ thud ] >> ancient arrowheads -- an epic collection. >> there was probably 250,000. >> it's breathtaking. you're just overtaken by the number of arrowheads. >> do you think it's worth $1 million? >> or does that miss the point? >> he said, "i think you'll do the right thing, and share it with the people." >> can the heir fulfill that final request... >> i didn't have the money. >> oh, that's an issue. >> but i had a plan. >> ...with one wacky angle? [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] ♪

>> i'm jamie colby, driving today through the blue ridge mountains of western north carolina. cherokee and catawba indians lived here as far back as the last ice age. i've come, because a viewer wrote to me about a strange inheritance related to those, and other native american tribes. >> my name is jerry williams. my friend moon left me hundreds of thousands of indian arrowheads. he made me swear to keep them together. i've been trying to do just that. >> hi, jerry. i'm jamie colby. >> glad to meet you. come on in. >> nice to be here. jerry tells me that the story of the 1/4-million arrowheads he inherited begins on a summer's day, back in the 1930s, with two lovers, moon mullins and his fiancee irene cress. >> the day before they got married, they were skipping rocks across the river.

but irene said, "what are these? they don't look like rocks." >> they realized the skipping stones aren't stone at all. >> he said, "oh, honey, that's indian arrowheads." >> irene is instantly fascinated with the ancient relics. >> she said, "i think i'll start collecting these," and it just caught on. >> the newlyweds have a new hobby, one they'll pursue passionately through their 40-plus years of marriage. they'll also collect life-long friends among the fellow arrowhead enthusiasts they meet, like our heir jerry, who's part-native american, and this man, wayne underwood. >> he said, "if we get in a little fuss, then we just go arrowhead hunting." and some days, they'd go and hunt all day long. they just loved life, and they loved spending it together.

>> at the time, arrowheads are common in these parts, scattered like shells on a beach. >> just about anyplace you go, native americans have been there, and you can usually find something if you'll be patient and hunt for it. >> oh, gosh, we went to south carolina, north carolina, virginia, tennessee. we went everywhere. it was so much fun to go out and be together all the time. >> sounds like you became family. >> they were just like grandparents, really. my dad's mother and father died when i was three. and it was just like it was meant to be. >> over the years, moon and irene find their biggest hauls on farms, fertile land where tribes may have raised crops themselves, and built villages, leaving behind a long, hidden stash of treasures. >> on a real good day, they might find 2,000 pieces.

>> he said, "it's just like the indian people is wanting me to find their relics." >> moon and irene add arrowheads from mississippi, georgia, and texas, 20 states in all, as their collection grows to 100,000 arrowheads, then 200,000, and more. the couple display their ancient finds in their home. >> he had it set up beautifully. he made all his frames, cut all the glass. irene put cotton and the material, and formed the designs on the arrowheads. it was amazing. >> the mullins' collection is breathtaking. you're just overtaken by the number of arrowheads. >> joe candio is a native american historian, and member of the pascua yaqui tribe. it certainly surpasses anything that i've ever seen, as far as a private collection. the majority of them do associate themselves with the pre-columbian time.

>> check out this one. it's made from volcanic glass, often used in battle, and it's more than 10,000 years old. this one's even older, dating back more than 12,000 years. it's groove center is crafted to make the arrowhead better able to withstand the shock of colliding with a hard object, like the bone of a large animal. >> sometimes associated with the large mastodons that were living on the north american continent. it's quite rare to find something like this. >> it's just the most amazing collection i'd ever seen. >> in fact, when wayne underwood first sees the mullins' collection, he immediately wants it for a roadside attraction called mystery hill that he runs in nearby blowing rock, north carolina. >> here's all these pieces that were just unique. the history behind each one of 'em, i mean, what did that one piece do? was it a tool?

was it used for a weapon? was it a ceremonial piece? >> he's not the first to try to get the mullins' to part with it, or the last. >> moon and irene had an opportunity to sell this exhibit to john wayne. >> excuse me? >> here's a "strange inheritance" quiz question for you. native americans attached bird feathers, often from turkeys or hawks, to arrows, for what purpose? camouflage the shooter, balance the arrow, or stake a claim to the kill? the answer after the break.

