jamie@strangeinheritance.com. and just face it, you can't take it with you. ♪♪ >> the king of escape artists. >> houdini could get out of anything. he could go on the streets and hang upside down, escape from straitjackets. >> the last russian czar. >> houdini did perform before royalty in moscow. >> how do you know that? >> he records it. >> a private performance. an imperial gift. >> how convinced are you that this brooch originally was from nicholas ii. >> so, is this the crown jewel of magic? >> i told them that it was worth a million dollars. >> or did she inherit a myth? >> ♪ come and wander through make-believe land with me ♪ [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ]

[ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] ♪♪ >> i'm jamie colby in santa barbara, california. i just had to come out when i heard the cast of characters in this story -- harry houdini, czar nicholas ii, and a family of magicians with a jewel of a strange inheritance. >> my name is arlene larsen. when my mother-in-law passed away, she left me a crown-shaped brooch with diamonds and gemstones that she inherited from the wife of harry houdini, who said she got it from czar nicholas of russia. >> hi. i'm jamie. >> i'm arlene. this is milt. >> how are you? milt and arlene larsen have been married for 28 years. it's one marriage that hasn't lost its magic. milt is already breaking out his tricks. see the little rabbit on the swizzle stick?

milt's going to make it vanish. >> i close my hand. and this one, i go "whooooo." and i picked up a "wabbit," and it vanishes from here. >> where did it go? come on, milt. >> if i want him to come back, i just put him in a dark place again, and there, he comes back. ♪♪ >> how do you do that? milt's tricks aside, i'm here to learn more about a piece of jewelry that his wife, arlene, inherited from milt's mom, geri, who was a good friend of harry houdini's widow, bess. so, bess gifted your mom a piece of jewelry. what was it? >> mrs. houdini had this brooch that the czar of russia had given to houdini. and she said it would be nice if my mother had the brooch. and my mother gave it to arlene. >> how fortunate you are to own this. >> i must say, i appreciate having something so special.

>> the story of the special piece of jewelry begins at the turn of the 20th century. at the time, one of the most recognized entertainers in the u.s. is a brash and boastful young hungarian jewish immigrant named ehrich weisz, who calls himself harry houdini. >> he was kind of a superhero. and he portrayed himself like that. >> it's doubtful anyone knows more about houdini than today's most famous magician, 21-time emmy winner and world-renowned illusionist david copperfield. how would you describe him, david? >> he did magic, but what really resonated with the audience was all this escape stuff, the locks and the handcuffs and all that. it was the idea that this guy could get out of anything. he could go on the streets and hang upside down, escape from straitjackets. >> as houdini's popularity grows in america, the 30-year-old magician and his wife, bess, who was part of the show, take their act across the

atlantic in 1900. >> they had gone from performing in circuses and sideshows to all of a sudden being whisked from european capital to capital performing for royalty. >> screenwriter john cox is another recognized authority on houdini. he writes a blog called wild about harry. he says in 1903, harry and bess travel to russia, where they perform in moscow for members of the czar's inner circle. >> he wrote quite a bit about being nervous while he was in russia. he was jewish, and at the time, you actually couldn't go into russia as a jew. >> the story milt and arlene hear is that houdini and his wife gave a performance for none other than czar nicholas ii himself. thrilled by houdini's magic, the czar bestows upon him a gift -- this jewel-encrusted medal. it's made of 14-karat gold and studded with 39 diamonds, 17

sapphires, 14 rubies, and a single emerald. >> bessie thought it would be a very nice brooch, so she had it made into a brooch and loved it. >> indeed, this picture shows bess wearing her husband's medal as a brooch in 1922. four years later in 1926, harry houdini ruptures his appendix doing a trick offstage in detroit and dies at age 52 on the 31st of october. he did die on halloween. how does that happen? >> that's showmanship. >> it is true houdini. >> [ chuckles ] it is. >> in the years following harry's death, bess houdini conducts highly publicized séances to try and channel her husband's spirit. soon, she's a celebrity in her own right. so how does the larsen family enter the story? well, since magic folks tend to keep to their own, when bess

