can't take it with you. do you have a "strange inheritance" story you would like to share with us? we would love to hear it. send me an e-mail or go to our . >> from dusty boxes in the attic. emerge military artifacts handed down across 5 generations. >> writing is unbelievable. >> an heirloom that may be a long lot o lost piece of histor. >> i had never seen one before. >> value is rising with everybody fold. >> a war, a map, a mystery. >> i had a momenttary roller coaster there. >> will it lead to a family's hidden treasure?

jamie: i am jamie colby, today i am in bermin birmingham, alabamy say that wars are fought to change maps, this episode of "strange inheritance" is about a map. a old map. and one that survived in a family whose history spans from texas to virginia then back to alabama. >> i am patrick martin, my parents died in 1999. and my sister and i inherited house and contents. we were surprised when we figured out what it contained. >> house that patrick and his sister peggy inherited here in birmingham is their home now. >> patrick thank you for having me over. >> our pleasure. jamie: patrick apparents moved to alabama from maryland, bought the house in 19600s. pat reublg, a anpatrick a an ane

of his parents but he had his own he'l while scare -- he'll , he has an early retirement. he starts to go through the house. the attic as well. it is here he comes across a box he remembers from his childhood. >> this looks old. box contains family letters and legal documents, some going back to the 18 century. >> this packet is letters from the 1780s. >> he discovers an old u.s. army muster book, an official ledger, listing soldiers, keeping track of their pay. jamie: the writing is unbelieve an. >> this book in two seconds war of 1812, and the mexican war. jamie: in 1886 his great grandfather, leads a virginia

about whabattalion in the mexicn war. >> the war is little known among americans, it is most important war fought between two neighbors in the western hemisphere, in 1845, texas is annexed by united states but the boundary claim is now an american problem. jamie: an opportunity for president james polk. a slave, holding tennessee dem grat who believeed that god ordained u.s. to expand across cony it confident. continent. they condemn this. a freshman congressman from illinois included. >> abraham lincoln is an opponent to the war, he gives a series of speeches. >> the war, first in history documented with photographs, breaks out in april 1846.

mexico sunder sund surrounders . >> u.s., acquires not just american southwest but also california. jamie: where slavery will be allowed is unsolved. >> debate over whether they will be slave or free is going to be so contention, and divisive that is going to lead to the civil war in 1861. jamie: patrick a box contains a number of civil war items too. cool stuff, certificate from confederate postal service, he can't be sure, how all of those items came to his family, some most likely are from that great, great grandfather who fought in mexico. >> other possibility his son, hudson who was a lawyer, and he represented soldiers. jamie: artifacts are passed down, making their way to family

estate in virginia. when patrick a grandfather dies in 1956, and family clears out the house, his fa lea father wip with items by chance. >> on a wim he said we'll fake those 6 boxes. jamie: they are in basement of the home, outside of washington, d.c. they are a way to kill boredom for a clearius 12-year-old boy. jamie: did you play with this stuff as a kid? >> i did, i loved the boxes. fun letter from civil war, talking about troop movements or political discussions before lincoln's election. you fill a connection to family. and fun connection to history. jamie: your imagine flake could nation could run wild. one of his favreurtd item favorn old map of texas.

>> i loved fact that texas was so different with indian villages, and forts, interesting things. jamie: the map avoids being used to make a fort or halloween mask. >> my parents knew i was playing with it, that was just an old texas map. jamie: as pat grows up, the map and other items are childhood memories. in 1967, his parents move to birmingham, where boxes are storeed and forgotten again. that is until patrick moves here to take care of his parents and rediscovered them. his parents pass away in 1999, went 10 days of each other. the family home, in the time warn boxes are patrick and his sister's. proud of his family heritage, he shows off the heirlooms during