♪look into my eyes ♪you will see ♪what you mean to me ♪don't tell me it's not worth trying for♪ ♪you know it's true

♪everything i do ♪i do it for you

>> so, what purpose did bird feathers serve on native american arrows? it's, b, the feathers balanced the weight of the arrowhead, allowing the arrow itself to spin in flight, and produce an ideal trajectory. >> it's a hobby that randy moon mullins and his wife irene began as newlyweds. half-a-century later, they've collected 1/4-of-a-million indian arrowheads from all across america. >> they were looking at the largest privately-owned collection east of the mississippi. i mean, it's amazing. >> the couple display their finest relics in a makeshift museum in their hickory, north carolina home. >> boy scout groups, church

people come in, and see what he collected. it was an honor. >> inevitably, word of the collection spreads well beyond hickory. >> moon and irene had an opportunity to sell this exhibit to john wayne. >> excuse me? john wayne came to look at the exhibit? >> yeah. but moon asked him, "will you keep it all together?", he says, "no," and moon wouldn't sell it to him, because he knew it was going to be split up. >> according to underwood, the "duke" wasn't the last offer moon received. one was for half-a-million bucks. >> he turned down $500,000? >> yes. >> that sounds perfectly reasonable to american indian historian joe candio. >> the collection certainly is extremely valuable. you're seeing a lot of just pristine, perfect arrowpoints. >> on the low end, these intact arrowheads could run from 5- to 15-bucks apiece. >> as you go back in time,

typically an arrowhead becomes more valuable. some of the oldest points, my goodness, i have seen those go anywhere from $500-to-$2,000. >> 5 bucks here, 1,000 bucks there -- the value of the 250,000 arrowheads adds up quickly. do you think it's worth $1 million? >> oh, it's probably worth more than that. >> did moon ever sell any of them? >> no, he wouldn't sell 'em. to him, it was worth more than money, to see you or anyone else come there and look at it, and say, "how did you do this?" >> this much is certain -- it's not getting any easier. in 1978, moon is diagnosed with severe diabetes. the 72 year old has to have his left leg amputated. did that stop him from going out and looking --? >> oh, no. moon was the type of fella that'd get up in the morning with a smile on his face.

>> moon just throws on his prosthetic leg, and off he goes with irene, hunting more arrowheads. >> it come like an obsession. it was just like a great hobby, and he loved it. >> then in 1979, a new federal law makes it illegal to take arrowheads from public land. of course, by then, most of the prime areas are already combed over anyway, so it's unlikely anyone could duplicate moon and irene's achievement today. then, in 1982, moon's arrowhead collecting partner of more than 40 years, irene, passes away in her sleep at the age of 69. >> moon said, "my world just turned upside down." he loved her to death. >> moon closes his arrowhead display to the public. over the next few years, his own health declines. in 1985, he reaches out to his dear friend jerry williams

for help. >> he said, "would you come up and take care of me 'til i die? because i don't want to go to a resthome. 'cause if i do, i'll have to do something with the museum." he didn't want to lose it. >> was that moon's biggest fear? >> yes. >> jerry, who's in his 30s and recently married, convinces his wife they need to move in with moon to provide full-time care. why'd you agree to do it? >> i couldn't turn him down. he was just like a grandparent. i couldn't abandon him. the doctor even told me, "i don't think he's got that much longer to live." >> moon starts getting his affairs in order. >> he said, "you're going to be inheriting my collection. you're native american, and i think you'll do the right thing." >> what did he tell you would be right for you to do? >> he said, he knew that i would share it with the people. i said, "well, that's your wish," i said, "i'm going to hold to it." i said, "i love you to death for doing this." i mean, why did he want to give it to me? i mean, [ laughs ], he could've

given it to anybody, you know? >> but he picked you. >> he picked me. yes. >> moon updates his will, leaving jerry his rare and valuable stash of arrowheads, and his house and property. but under jerry's care, he hangs on longer than his doctors predicted. moon ultimately succumbs to heart disease in may 1987, two years after jerry moved in. >> he died right in my hands in '87. [ crying ] and...he just said, "thank you." i mean...i can't... just beautiful. just beautiful. >> you loved him so much. >> yes. >> his close friend is gone, and jerry wants to honor him by reopening moon's arrowhead museum. >> i went to the city, but the property wasn't fit to meet the codes. and he said that it would probably cost you $50,000.