needs a lawyer, she finds one who is also a magician -- bill larsen, esquire, milt's father. >> my father was a criminal attorney who loved magic. he ended up publishing a magic magazine and knowing everybody in magic. >> but dad's not the only larsen who can pull a rabbit out of a hat. milt's mom, geri, spends years conjuring up magic skills of her own. so she's not the assistant getting sawed in half. she's the actual magician. >> oh, yeah. >> in fact, geri larsen becomes one of the first well-known female magicians and stars in her own weekly tv series, "the magic lady," in the 1950s. >> ♪ come and wander through make-believe land with me ♪ >> milt's parents eventually expand their magical act to include sons milt and bill jr. all the while, the larsens, especially milt's mom, remain close with their old friend

bess houdini. >> the two of them just hit it off. >> bess dies in 1943. she had no children, so she wills her beloved items to family and friends. that czar nicholas medal turned brooch goes to milt's mother, who prefers it as a necklace. did geri wear it?>> she wore it for special occasions, like magic conventions or when they met press people. >> in the 1960s, after their father's death, milt and his brother bill open an exclusive magic venue in los angeles that's still renowned today, called the magic castle, a place for magicians new and old to hone their craft. milt continues performing magic and running the magic castle into the 1980s. that's when he rekindles a friendship and more with a former coworker, arlene zamiaria. the couple marry in 1989, and with her vows, arlene enters

into the private and exclusive world of magic. >> that was my only trick. [ laughs ] >> getting him. >> getting him. >> well done. and so you get married. are you accepted, being a non-magician? or you had to break the ice?on'e industry, unless you get up onstage and do the tricks yourself, it's a different little world. >> but arlene's mother-in-law, magician geri larsen, brings her into the fold. >> we were like sisters, and we had a lot of fun, and the brooch was one of her prized pieces, and she said, "i want this to bring you as much happiness as you have to me." >> in 1998, geri larsen dies at age 92 and keeps her promise, bequeathing the treasured houdini jewel to her daughter-in-law arlene, who also wears it as a necklace. >> everybody wanted to know more about it, and it always gave me a conversation piece. >> well, more than a conversation piece.

we could be talking a lot of money.just ask the man who's houdini collection is the world's biggest. any chance you have an idea what it's all worth? >> i think hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. yeah. >> millions? >> hundreds of millions, yeah. ♪♪ here's a "strange inheritance" quiz question. in january 1918, harry houdini wowed a new york audience by making which of the following vanish? the statue of liberty, an elephant, or president woodrow wilson? the answer after the break. ♪♪ walter, did you know geico could save you hundreds on car insurance and a whole lot more? so what are you waiting for? world's strongest man martins licis to help you break down boxes? arrrggh! what am i gonna do to you box? let me “break it down” for you... arrgggh! you're going down! down to the recycling center!

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♪♪ >> so, what did harry houdini make vanish in new york in 1918? it's an elephant. it was david copperfield who made the statue of liberty disappear in 1983. ♪♪ >> it's diamond and jewel encrusted and once owned by bess houdini, wife of the great magician. now it's arlene larsen's strange inheritance, bequeathed to her by her mother-in-law, who was friends with the magician's widow. since houdini's death in 1926, anything associated with him has become a relic. world-renowned illusionist and major houdini collector david copperfield. >> everything that i have of houdini is because it will tell a story of some kind. >> the houdini story comes alive

inside david's private las vegas museum. >> i think i can guess what these are. >> what do you think? >> that's the water tank. >> correct. this is the water-torture cell where houdini would be upside down and have to escape before he drowned. we have the milk-can escape, the predecessor to the water-torture cell. it was a little bit more concealed, a little more confined. but it was really cool. it looks like a tight fit. >> he was a little guy. >> i'll say. at just 5 foot 6, houdini could fit in some pretty tight places, like this metamorphosis trunk. >> he would change places with his wife, bess, and a very classic piece of magic. >> they're really spectacular. >> these are the keys that would be used to open up every lock that existed -- every handcuff lock. >> how many years are you collecting? >> i've been acquiring all these things and kind of archiving all these stories for maybe 25 or 30 years now. >> any chance you have an idea what it's all worth? >> i think hundreds and hundreds

of millions of dollars. yeah. >> millions? >> hundreds of millions, yeah. >> wow. makes you wonder about arlene larsen's silver dollar-sized diamond, ruby, and sapphire inheritance, which has a cool houdini story, too. bess houdini said her brooch was actually a medal czar nicholas ii of russia bestowed on her husband after they performed for him. >> have you ever had it appraised? not really because everybody kept saying it's priceless. so why bother? it was just something that everybody appreciated and loved. >> but only on very special occasions. mostly, she just keeps it locked away for decades. now she says it's time to sell. so, why'd you decide all of a sudden that you were ready to part with it? must have been a tough decision. >> i wasn't using it enough, and we needed the money to put a roof on the new building that we're doing. >> you see, in 2016, arlene and her husband, magician milt larsen, decide to open a new magic club close to their