dinner parties. >> i am crazy about history. and this was a resource i wanted to share with people. >> he brings them out to theing itiningit thanksgiving table. >> the dinner, between gravy bowl, and turkey you bridg brine map output it on the table. >> true, it was end of dinner, so it was mostly messy plates, that is probably madea worse. you know, as far as danger to the map. at the time it was the joy that it would give you looking at it. >> but by 2013, patrick wonders if he might reap another joy from his "strange inheritance." to be blunt, he could use the money. since retiring early at french, he has -- 47 he has accumulated credit card debt, and a home equity loan. >> credit card debt it monumental we have a small home equity loan that potentially

could payoff. >> patrick noticeed an auction house is holding an appraisal fair in birmingham. >> i thought, i will throw a box of stuff together, and see if anything is worth anything. jamie: patrick breaking out old family war stuff. did you feel one would be worth more than the others? >> i thought that muster book would be of more significant monetary value, he said, he thinks that muster book probably would be a couple,000 dollars. -- thousand dollars, i thought that is nice but not life changing. jamie: he shows a few more heirlooms and gets same tepid response, and then he unfolds his old texas map. jamie: what happened then? >> you could tell his demeanor changed, his face lit up. he was very excited. jamie: what is your heart doing?

>> it beating very well. >> what had been sitting in the attic all this time? >> i had never seen one before, i don't expects to see one again. jamie: that is next. >> our "strange inheritance" quiz question. which warsaw the most combat veterans go on to b become u.s. at red lobster's create your own seafood trio... ...if it looks tasty, you order it. choose 3 of 9 dishes for just $15.99. like baked lobster alfredo. brown butter shrimp scampi. and soy-ginger salmon. hey, this is my plate. get yours while you still can. yourfull of advice.lways usually bad. so when ron said you'd never afford a john deere tractor, you knew better. the e series. legendary quality. unexpected low price.

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>> which war sea most come about what the veterans go on, c, sift civil war. 5, grant, hayes, garfield, harrison and mckinley. jamie: in birmingham, alabama, may, 2013, patrick martin visits a traveling appraisal fair, hoping some of the old artifacts can payoff his growing debt, not going well, untilly pulls out an old map of texas. >> i had seen this map before. but i had seen a reprint. jamie: joe recognize it at work of skwraeu jay jacob d core don.

-- he used it as a promotional tool to lure professional immigrants to the state. >> he was a land agent that helped settle people in texas, he wanted a document to show them the vastness of the land. land. jamie: he obtained endorse am from famous texans including sam houston. >> on the floor of the u.s. fen at, refered to this as most accurate depiction of texas that anyone compiled. jamie: with patrick's copez, joe is excited by cel skeptical, he knows such a famous map has countless resprints or forgerys. >> fortunately, decardoba left a clue. >> a notice, that says without

my signature this map is fraudulently obtained. >> he finds a signature, but it is hand signed or printed. >> i could see ink bleeding through to the back of the map that only happens if it is signed with ink, i saw this nothing else mattered that weekend. jamie: the map is the find of the fair. >> he said, we had to auction last year, and second edition solid for 44,000. >> a first would be worth more. only a few are known to still exist. joes suspects that patrick a map could be a first edition, geography will tell the tale. jamie: several features would not be recognizable to someone looking at state of texas today. the republican of texas once stretched as far north as wyoming, and west at santa fe. over years, those boundaries are

chiped away. biggest land transfer in 1850, whether texas gives up vast tracks of inves western land to federal government for debt relief. that is the same outcome patrick is aiming for, en result, texas shape we know today. what version of texas did patrick's map show. show. >> nort of the state line of texan area that is refered to map as indian territory we know that today add oklahoma, a strip on lift side that is santa fe territory, that was that eureka phoeupltz of thimoment this is 9 decarkoba -- decardoba map. >> he said we think it could be worse 8worth 60 to 80 thousand .

>> i called my sister,. jamie: he tells patrick the value could go up or down, he wants to hold to heirloom for research. >> no gets on a plane to deadlindallas,to show map to sao who specizeed in texana artifacts. all she needs was one look. what kind of condition was the map in? >> a "strange inheritance" quiz question. what role did grant play in the mexican-american war? ♪ ♪ at chase, we celebrate small businesses every day through programs like mission main street grants. last years' grant recipients are achieving amazing things. carving a name for myself and creating local jobs. creating more programs for these little bookworms. bringing a taste of louisiana to the world.