>> did you have $50,000? >> no. no, we didn't have any money. >> so, the enormous arrowhead collection just sits in the dark for the next decade. >> i did nothing with it. it's killing me. because i wanted -- you know, i wanted to share it. >> did you feel like you were letting moon down? >> yes, i did. >> then things go from bad to worse. >> they finally called us and said, "we're going to have to take your property." >> what was the problem? >> the state was building a new highway right through the middle of the museum, and they had no place to move the museum to. >> so, wayne underwood has a brainstorm. >> i didn't have the money, but i had an opportunity to sell a ticket. >> this strange inheritance story is about to get downright weird. [ laughs ] >> here's another quiz question for you. three-of-the-following-four english words come from native american languages.

which one doesn't? the answer when we return.

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>> so, which of the following words does not come from a native american language? it's, d, the word "bison" comes from latin. the rest are all borrowed native american words. >> jerry williams inherits a vast and valuable collection of ancient indian arrowheads from his good friend randy moon mullins, and vows to keep it together. but there's a problem. the state of north carolina is planning on running a new highway through the house that contains the artifacts.

and people would not potentially see the collection ever again. >> no. >> how difficult was that for you to take? >> well, that was real difficult. >> he turns to wayne underwood, another long-time friend of moon, who's long-coveted the collection. >> when moon passed away, i said a prayer. "lord, i'm not going to get involved with the politics of the inheritance, so if it's meant to be that we have it, i'm just leaving it up to you." 10 years after that, jerry williams called me. >> without hesitation, wayne offers to buy moon's collection from jerry. >> i said, "jerry, would you sell the exhibit?", and he said, "yes," and told me what the price was. >> what was it? >> $300,000. >> a sweetheart deal for a collection some say is valued at more than $1 million, but jerry trusts wayne to keep the arrowheads together. there's just one tiny little problem.

>> i didn't have $300,000. >> oh, that's an issue. >> but what i had was, i had an opportunity to sell a ticket. >> a ticket to one of the most bizarre roadside attractions you'll ever see here in blowing rock, north carolina. it's called mystery hill, and wayne owns it. >> it's an unusual place that's on a vortex area. it's like there was a gravitational pull to it. >> the hill in infamous for these gravitational anomalies... [ laughs ] ...and strange phenomenon. ooh, my head. seriously. >> yeah, grab ahold of the rail there, just a minute, 'til you sort of get used to it. >> as i walk inside, my balance and senses are instantly thrown for a loop. okay, you look really funny. [ laughs ] in this house, the laws of gravity appear to not hold up. >> all your life, you've been taught water runs downhill. i'ma pour water in the low end

of the pipe. goes out the high end. >> this is a trick house. it's all crazy. objects seem to roll the wrong way, too. >> can you see it? >> why would it go up? everyone has their own suspicions as to why gravity misbehaves here. some claim there's a large mineral deposit below the house. in theory, the dense rock could create an unusually strong gravitational pull. it's just one of those things you've got to experience for yourself, and make up your own mind. okay! it's a funhouse. >> it is a funhouse. >> a funhouse that wayne thinks would be even more fun with an exhibit of native american relics, so he comes up with a clever counteroffer. >> i said, "jerry, here's the deal. if we move the collection to mystery hill, every time we sell a ticket, you and your wife will receive $1. when it reaches $300,000, the

exhibit will belong to the museum, but you and your wife will continue to get your $1." >> what did jerry say? what was his reaction? >> he said, "i like the idea." >> for awhile, anyway, but 300,000 tickets turns out to be awful lot to sell. is wayne's idea a big bust? >> i said, "what are we going to do?" ♪ >> we'd love to tell it. send me an email or go to our website... one in three hundred and sixty-five african americans

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♪i do it for you ♪yeah, i would fight for you♪ ♪i'd lie for you ♪walk the wire for you ♪yeah, i'd die for you ♪you know it's true ♪everything i do ♪i do it for you >> now, back to "strange inheritance." >> jerry williams agrees to sell his strange inheritance, a 1/4-million ancient arrowheads to north carolina roadside attraction owner wayne underwood. it's a risky business deal. $300,000 for the relics paid off $1 at a time. >> i offered to pay him $1 out of each one of those tickets, so we'd buy it over time.