hometown of santa barbara, california. they buy this restaurant property with plans to transform it into a venue similar to l.a.'s magic castle, which milt established back in the 1960s. >> this is going to be our little playhouse and a lot of fun. >> but the property needs a lot of work. to help pay for it, the larsens bring the jeweled crown to a chicago auction house, potter & potter, which specializes in all things magic. appraiser gabe fajuri says their timing is impeccable. >> houdini has never been more popular than he is now. anytime we have anything that's related to his career, people are interested. makes for good publicity. makes for good stories. makes for good results. >> what would be a good result for arlene? >> i told them that it was worth a million dollars. >> if she gets it, that would be a record, says john cox. >> nothing of houdini's has sold

for a million dollars yet. >> really? >> prices keep going up, but no. nothing's reached those heights. ♪♪ >> here's another quiz question for you. houdini nearly died when he used what liquid in his famous milk-can escape act? the answer when we return.

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>> arlene larsen is getting an auction estimate for her one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry. she's been told that in the early 1900s, czar nicholas ii of russia awarded it to harry houdini, a thank-you medal for the performances he gave to the royal family. it's a great story, which arlene thinks makes her strange inheritance worth a million dollars or more. then gabe fajuri of potter & potter auctions weighs in. >> we looked at previous auction records of houdini memorabilia we'd sold before. so, based on our experience, we guessed that it would be somewhere in the $30,000 to $40,000 range. [ sad music plays ] >> gabe's guess sounds closer to the mark than a million, says houdini blogger john cox. >> nothing of houdini's has sold for a million dollars yet. >> really? >> prices keep going up, but no. nothing's reached those heights. >> "so what?" think arlene and

milt. "if it's not worth a million, it must be close because of that czar nicholas connection." but john's blog dumps cold water on that, too. >> the trouble is there's a lot of houdini mythology. some of it he created himself. some of it bess has created. and the truth is he never actually performed before czar nicholas. >> what? >> he toured russia in 1903. that is true. and he did perform before royalty in moscow, the grand duke sergei alexandrovich. >> now, how do you know that? >> well, he records it, and he was very proud at listing each down to the dollar amounts that he was making at this theater versus that theater. john's reasoning is this. if houdini took the time to record his meeting with the grand duke, why wouldn't he have done the same following hishow for czar nicholas ii? >> it's one of those sexy bits of houdini mythology that gets repeated. >> are you saying that arlene and milt, who believe unquestionably that it came from

czar nicholas, are wrong? >> i believe bess probably said that she got it from czar nicholas. but she was a little bit of a myth maker, too. they were good show-biz people like that. how convinced are you that this brooch originally was from nicholas ii? >> because my mommy told me it was. so, therefore... >> well... ...why would i doubt that? why would bessie lie about something that was only 25 years prior to when she talked about it? it wouldn't make any sense. >> do you have any documents, john, or any records or any first-hand knowledge that says for sure you're right and everyone else is wrong? >> i will never go 100% on houdini. we are always discovering things. so you never know when that photo of houdini and czar nicholas is going to show up. >> [ chuckles ] auctioneer gabe fajuri agrees with john's assessment. >> there's no way we can prove that it was given by the czar to bess houdini or harry houdini. >> but even without the czar connection, it's still a

valuable houdini relic, says gabe. >> it has everything. it's got a great story. it's associated with famous people. and it gets people excited to bid on it.>> so, whose estimatee more accurate -- the larsens' million dollars or gabe's $30,000? in april 2017, arlene's brooch goes up for sale at potter & potter auctions in chicago. bidding starts at $15,000, climbs past $25,000 to gabe's low estimate of 30k and beyond. it zips above his high estimate of $40,000.on the phone is an anonymous, seemingly determined bidder. the levitation act is not over. >> it's bid, bid, bid, bid, bid. there's very little hesitation. [ gavel bangs ] ♪♪ >> 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 andy, my schwab financial consultant.

