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. ♪ >> it's the revolver that won the west. >> this is a serious piece of weaponry. >> and she inherited a slew. >> buying the guns turned him into a cowboy. it was an obsession. >> you in there? >> lawmen and outlaws alike reach for the hotshot of colt pistols. >> i was always told that it was a million-dollar gun. >> talk about bang for the buck. >> i've been looking for you. >> or will it all backfire? [ gunshot ] [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] ♪

>> i'm jamie colby, in garden grove, california, about a half-hour south of l.a. i'm on my way to meet a woman whose wild west inheritance might be worth a fortune. come on. let's go have a look-see. >> my name is melissa guy. when dad passed, he left me with 40 rare colt pistols, one in particular that led me to a bit of a showdown. >> hi, melissa. i'm jamie. >> hi, jamie. >> melissa leads me into her living room... and shows me a small sample of the strange inheritance her dad, mel, left her. oh, look at the handle. come here, baby. >> this would be a gun that a cowboy would carry. >> mel wasn't a cowboy but a world war ii navy vet who owned a sheet-metal company. he never had a thing for guns until his wife gave him this antique pistol as a birthday present. >> it was a couple dollars.

and this is the gun that started the collection. >> mel loves it so much that he decides to replate it with shiny new nickel. then, he learns the refurbishing diminished its value. it's a mistake he only makes once. >> my dad decided right then and there, "if i'm ever going to buy another gun, i'm going to know everything there is to know about guns." >> and he will buy plenty. his research sparks an interest in single-action revolvers, patented in 1836 by connecticut gunmaker samuel colt. >> colt developed a multi-firing firearm, which, up to that time, you only had one shot. colt made possible five shots or six shots. >> greg martin is a renowned firearms dealer. i meet him at the autry museum of the american west in los angeles. so, it was pretty innovative, what colt did. >> extremely innovative.

there were other attempts at revolving firearms made, but colt was the first practical invention that really made it so you could use it. >> what does it mean, single action? >> a single action means that, when you want to activate the gun and turn the cylinder, you pull the hammer back, and the cylinder will turn. >> ready to fire. >> ready to fire. >> one of the first to take advantage of colt's revolver -- the u.s. military during the mexican-american war in 1846. >> this is the largest handgun made at the time, and it weighs 4 1/2 pounds. okay. >> oh, my gosh. it's as heavy as a rifle. >> the next evolution, this is a standard model that was used in the civil war. >> that's a big piece of history. >> and which they made approximately 250,000. >> then, in 1873, colt adds a self-contained metallic cartridge to his new single action army

model, nicknamed the "peacemaker." >> this is known as the revolver that won the west. >> did the stories behind the wild west have anything to do with dad's fascination with guns? >> yeah. he started reading all stories on the wild west and watched every cowboy movie ever made. ♪ >> you've come far enough, earp. >> get out. >> spurred on by legends like wyatt earp, mel amasses an arsenal of colt revolvers. did you go to gun shows with him? >> i went to gun shows as a child. he'd bring them back and talk about them forever. it was like, "come on, dad. please." >> were you allowed to touch the guns? >> no. he bought a safe, and they were in the safe all the time. >> when my grandfather got into something, he dove into it. >> michael acosta is melissa's son. >> my grandfather could take a look at a gun from a distance and know if it was right or wrong. he could tell you

almost anything about colts that you could ever ask. >> by the early '70s, mel's collection tops 300 guns. but one eludes him, one of the rarest colts ever made -- the legendary buntline special with a 16-inch barrel. >> his obsession was owning a buntline. >> how long had he looked, a week? >> oh, at least a decade. it had to be a perfect gun. >> here's a "strange inheritance" quiz question... the answer after the break.