>> in the summer of 1997, wayne opens his new native american artifacts museum at mystery hill, and today, i get a personal tour. no way? it's one case after another. there's so much history in this room. >> years and years and years of history. >> and it all started with one arrowhead. >> this is the first board that they collected shortly after they got married. >> i just can't even imagine how many hours it would take to put a collection like this together. there's no denying it's one-of-a-kind, but would it really draw hundreds of thousands of paying customers? did you have expectations of even earning $300,000 in admission for them? >> eventually. >> the first few years, wayne sells around 20,000 tickets a year, and jerry and his wife get 20 grand in royalties, a nice, little income. that trend continues for

several more years, until the great recession hits. attendance at mystery hill tumbles. some months, the royalty checks are as little as a couple of hundred bucks. was jerry wrong to put his trust in wayne? >> i said, "what are we going to do?" >> but by 2012, things rebound along with the checks. in january 2016, the total surpasses that $300,000 threshold, and remember, the payments aren't done yet. the deal states the couple continue to get $1 a ticket forever. how much have they gotten above $300,000 do you think? >> it's going to be right at $400,000. >> so, jerry's smiling. >> oh, yeah. >> is moon smiling? >> yeah, moon's smiling and irene, too. yeah, because it's still together. all the hard work and all the time that they spent together, that exhibit is still being seen by people every single day.

>> what does it feel like to be in that room? >> it brings a lot of memories. when you're around somebody that long and collected with them, there's this burn in your heart. >> ancient peoples leave behind valuable pieces of history. thousands of years later, an accidental discovery kickstarts a life-long passion. and now, two proud custodians are making sure the relics are never hidden from view again. >> we're going to take care of it, and share it with as many people as we can share it with. >> it's just like it was god-sent. it was meant to be there. >> wayne now wants a new showcase for the indian relics, so right on site at mystery hill, he plans to build the moon and irene mullins collection. it will also feature workshops on traditional native american skills, including, of course, arrowhead making. i'm jamie colby. thanks so much for watching

"strange inheritance." and remember, you can't take it with you. ♪ [ gongs chiming ] >> it's a "strange inheritance" "gong show." >> and this is the set of gongs. >> the very set? [ gongs chiming ] >> a piece of history. >> you want to liken it to a stradivarius except there's only one set of true puccini gongs. >> a musical mystery. >> how the heck did they end up in a warehouse in queens? [ drumroll plays ] >> but drumroll, please. [ castanets clicking musically ] can she strike a deal to fund her husband's dying wish? >> are you hoping that someone will see them and say, "here's a check"? >> you better believe it. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] ♪

>> i'm jamie colby, heading into the town of hastings-on-hudson, new york, a suburb about 18 miles north of manhattan. i'm on my way to meet a woman who wrote to me about her strange inheritance -- a piece of musical history with the most improbable tale of how she came to own it. >> my name's marlene piturro. when my husband died, he left me a musical treasure along with clear marching orders on what he wanted done with it. [ gongs chiming ] >> hi, marlene. >> hi, jamie. come on in. it's so nice to meet you. >> as we settle in, marlene tells me about her harmonious first meeting with her husband, howard, a concert percussionist. >> it was love at first sight. >> really? >> he was 6'3", and he had these twinkly blue eyes. he went to work every day in his gig suit and his tuxedo with his white shirt and bow tie. >> howard van hyning, born in 1936 in central florida, inherits an interest in percussion from his great-grandfather, a drummer boy

in the civil war. >> howard had his drumsticks, and he practiced quite a bit, mostly with his drum pad in his bedroom, thank goodness. >> howard joins the drumline in high school, and at just 15 lands a spot in the orlando symphony orchestra. >> he was the youngest percussionist that they had, and he did very well. >> so well that after high school, howard heads to the renowned juilliard school of music in new york city. there he adds to his skill set by mastering a variety of drums and buying them up whenever he can. >> not just drums, but anything that you hit -- xylophones, bells -- anything that was a percussion-type instrument. >> most percussionists are, to some extent, collectors. >> greg zuber, lead percussionist with new york's metropolitan opera. >> percussionists end up in charge of all kinds of instruments -- snare drums,