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>> now back to "strange inheritance." >> it's april 2017 in chicago. arlene larsen's strange inheritance, this one-of-a-kind jeweled crown once owned by harry houdini's wife, bess, and traced back to russian royalty, is on the auction block. >> it's fast. it's bid, bid, bid, bid, bid. there's very little hesitation. >> and things aren't slowing down. the bidding, driven by an anonymous voice on the phone, blows through the auction-house estimate of $30,000 to $40,000, then $55,000, $60,000, $70,000. how high will it go? alas, nowhere near the million dollars milt and arlene hoped for. >> after the hammer fell, the brooch sold for $72,000. [ cash register dings ] >> that will still go a long way to fix up the new magic cabaret the larsens are creating in santa barbara. >> will the $70,000, milt, make a difference?

>> oh, yeah. >> the buyer was anonymous. >> yes, and that was always fun. >> but it's even more fun to solve the mystery. so, who bought that magic jewel-encrusted crown? give you one guess. yep -- david copperfield reveals to me that he is the new owner. >> you're the anonymous buyer? >> that's my middle name, anonymous. is the brooch. >> [ gasps ] it's beautiful. >> hold on to it. >> absolutely spectacular. you have very good taste. >> thank you. give that back to me. >> [ chuckles ] and david tells me he'll do more than just display the houdini relic. he's going to get to the bottom of its story once and for all. >> it certainly was a gift. it certainly came from russia. >> are you holding a priceless piece of houdini history? >> i think i am, no matter what the end result is. what we know is that houdini's wife wore it a lot. it was something she was very proud of. and the fact there's only one. there's no duplicates of it --

make it something i can't replace, therefore, priceless. >> a crown jewel passes from russian royalty to the most famous magician of all time, makes its way through a magical family dynasty before reappearing in the hands of another magical master. >> david copperfield is convinced that he's the guy to find out the true answer. >> i would love him to look into it. you know, we're all always looking for the greater truth to the houdini story. >> one more houdini mystery -- the great magician willed to his brother and fellow illusionist theodore hardeen "my theatrical effects, new mysteries and illusions and accompanying paraphernalia, to be burnt and destroyed upon his death." but after a break-in at his house in 1927, it's said theo burnt all of harry's personal files right then and there in order to preserve his

brother's magical secrets. i'm jamie colby. and that's one strange inheritance no one would take with them. ♪♪ >> an expert gunsmith... >> anything i could imagine, i could build, just like that. >> ...with an eye for history... >> this is a copy of daniel boone's rifle. davy crockett rifle that hethe . over here, is a 12-pounder napoleon. >> ...and a goal in his sights. >> collection of every gun of of the united states.ut when itl the incredible arsenal... >> were you shocked? >> oh, yeah, of course. oh, yeah. >> ...it's his heirs who hear a blast from the past. >> what did you estimate that collection was worth at that time? >> probably a million dollars. that was a small load. if you put a big load in there it'll knock you on your fanny.

ho! [ applause ] [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] ♪♪ >> i'm jamie colby outside portland, oregon. a family wrote that their strange inheritance would blow me away -- an extraordinary cache of historic firearms and civil war cannons that's lock, stock, and smoking barrels. ♪♪ >> my name's brian marek. my father was a world-class gunsmith who spent his life forging centuries-old military weapons... >> it's all shaped by hand. >> ...into an arsenal coveted by collectors. my brothers and i found our inheritance highly explosive, in more ways than one. >> hey, guys, i'm jamie. i meet brian, along with his brother tim. tim, how are you? >> nice to meet you. >> let's go. >> the brothers walk me right over and give me a small taste

of their strange inheritance, these civil war cannons. these are beauties. >> this particular one is a 7/8th scale of a 6-pounder. this one's a full-size scale of a 3-inch ordnance rifle. they're fun to shoot, and they're handmade by our dad. >> the brothers tell me these are just two of the hundreds of historic military weapons built, refurbished, or collected by their father rudy marek. >> dad was a collector and he was a craftsman and he was so passionate. >> rudy's story begins in 1928 in a small farm town outside portland, says his middle son dean. was there early fascination with guns? >> oh, yeah. all capitals on that one for dad. >> when rudy's 11, he's inspired to make his first firearm after watching a pirate movie. in this home video, rudy tells

the tale. >> and i made a pirate pistol, just like i thought it looked in >> it was a crude gun. you put a firecracker in and stick the fuse out the side, light the fuse and hold it. >> the only trouble was, i made it out of ma's curtain rod. >> as a teen, rudy fixes up busted guns when he's not building them from scratch. when it comes to gunsmithing, he's a prodigy. >> anything i could imagine, i could build, just like that. >> and he has some imagination. >> when i was a little boy, i could envision having a collection of every gun of major importance in the history of the united states. >> in 1951, rudy weds gloria anderson. it isn't a shotgun marriage, but you could call it a shotgun honeymoon. >> they were going to gun shows, just right out of the gate. >> doesn't sound particularly romantic for a young bride. >> i don't think it was for mom, [ laughs ], romantic, no.