♪ >> it's b. as a teenager, colt became fascinated by how a ship's wheel could spin freely or be locked in place using a clutch system. >> a birthday gift from his wife. this antique pistol turns mel guy into a lifelong firearms collector. he stockpiles rare colt revolvers dating back to the 1870s. the iconic six-shooters are the gun that tamed the wild west. [ gunshots ] just ask any cowboy. >> it was won by efficiency,

by accuracy, and by just being a good piece. >> cowboy historian peter sherayko joins me along with a posse of re-enactors, the alpine outlaws. you only have six shots? >> only six shots. >> did they carry six? >> they carried, usually, five. >> why? >> because these guns were designed that, if the hammer is down on a cartridge and your stirrup, say, fell on it, or you dropped the gun, it would go off. >> so leaving one cylinder empty prevented a lot of shot-off toes. over 20 years, mel collects more than 300 of the rare colts. but he's always on the lookout for one in particular, a buntline special with a 16-inch barrel. >> we know of 22 buntlines that came from the colt factory. of the 22, 11 are the 16-inch barrel. >> that's a small number.

>> very small number. >> firearms aficionado greg martin tells me the name buntline was coined by a popular dime novelist, edward judson, best known for his chronicles of buffalo bill. >> judson's pen name was ned buntline. >> the story goes that, back in 1876, buntline ordered five colt revolvers with long barrels and presented them as gifts to famous lawmen such as wyatt earp and "bat" masterson, a thank-you for the interviews they gave him about their wild west exploits. so, that put the buntline on the map. >> put it really on the map, part of american folklore. >> since then, the buntline has earned fame on tv, as a children's toy, and on the big screen. the gun's allure is not lost on melissa's father, who searches for more than a decade before he gets the right one

in his sights. >> it came with a stock that you attached to the back of the gun that really turns the gun into what i would call a rifle, which makes the gun shootable and more accurate. >> how much did he pay? >> $32,500. >> one gun? >> one gun. >> was that cash he just had? >> he didn't care. he was going to buy that gun. >> but as my cowboy friends demonstrate, the buntline special is more collectible than practical. >> now, larry, he's got the short gun over there. tony, he's got the buntline, and we're going to show you just how much faster it is with a shorter gun -- at least, i hope so, anyway. ready, boys? draw! if you notice, larry got out there a little bit quicker. and that's the secret. >> it's an advantage. but sometimes, a girl just has

to live a little dangerously, so i'll take my chances with the buntline versus his regular-sized colt. >> you in there? >> yeah. you found me. >> well, doggone it. [ gunshot ] >> and that, my friends, is how the west was won. [ laughs ] mel enjoys his colts into his 80s, but with his health in decline, he begins to get his affairs in order. was there a plan? >> he wanted me to sell the gun collection. >> his beloved gun collection? >> yes. >> why? >> i think, once he was finished with them, he knew it was time for somebody else to have them. >> did you try to talk him out of it? >> i tried to talk him into keeping some of them, and he said no. >> mel does sell off a bunch, but when he dies in august 2015, at age 88,

he still has more than 40 rare colt revolvers, including his crown jewel, the super-rare and super-long colt buntline special. they are melissa's strange inheritance. along with them, she's left the high-stakes task of selling them off. >> there is a part of my grandfather whose legacy is this colt collection that is leaving, and i'm sure that is very difficult. >> had dad ever had the collection appraised? >> no. but he knew, in his mind, that the entire collection would be well over a million dollars. >> over a million? >> well over a million dollars. >> and just one of those guns accounts for half of that million or more -- the buntline. that's underscored for melissa six months after mel's death, when she displays it at an antique gun show in vegas. what was the reaction that you got when you took it to that las vegas show? >> "it's so rare." they want to take pictures.

they want to touch it. they want to hold it. >> news travels fast in the gun-collecting world that a pristine buntline is back on the market. but the rumors travel just as fast and threaten to drastically devalue melissa's inheritance. i imagine there are fakes out there. >> lots of fakes. >> here's another quiz question... the answer when we return. our retirement plan with voya gives us confidence. yeah, they help us with achievable steps along the way... ...so we can spend a bit now,

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or a big one. you were thriving, but then... oh. ah.