cymbals, timpani. >> it happens that percussion is my favorite part of any orchestra. >> well, you're a woman of refinement and taste. >> i would like to learn something percussion-y. >> absolutely. let's go do it. >> we start with the tambourines. >> it's simple to play. you just tap it... [ tambourine jingling ] ...like that. >> no, greg. sorry to disappoint you, but i've seen these played. >> yeah? [ tambourine jingling ] >> well, that's more like the gospel church, but maybe we should switch to castanets. >> okay, ready? and... [ castanets clicking musically ] >> that's a good start. >> now it's time for the bass drum. >> so think about using your whole arm. [ bass drum resonates ] >> great. >> i love the sound of this. >> are you busy tuesday? i might be needing a player. >> you get to do this for a living? >> i get to do this. i get to play with these toys. >> and so does howard. he graduates from juilliard in 1966 and begins to perform with the new york city opera.

it's not a little deal to be part of the new york city opera. >> absolutely not. >> in 1975, howard takes on a prestigious summer gig in central park. on the calendar, "turandot," an opera written in 1924 by giacomo puccini. ♪ now, even if you're no opera buff, you probably heard the most famous part of "turandot," says fred plotkin, author of "opera 101." ♪ people recognize that it's been in an number of films. >> it was in "mission impossible," starring tom cruise. >> oh, and "the sum of all fears" and "the mirror has two faces," among others. >> so we know it very well. >> it's a percussionist dream. there are tam-tams, tubular bells, glockenspiel, and, most crucially, several different-sized gongs. [ gong chimes ] >> it's set in ancient mythical china, and puccini wanted

to convey mystery. >> i won't get into the plot right now, but those gongs are really important to the story. so when puccini's writing the opera, he looks all over italy for just the right gongs. no luck. then he does what any perfectionist would. >> puccini had gongs manufactured specifically for "turandot" so that he could have those ethereal chinese sounds that he heard in his head, but had not necessarily seen an instrument to produce. >> a half-century later and half a world away, howard van hyning harbors the same perfectionist streak. preparing for his big moment in central park, he searches for a set of gongs worthy of puccini's masterpiece. turns out howard doesn't have to look far -- just across the east river from manhattan to the humble outer borough made famous

by the new york mets, archie bunker, and kevin james. how they heck did they end up in a warehouse in queens? >> everything ends up in a warehouse in queens. >> but first our "strange inheritance" quiz question... the answer after the break. way to let your kids have fun

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>> so, which of these three bands had the most drummers? well, nirvana had six drummers through the years. that beats pearl jam's five. but if you count the fictional heavy-metal group spinal tap, it had as many as a dozen, some of whom died of spontaneous human combustion. >> [ singing operatically ] >> you don't need to know a lot about opera to appreciate the strangeness of the inheritance marlene piturro gets from her husband, howard van hyning. but a little bit of knowledge can't hurt. so let's go back to lucca, italy, 1924. maestro giacomo puccini is composing the second act of his masterpiece "turandot." >> turandot is a princess. she's beautiful, of course. she does not want to marry anyone because her ancient relative had bad luck with men. so she tells three riddles,

and if you can answer the riddles, then you get to marry turandot. if you don't answer the riddles, you lose your head. >> off with you. >> yeah. it's a brutal story. [ gong chimes ] >> when each suitor arrives at the palace, he bangs a bronze gong. but puccini can't find gongs that make the sounds he wants, so he commissions a family of cymbal makers in italy to handcraft them. >> the great composers like puccini often had instruments manufactured to produce sounds that did not exist before. >> his precise gongs are completed, but puccini dies in 1924 before finishing his masterpiece. how many famous operas are there that are unfinished? >> very few, and the most famous of all is "turandot" by puccini. >> a ringer named franco alfano finishes "turandot" based on puccini's notes, and it becomes

one of the most performed operas from sydney to cincinnati, where, fatefully, in 1955... [ gong chimes ] ...a production is being directed by new yorker anthony stivanello, whose nickname is "instant opera." >> he had the nickname "instant opera" 'cause he could produce an opera literally in an instant. >> he may be quick, but he ain't sloppy, and there's something about his cincinnati "turandot" that's just not right. guess. >> he was unhappy with the sound of the gongs. >> the gongs. the clanging in anthony's ears never stops, and years later on a trip to italy, he looks for something better. instant opera hits the instant lottery at the office of puccini's publisher. >> my father found that the publisher ricordi had the actual gongs they had specially made that puccini wanted in the production. >> it's a startling find. >> you want to liken it to