>> rudy then joins the portland police force. >> but that was not his passion at all. his passion was when he got home, he could go to the shop. >> this is a percussion pistol, 1952, when mom was in the hospital with me as a newborn. >> rudy's notebooks from those days indicate the lengths to which he goes to make his replicas authentic. >> i photographed it at the smithsonian, went home and built the thing. >> have gun, will travel. >> this is a copy of daniel boone's rifle, as close as i could get from pictures, paintings. ♪ davy, davy crockett ♪ this is a davy crockett rifle that he took to the alamo. i had to have a copy of it, naturally. >> here's his copy of the pistol "wild bill" hickok was packing when he was killed in a deadwood, south dakota saloon in 1876. >> how exact is it? >> it's an exact copy. >> here's another marek-made

gun, a swivel-breach rifle popular in colonial times. >> it has two barrels, two firing mechanisms, and one hammer. so, you would fire the first side, and then you just roll it around. >> are you kidding me? >> and then you could fire your second round. >> just like that? chh-chh! >> this gun was -- would be the time of george washington. ♪♪ >> as his handmade arsenal grows, so does rudy's reputation. he earns the nickname, "mr. frightening," because his handcrafted replicas are so good, it's scary. >> that was a small load. if you put a big load in there, it'll knock you on your fanny. just a sample of hand engraving that i did on a block. >> but gunsmithing isn't rudy's only talent. he also engraves firearms. >> there's a clear, new cut, and you can make a border. >> check out the work he does on his smith & wesson service

revolver. what about the design on this rifle? soon enough, rudy is getting hired to do custom engraving from none other than the colt firearms company. >> my work's went all over the world. >> he was really proud. that was a lot of prestige. >> with the extra cash from his side gig, rudy's now able to amass an impressive arsenal of super-rare antique originals, some dating back four centuries. >> this is a wheellock, which was made in 1631. harpers ferry, designed by thomas jefferson for the lois and clark expedition. 0.303 world war i trench rifle. >> rudy looks to add to his artillery when this bronze civil war 12-pounder, called the napoleon, goes on sale. >> the napoleon gun won the war for the union army.

>> hayes otoupalik is a militaria dealer and collector. he tells me more about that napoleon cannon. >> it was found in the 1950s in the path of union army at gettysburg. it's a classic, must-have weapon in a civil war collection. >> so, rudy must have it, even if the 12 grand asking price is a stretch. >> he had to refinance the home, i think -- >> oh, my. >> -- to my mother's dismay. there was, you know, tension in the home, so i heard a fair amount of things that maybe i wish i wouldn't have heard. >> rudy just covers his ears, claims his prize, and painstakingly refurbishes the cannon using blueprints from the smithsonian. but will he listen to the warning shot fired by the missus? >> my wife told me, if i build one more cannon, she'd divorce me. >> here's a "strange inheritance" quiz question.

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weapon. it could fire more than 700 rounds a minute. >> portland, oregon police officer rudy marek is a world-class gunsmith and engraver with a big target -- to make or acquire a firearm from every major event in american history. >> gold-mounted dueling pistol of the type that killed hamilton. this is the general custer carbine. the troopers carried this at battle of the little bighorn. this is the same size gun that killed abraham lincoln. it's nearly full-size. >> he even builds field artillery. >> these cannons were lined up at gettysburg, sometimes 50-to-100 at a time. ♪♪ >> his cannons become so well-known that they're used as props in the 1965 jimmy stewart film "shenandoah." rudy's enough of a star himself, he even receives fan mail from military buffs, like a 17-year-old hayes otoupalik,