okay. plan, pivot. how do you bounce back? you don't, you bounce forward, with serious and reliable internet. powered by the largest gig speed network in america. but is it secure? sure it's secure. and even if the power goes down, your connection doesn't. so how do i do this? you don't do this. we do this, together. bounce forward, with comcast business. ♪ >> so, which general carried

a colt .45 revolver on one hip and a smith & wesson .357 magnum on the other? it's george s. patton. the world war ii general had both guns outfitted with ivory grips and engraved with his initials. >> only 11 were made -- the colt buntline special. after taking her rare revolver to a gun show, melissa guy finds her strange inheritance under assault. she believes the revolver purchased by her dad for $32,000 is an authentic, unaltered buntline special made in 1876 and now worth hundreds of thousands. but soon after the show, some collectors in the close-knit world of antique firearms are whispering that her colt is not completely authentic. >> the problem with the buntline was the cylinder. somebody put the word out that the buntline was not right

because it didn't have a number on the cylinder. >> serial numbers are important, right? >> absolutely. >> you can see, on this colt, the numbers are right here. but, on the buntline, there's no number on the cylinder. more than money is at stake for melissa. her father, mel, not only took pride in his collection, but in the shrewd, knowledgeable, and patient way he assembled it. had he been hornswoggled when he shelled out big bucks for the jewel of his collection? >> to say that my grandfather's gun was not correct hurt my mom. if the gun was not correct, he would know. and he looked at many buntlines. >> melissa and her son, michael, decide it's time to shoot back, but they can't prove the naysayers wrong alone. they track down firearms guru greg martin. >> i imagine there are fakes out there. >> lots of fakes. you can take an ordinary single-action, put a long barrel on it, take off the serial numbers,

restamp the numbers. just like there are good artists that fake painting, there are good artists that fake guns. >> is there more than one serial number on that gun? >> there's many serial numbers on the gun. >> should they match? >> they all should match. >> so, what gives? >> greg obtains a copy of an old colt ledger listing every buntline shipped from the connecticut factory between 1876 and 1884. he discovers a surprise. mel's buntline not only appears legit, it's the final one to leave the colt factory. >> this is the inventory of the buntlines that were sold. the last one, which was mel's gun, was shipped in 1884. >> but what about the cylinder with the missing serial number? could that part have been swapped out in the century after it was made? if so, it would no longer be an authentic buntline. so greg turns to the colt

buntlines shipped just prior to mel's. he discovers it's owned and authenticated by the autry museum right here. and guess what? it, too, has no serial number on the cylinder. so, the gun produced right before this also didn't have a serial number? >> no, it did not. in our research, we turned up the fact that these two buntlines did not have a serial number on the cylinder. >> those buntlines were made in 1876 but weren't shipped for another seven or eight years. greg concludes colt must have updated the cylinders but, for some reason, not stamped them with numbers before sending them out. can you say, with 100% certainty, that this is the real deal? >> with 150% certainty, it's the real deal. >> but he's not done yet. he finds one last piece of evidence that not only confirms the buntline's authenticity

but demonstrates how keen was mel's collector's eye. turns out this buntline special is even more special than anyone imagined. >> it is a piece of american history. how do you put a price on that? >> what's your "strange inheritance" story? we'd love to tell it. send me an e-mail or go to our website, strangeinheritance.com. this is decision tech. find a stock based on your interests or what's trending. get real-time insights in your customized view of the market. it's smarter trading technology for smarter trading decisions. fidelity. so you're a small businor a big one. you were thriving, but then... oh. ah. okay. plan, pivot. how do you bounce back? you don't, you bounce forward, with serious and reliable internet. powered by the largest gig speed network in america. but is it secure? sure it's secure. and even if the power goes down,

your connection doesn't. so how do i do this? you don't do this. we do this, together. bounce forward, with comcast business.

♪there's a me no one knows ♪waiting to be set free so, what's the empty suitcase for? the grand prize trophy ♪i was born to be somebody >> now back to "strange inheritance." >> when mel guy bequeaths his collection of rare colt single action revolvers to his daughter, melissa, he makes his intentions clear. she is to sell the guns, no ifs, ands, or buts. so far, she's sold 16, including these four mint-condition 1923 .44-40s for 120,000 bucks alone. sales of the other guns have brought in an additional 80k,