playing a stradivarius except there's only one set of true puccini gongs. so my father, being a colorful figure, started playing cards with ricordi, and he talked him into having a bet, and he won the gongs. >> and takes them home to queens. now we can return to the summer of 1975, when howard van hyning gets hired for a "turandot" production in central park. howard already has a collection of more than 1,000 percussion instruments, but no gongs that are right for "turandot." then he gets a tip that puccini's own custom-made gongs are in the stivanello shop in queens and may be available to rent. >> howard said, "i've got to see them. i've got to see them." >> anthony leads him into the back of his shop, pries open a dusty crate, and reveals 13 heavy bronze gongs, one note of the musical scale on each gong in italian.

for howard, got to see turns to got to have in a new york minute. no doubt in your mind they're the real deal? >> there's no doubt of anybody who really knows about opera that they are the original set of puccini's gongs. >> howard almost can't bring himself to return the puccini gongs after the central park rental. >> he just kept asking my father, "hey, if you ever sell them, do you promise to sell them to me?" >> his desire doesn't wane even after he claims his own princess in 1982 from the city opera audience. >> i came back from the intermission, and my friend said, "these two guys have asked us out for a drink after the show." howard and i locked eyes, and he said, "i'll take the little one." >> howard and "the little one" soon marry and have two children. all the while, howard adds to his stockpile of percussion instruments. >> he started with one room. it grew to six rooms, and he had a whole room

of just timpani shells, huge kettle drums, and the mallet instruments were everywhere. >> then one day howard walks in the door of their home in suburban new york with a big announcement. >> he came home with a burlap bag, and he said, "look what i have," and he dumped out a few of the gongs. >> how much did he pay for them? >> $8,000. >> and do you say, "holy glockenspiel. the kids need to go to college"? >> i was speechless. >> luckily for howard, his opera-loving wife learns to appreciate the gongs as much as he does. >> and they're very special, and i'll show you why. i'm going to play first a regular gong, which sounds pretty good, and this is onstage all the time. [ gong chiming ] sounds pretty good. >> yeah, pretty good to me. >> but here is the puccini gongs. [ low-pitch chime resonating ] >> [ gasps ] >> it's extremely resonant. and that's the sound that he wanted. would you like to try one? >> i'll give it a whirl. [ high-pitch chime resonating ]

>> perfect. >> howard plays the puccini gongs in operas all over the country, showing them off for music experts everywhere. in 1991, he even has one of the gongs signed by legendary opera singer luciano pavarotti. i see his signature. >> yep, there it is. >> howard continues to play with the new york city opera into his 60s. then in 2001, he notices a change. >> he said, "my hands are not right. my playing is not right." >> an mri confirms that howard's in the early stages of parkinson's disease, a disorder of the nervous system that often causes tremors. for a musician, that is devastating. >> it was devastating for him. >> howard fights the disease and keeps playing until 2009. the following year, he dies of cardiac arrest. he's 74 years old. >> he's buried with his sticks. >> really? ♪

>> i knew that when he got to heaven, he'd be able to play. >> but before howard departs, he leaves marlene not only a piece of musical history... >> [ sighs ] we talked before he died. he would like two things to happen. >> he asks her to set history straight. it's a big responsibility. >> it's a big responsibility. >> here's another quiz question... the answer when we return. woo!

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♪ >> so, what hit broadway musical was adapted from puccini's opera "la bohème"?

it's "rent," a tale about a group of bohemians living in the east village of new york city. ♪ >> something about puccini's opera "turandot" always irked renowned percussionist howard van hyning. remember, puccini dies in 1924 before finishing his masterpiece, and another composer, franco alfano, is hired to complete it. does alfano get it right? >> there's no way of knowing. >> for howard, it was all about the gongs puccini obsessed over. they're prominent throughout his opera, but alfano's ending hardly features them at all. >> it's a jarring transition from when puccini wrote his last note. >> howard, whose most prized possession was puccini's custom-made gongs, had one dying wish for his wife, marlene -- fix "turandot" by selling the gongs for enough money to commission a new ending

for the opera. ♪ tall order. howard bought the gongs in 1983 for $8,000, and marlene had them appraised in 2010 for, she says, 100 grand -- still not enough to get a first-rate composer to write a new "turandot" ending. what's your price? >> i think that they're worth between $1 million and $2 million. nothing like this has ever been sold. [ gong chimes resonating ] >> think they're worth $1 million? >> [ chuckles ] well, you can hope. i'm not sure about that. >> greg zuber, the met's current lead percussionist, who we met earlier, chimes in. it sounds to me like puccini had to have these gongs. >> he absolutely needed them for the right flavor of the opera to suggest china in its ancient setting. [ gong chimes resonating ]