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>> so what role did grant play

in the mexican-american war. a, quarter master. jamie: in birmingham, alabama, patrick martin awaits latest appraisal of his "strange inheritance," an 1849 first edition map of new state of texas, value pegged $80,000, if right that would go a long way to wiping out the debt patrick has run-up since retiring after bypass surgery. >> the map ph-pt a lo meant a l, you put a dollar value on it, that can change your basketball -- financial base, you think i can get rid of this debt but you don't want to buy into it yet. jamie: its condition could have

an impact on its sale price, joe brings map to dallas to get a 6 opinion from sandra paolino. what condition of the map in? >> wonderful condition, amazing to us. that there were no separations on any of the foldss, condition is everything. jamie: value is rising with every fold that we're opening. did you know, as an expert, that it existed? >> this particular map is newly discovered because it was on nobody's radar. jamie: how big is market 1234. >> collector love that period from 1834 through late 1850s. jamie: so many families trace their texan roots to immigration boom of that period.

>> texans are very, very pride full much their roots, they see it almost as a responsibility to preserve history and pass it on. jamie: many of those early texans were influenced by decordoba and his map. >> a treasures piece of history. jamie: a few days after the original appraisal, patrick receives a call. >> joe said, i missed the estimate on the map. so i think he is overpriced it. >> fay said it could be a lot more, six-figures easy. >> you know right away, i am could static. jamie: on march 15, 2014, patrick martin's first edition map of texas goes up in the auction block in dallas.

he is monitoring it in birmingham, it was not off to a good start. >> as my map came up, i was trepidacious. >> opened at 75,000, only two bidders appear to be competing for it, amount creeps higher from 75 to 85 grand, then to 97,000. patrick knows he should be ecstatic, you know how it goes. >> this time, it stopped long enough auctioneeeer said fair warning, i thought it is going at 97. jamie: is he

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spec after being passed down to vote -- additions to nearly-- goes on the auction block in dallas march 2014 the bidders hit the price of $25,000 up to 85. it is a lot of money the is led to believe his strange inheritance would get a lot more than that. the bidding jumps to 97,000 and stalls. >> i had a momentary roller-coaster of letdown said euphoria and then let down. >> after what seems to be ages it picks up then passes the $100,000 mark and keeps climbing. the final sale price including the premium $149,000. after paying the fees patrick and his sister take some $96,000. they can finally get rid of

all the debt. every penny. >> immediately within one day we paid off a home-equity loan in the credit-card loans. it was great. >> it is fashionable -- battle will but come on you must of had a splurge? >> we still have a chunk of the year waiting to splurge we're trying to figure out what that will be. jamie: a map ends up in the hands of a distant ancestor makes its way from the basement to the attic. escapes the ravages of a kid's imagination and a show and tell and a treasure that survives the improbable course no cartographer could map out.

>> i have no problem selling it even though i did enjoy it and i love sharing a but it will you share it again. >> what about the other precious heirlooms? >> is there more treasure? >> hopefully. i can only dream is as good as that. jamie: demand that commission and that map was one of the most enthusiastic and colorful promoters in texas. and puts the money where their mouth was. he himself bought up 1 million acres of land during the civil war many texans lost everything and unable to pay off the least. although he stood to lose a fortune he refused to foreclose to say after all he was the one that encourage them to move to texas in the first place. "strange inheritance".

remember you can take it with you. >> a sailor who was with jfk aboard pt-109. >> the young man's mother begins a correspondents with the future president. >> i was shocked. >> the letters are tucked away for years. >> they could be of historical value, and worth a lot of month. >> this is a pressure that surfaces that no one knew existed. >> if they could prove they are real. >> the signatures look authentic. >> this is eye real signature? >> this is a real jfk si signat. >> will bidders open their wallet?