bringing her total to date to more than $200,000. >> this has been difficult because, each time i sell a gun, i'm selling a piece of my father. so that's the hard part. >> hardest of all is what to do with this buntline special, the pride of mel's collection. it could be worth many hundreds of thousands if collectors can be convinced it's indeed one of the 11 buntlines made by colt. firearms dealer greg martin thinks he's proven melissa's strange inheritance was the last buntline to leave the colt factory back in 1884. then he discovers that melissa's colt is even more special than that. he comes across this old photo taken at the philadelphia centennial exposition in 1876. >> colt put together this beautiful display of over 300 guns. i looked at it a little more

closely, and i discovered there's actually a buntline in the display, complete with the shoulder stock. but it had a little hump on the stock that i wanted to get a closer view of, and this photograph clearly shows the sight folded down on the stock. >> just like this one. >> right. that's very significant because this is the only buntline special known that has a folding tang sight. >> bull's-eye. >> [ laughs ] >> what was your reaction? >> i was not surprised, because i knew that my father would not have bought the gun if it wasn't a perfect gun. >> greg agrees to help melissa sell her buntline. in january 2017, he brings it back to vegas and puts it on display at an antique-arms show. any offers? >> had a couple of good offers. >> like what? >> one was $500,000. >> whoa. >> mm-hmm. >> what'd melissa say?

>> well, she wants a little more. >> you got a 1/2-million-dollar offer on one gun, and you turned it down? >> i believe the gun is worth more. >> greg believes she may well be right. if i'm a colt collector... >> right. >> ...and i know that the buntline comes because of this whole story of guys like wyatt earp... >> mm-hmm. >> ...that must increase the value. at least it's a better story. >> it really does add a lot to the value because, in popular culture, it has been propelled into one of the great icons of firearms. >> what's your prediction? >> we would have an auction estimate of between $600,000 and $800,000. >> so, melissa is glad she stuck to her guns. she intends to sell the buntline eventually with the rest of her dad's firearms. >> when the last one leaves, i don't know if that's going to be, "yes, dad, i did it. i did what you told me to do."

>> but buyers beware. melissa says she won't pull the trigger on this baby until she gets her price. maybe, an offer will come in in the next couple of months. what if it doesn't in a year? >> then, i will have a buntline special. >> and be holding on to a piece of dad's a little longer. you've seen melissa's rare colts, some in pristine condition, but before we leave, i can't resist showing you another colt lover's beat-up beauty from the museum's collection. it's an 1883 colt single action army revolver, originally gold-plated, but years of heavy use wore it away. engraved on one side of the gun's ivory grip, check out the owner's initials, t.r. that's right, teddy roosevelt. the native new yorker and future president wielded this baby as a cowboy and rancher in the dakota territory.

i'm jamie colby. thanks so much for watching "strange inheritance." 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 heononrrrrads.s.s.ed the designs it azimazing.>> mullins' collection is i i i yo ju' just overtaketake t t nu >> joe candio is native american historian, and membermbererer that i've evern, as r asfain a privprivecivec.ec. the majorityma of them df o

as prcoprmbcon me..se wthth >> check out this one. it's made adfrom volcanic glass, ofteed itt, and it's more tmoha10,000 y00 y old. bae than2,2,0 ars.arr, dr, dinr, it's groove roove er iercreraftd 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. ♪ limu emu and doug. and if we win, we get to tell you how liberty mutual customizes car insurance so you only pay for what you need. isn't that what you just did? service! ♪ stand back, i'm gonna show ya ♪ ♪ how doug and limu roll, ya ♪ ♪ you know you got to live it ♪

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>> 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. yeah, that's half the fun of a new house. seeing what people left behind in the attic. well, saving on homeowners insurance with geico's help was pretty fun too. ahhhh, it's a tiny dancer. they left a ton of stuff up here. welp, enjoy your house. nope. no thank you. geico could help you save on homeowners and renters insurance. geico could help you save on homeowners ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

>> 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...

>> 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. ♪ maria: welcome and good tuesday morning, everybody. thanks so much for joining us. i'm maria bartiromo. it is tuesday, october 6. your top stories right now, 6:0. president trump on the mend, the commander in chief arriving back in the white house after being treated for coronavirus with a message for the american people. i'll be speaking with regeneron's ceo about his company's experimental antibody treatment that may have helped the president. postponed, new fallout after fired fbi deputy director andrew mccabe pulls out of a grilling on capitol hill yesterday. this as