>> just like that. >> just like that. >> spectacular. marlene thinks they're spectacular, too, and wants them heard and appreciated. while waiting for a buyer to step up, she rents them to opera houses where they're a big draw. >> howard would want them to be played, and i did rent them out. >> until 2011 when she gets a frantic call about her strange inheritance. what happened? 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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i met a new friend. it's great to meet someone .. who really understands. she lost her dad last year. i really miss you mom. >> taps, the tragedy assistance program for survivors provides resources, support and comfort to heal the harts of grieving military families. help us at taps.org/family. ♪ >> now back to "strange inheritance." >> it's 2011, and marlene piturro is terrified about her strange inheritance -- a rare set of percussion gongs that trace back to renowned opera composer giacomo puccini.

what happened? >> we were renting them, and they were lost in transit. >> oh, my. >> the national carrier who was doing this couldn't find them. >> for three awful days no word. then she gets a call. >> it turned out that they were in newark for three days, and when we finally knew where they were, they went on to their ultimate destination. >> phew! >> [ chuckles ] >> the mishap forces marlene to change her tune and stop renting out the gongs. >> howard was more than willing to send them. he loved that they could go to different opera houses, but i feel i can't take that risk. >> so marlene tucks them away, unseen, unheard, and with each passing year, increasingly forgotten by the opera world. she's still hoping to find a way to do as howard wanted -- sell them to a musician or opera company and commission a new ending to puccini's "turandot" that features

the gongs. it's a big responsibility. >> it's a big responsibility, and i'm not the best person to have them. they belong in an opera house. >> then in 2016, music director antony walker of the pittsburgh opera hears tale of how howard van hyning's widow has puccini's gongs hidden away in a trunk. >> we were very excited to hear that the puccini gongs were still around. >> he implores marlene to lend him the famous gongs for his upcoming production of "turandot." marlene relents, but this time, she has the gongs hand-delivered. ♪ we're there for the first official rehearsal. everyone is amped up over those gongs. >> it makes it much realer. you can smell and taste and feel this thing. it's not some ancient artifact in mothballs. it resonates, and it gets people very excited. ♪

[ gong chimes resonating ] >> this set is so important because we have the sounds that puccini had in mind, which is really amazing. [ gong chimes resonating ] >> it's like a stradivarius. if you don't play it, what's the point? puccini heard in these gongs how his music should sound. >> [ singing operatically ] [ gong chime resonates ] >> marlene still intends to turn her strange inheritance into a new ending that makes "turandot" even more of a percussionist dream, just as her husband envisioned. are you hoping that by sharing your strange inheritance that someone will see them,

come along, and say, "here's a check"? >> you better believe it. [ chuckles ] that would be a wonderful outcome. >> whatever happens, this performance would surely be music to her late husband's ears. >> he had his destiny, and that was to play this music. he loved music, and he loved the gongs. ♪ >> a half dozen other composers have written new endings to "turandot," and now one more has tossed his hat in the ring. in march 2017, four days after his 100th birthday, maestro anton coppola, uncle of film director francis ford coppola, conducted a two-hour concert in tampa, florida, which included his own alternate ending for "turandot," gongs and all. the contest for the perfect ending continues. i'm jamie colby. thanks for watching "strange inheritance."

and remember -- you can't take it with you. [ gong chimes resonating ] have a great weekend. lou dobbs next. lou: president trump leading the freed world and much of it that isn't. president trump talked with president erdogan, keeping their line of communication open as the ceasefire declared erdogan has now been in effect for almost two days. the president said the two men had a good conversation. acknowledging reports of new fighting in northern syria and insisting the turks and kurds are honoring that ceasefire along the northwestern border with turkey. south of our border in sinaloa, a vicious