the weapons collector we met earlier. he recalls writing rudy back in 1966, that his dream is to acquire a collection of artillery, too. >> rudy inspired me as a young boy. >> you want to be rudy. >> [ laughs ] >> am i right? >> i liked those cannons, yeah. >> especially rudy's original napoleon cannon from the civil war. hayes finally meets rudy in 1971 at a gun show. did you bring up, "i'm the kid who wants the cannon"? >> oh, yeah, i brought it up to him. i made him aware that i would like to have the cannon one day. >> the two men hit it off, and become friends. >> he was a mentor. he took a fuse that was already lit, and he -- he made the fire burn a little bigger for me. >> i bet. unfortunately, all that time alone with his guns is time away from rudy's own family. how many hours are we talking

about, that he spent with this obsession? >> innumerable. he would go to the shop, and we wouldn't see him until the next day.my skills come in -- i do things free-hand. a mind like i've got works 24 hours a day, and you can't create fast enough the things that come up into it. >> when did he go to your little league games? >> he very rarely attended our little league games. >> i never felt like he didn't love me, but he just wasn't interested in what i was doing. >> rudy's wife gloria feels even more neglected. >> in 1971, my beloved wife divorced me, and i was devastated by it. >> what do you think drove her >> it was a lot of loneliness, i'm sure. they never stopped loving each other. it's just that he was hard to live with. >> but rudy never stops adding to his stockpile. >> ah! i'm right at home in my element here, by george.

>> he even fixes up an army bulldozer, and several world war ii military vehicles. >> that is a 1944 weapons carrier. and this is charlie. she's a cckw gmc 10-wheel drive. this was the main workhorse of world war ii at the battle of the bulge. >> then, just before he turned 70, rudy's diagnosed with cancer -- advanced lymphoma. >> i remember him saying that -- that the doctor said he had six weeks to live, from that point. >> [ laughs ] okay, hi. >> with the little time left, the brothers create a video to document their father's life story. >> okay, hi. i'm rudy marek. from this, back when i was about 10 or 11 years old -- is 60 years of gunmaking history... >> he was letting go, just understanding that, my time has come. >> i'm over 70 years now, and

praise be to god, that from the time i was a little boy, all my dreams that i dreamt about when i was little, have been fulfilled. >> six weeks come and go, along with several more months, time with their father the boys treasure more than any other. >> this was a changed man, from this workaholic, to a soft-hearted, "i want to spend time with my boys." >> does it bring y'all closer together? >> yes, absolutely. my mom and tim and dean and i, just like old times. that was just an amazing blessing. he would give me the biggest bear hug, and say, "i am so proud of you, brian. i am so proud of you boys." >> finally, at the end of a long portland winter, rudy dies at the age of 70. at his funeral, he goes out with a bang. did you fire a cannon that day?

>> yeah, we rolled it out there, and fired it off three times. i cried pretty much the whole time. >> rudy leaves his entire arsenal to his three sons. did you know what the collection was worth when he passed? >> no, i don't think we did. >> but they would soon find out. were you shocked? >> oh, yeah, of course. oh, yeah. >> here's another quiz question for you. what weapon did general george s. patton call, "the greatest battle implement ever devised"? the sheridan tank, the b-17 "flying fortress," or the m-1 rifle"? the answer when we return. trelegy for copd. ♪ birds flyin' high, you know how i feel. ♪

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>> so, what weapon did

general george s. patton call, "the greatest battle implement ever devised"? it's the m-1. the 0.30-caliber semi-automatic was the standard issue u.s. service rifle during world war ii. >> rudy marek leaves his huge arsenal of antique guns, cannons, and military vehicles to his sons, brian, tim, and dean. >> sounds like you had enough for a museum. >> yeah, it was pretty overwhelming. and he didn't really give us any specifics as far as what we should do. he just hoped that we would keep the guns within the family. >> but the three heirs disagree about what to do with their strange inheritance. what was your position? >> i am the clinger of the three of us. i just wanted to keep as much as i could. >> all his stuff was cool, and tim and i certainly thought it was all cool, too. but we more so thought, we got to figure out how to get rid of this, what it's worth.

♪♪ >> so, the brothers brings in some respected gun collectors, who tell them that the original historic items rudy collected are worth a load. this 18th century persian flintlock, $2,100, a 1780s blunderbuss, $2,200, while that austrian wheellock rifle dating back to 1630, more than 4 grand. but some of rudy's replicas are valued even higher. this 1878 kentucky pistol, the last gun rudy built, 5 grand, a copy of that lois & clark model, and that swivel-breach rifle dean showed me, are also priced at $5,000 each. were you shocked? >> oh, yeah, of course. oh, yeah. >> there's more. that 7/8th-scale bronze cannon that he made, 13 grand,

a pair of his 1861 union army replicas come in at 16 grand, each, while rudy's original gettysburg cannon is worth more than $50,000. >> we began to do some math and add things up. >> the whole lot may be worth a million bucks or more. that's a lot of money on the table. but the middle son dean still don't budge. what was your best argument to your brothers? >> i didn't really have one. tim kept saying, "we can't keep everything." >> and brian said? >> he agreed pretty much,... >> and you said, "why bother?i'? >> well, it was a -- it was a challenge. >> in the end, the brothers come to a compromise. they decide to honor dad's wishes and keep his guns, the lion's share of the collection's value within the family, splitting them up amongst themselves. but they send the really big stuff, things like the military

vehicles, and dad's napoleon cannon, to the auction block. >> it was probably the best course of action, because my sentimental ideas were pretty unworkable. >> but dean still intends to do all he can to ensure his dad's most treasured weapon finds the right home. a decades-old envelope in rudy's drawer may just reveal where that is. >> and i knew it was important. >> who is it? >> what's your "strange inheritance" story? we'd love to tell it. send me an e-mail or go to our website, strangeinheritance.com. (vo) ideas exist inside you, electrify you. they grow from our imagination, but they can't be held back. they want to be set free. to make the world more responsible, and even more incredible.

ideas start the future, just like that.

>> now, back to, "strange inheritance." >> the sons of rudy marek are selling off the antique artillery and military vehicles they've inherited, including this original napoleon cannon found at the battle of gettysburg. >> it's from 1966.

>> there may already be an interested buyer -- someone who's wanted the cannon for decades, according to a letter found in dad's drawer. "it's my dream also to acquire a collection of artillery." >> i just happened to come across it, and i knew it was important. >> who is it? >> hayes otoupalik. >> turns out that rudy held onto that piece of fan mail, the one that sparked a life-long friendship. so, dean invites hayes to attend the auction. how'd you feel about that? >> i was amazed this guy had kept my letter over the years. >> hayes wouldn't miss the big event for the world, which the brothers hold right on rudy's property. were you emotional at the auction? >> that was one of the hardest days of my life, actually. >> hmm. i bet. >> i remember a few moments of just, "oh, i can't stand to see that go." >> but dean takes comfort after some big-time sales.

this 1942 ford gtb trooper goes for $7,000, while this troop cargo truck and this tactical vehicle bring in 10 grand. they've ranked in $67,000, not even counting the marque item, that civil war napoleon cannon. we're you going home without that cannon? >> no, i was not going home without the cannon. >> when the hammer drops, hayes is indeed the proud new owner. he scares away all other buyers with a first-and-final bid of 55 grand. wow. that's like keeping it in the family. >> it's wonderful, because we got the money for it, and we get to go see it whenever we want. >> do you fire that cannon? >> well, every year at 4th of july, and it's a lot of fun to shoot. it makes a big bang. it's a big gun, and it's a beautiful cannon. wow! >> a world-class gunsmith takes aim at an ambitious goal...

>> i could envision having a collection of every gun of major importance in the history of the united states. >> ...his world-class arsenal... >> this gun dates 1840. >> ...an inspiration for the next generation of collectors and history buffs. >> rudy is a one-of-a-kind guy. he might be gone, but he'll never be forgotten. he's in my heart. >> i think we did just right, and dad would be really happy. >> he'd be proud, wouldn't he? >> the way that we worked it all out, yeah. >> in the years since the auction, dean marek has found a new way to stay connected to his late father. remember all that gun engraving work that rudy did for big companies, like colt? well, dean's now tracking down those firearms and buying them from collectors around the globe, and guess what? it turns out that rudy originals are prized collector's items, selling for up to 10,000 bucks

a pop. i'm jamie colby. thanks so much for watching "strange inheritance." and remember, you can't take it with you. ♪♪ [ cannon blasts ] ♪♪ >> the ultimate man cave... >> underground, this was his home. >> ...dug with shovel and pick. >> he came at a time in america where if you could dream it, you could do it. >> it's a unique architectural creation. >> you can't go anywhere else in the united states to see something like this. >> but will his legacy be buried forever? >> he called my great-uncle the human mole, and that infuriated the family. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ]