Im jamie colby, and today im driving along the Columbia Mountain range in esmeralda county, nevada. Im going to meet a man whose strange inheritance is a patch of semiabandoned ghost town, population 268. But it used to be nevadas largest and richest city. Why . Well, they tell me it has something to do with the towns name. Welcome. To goldfield. My name is jon aurich, and i inherited a gold mine. Jon, hi. Im jamie. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too. So, i made it to the middle of nowhere. Can you imagine inheriting a gold mine . The heir, jon aurich, shows me around. Can i walk right up to it . You can. How far down is that . 1,650 feet. Whoa its called the Florence Mine, named after the daughter of an old prospector who discovered it in 1903. This is the original shaft of the florence. Bureau of mines estimates about 17 miles of workings underground. So, how much gold came out of this mine . About 9 million, and that was at 20. 67 an ounce. Jon tells me that to understand the backstory of his strange inheritance, i should visit the little ghost town down the hill. So i seek out veteran gold miner and local historian bob bottom. Hi, im jamie. Hi, jamie. Nice to meet you. Jon sent me down. He said you could tell me a little bit about goldfield. Sure. Well, goldfield was discovered in 1902. How big a boom was there during the gold years . There was a few years it was the biggest city in nevada. Thats right the biggest city in the state the population was over 20,000, at a time when only 400 people lived in the sleepy outpost of las vegas. Restaurants, theaters, and saloons with gambling halls are everywhere, while miners earn 5 a day, twice the average wage. What was this building . This here was a bank at one time. And it was a Mining Office also. Nixon and wingfield were wellknown moneymen. Nixon and wingfield owned goldfield consolidated mines. By 1907, its the 17thlargest corporation in the u. S. But by 1911, Gold Production declines rapidly, and the boom goes bust. I recall a quote from mark twain. Is it true that a gold mine is a hole in the ground next to a liar . Definitely. More money made on promotions than there has been producing gold. By the mid1920s, fewer than 1,500 people remain in goldfield, including a 24yearold diehard gold miner named martin duffy. This strange inheritance story really starts with him. Duffy believes theres still plenty of gold in goldfield, and he proves it in 1939. When he strikes it rich in a section of the Florence Mine that he was leasing. His haul . 160,000, the equivalent of 2. 6 million today. I just remember martin as being a hard worker. And he was always looking for gold. In 1944, martin marries 29yearold schoolteacher ruth rowe. They settle into this house, which they move so it sits right on top of the mine. Ruths niece, barbara sheffield, recalls visiting goldfield as a kid. I remember waking up at night, and a cow was walking down the street. And it was just a fun time. Martin becomes a nevada state senator, but his passion is always the florence. By 1962, he and ruth buy a 50 share in it. And martin keeps on mining, certain hell strike it rich again. [ explosion ] goldfield was a magic name at the turn of the century. Now, only one mine is operating. The duffys run an oldschool operation, as you can see from this National Geographic documentary from 1971. Ruth lowers the winch while martin rides this tiny platform deep into the mine. With all the glamour and the fabulous ore that was found here, its only natural that id want to find some myself. Before the end, i hope to get to that pot of gold. Not long after this film is made, duffy locates what he believes is that pot of gold, in a part of the mine 450 feet down. But then, on august 27, 1971, he falls in the shaft. Ruth calls for help and rushes martin to a hospital, but he dies the next morning of internal injuries. He is 71 years old. Ruth is his sole heir. Over the next decade, ruth, with no children of her own, mostly keeps to herself in this ghost town. Then, in the summer of 1982, a 16yearold from california stumbles into her life. Jon aurich has come to goldfield with a friend to check out the historical sites, he says. I wanted to see the headframe because it was the tallest wood headframe in the state of nevada. And thats when i came up here and met ruth duffy. Ruth, now 67, sees the teenager wandering around her property. Ruth had a no trespassing sign at the gate. Does she say, im calling the cops, or does she pull an annie get your gun . We talked about a halfhour outside. She asked me in. We played pool for about two hours. And she could tell that i was versed in goldfield history. The two are 51 years apart, but nonetheless, a friendship develops. By 1994, 28yearold jon is still coming out for regular visits with ruth. Hes become a finishing carpenter and begins restoring several goldfield buildings hes bought dirtcheap, hoping tourism will catch on. To bring back some of that flavor of the past and to have tourists feel a little of that magic. Ruth is impressed. Pushing 80, she decides she wants jon to inherit her part of the florence. She was liking what i was doing in town, as far as restoration of the buildings. But as youre about to see, ruths relatives, including her niece, barbara sheffield, regard jon as someone who burrowed his way into a lonely old womans life. She had been a widow for 25 years when she did this. She was just used to doing things by herself without seeking counsel at all. Youre a smooth operator. No, it was just the history i was interested in. She was a lady you couldnt really manipulate, because she would figure you out and she would call your hand on it. A dispute over this strange inheritance turns nasty and ends up in court. What did she accuse you of . Unjust enrichment, elder abuse, manipulation. Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. If you stretch a single ounce of gold into the thinnest wire possible, how long would it be . The answer when we return. So. The answer is c. An ounce of gold can be turned into a very thin wire, 1 5,000 inch thick, that stretches for 50 miles. For decades, martin and ruth duffy live on top of this 100yearold gold mine in nevada. She runs the controls from this hoist room, sending her husband down into the mine. Its a little creaky and old, jon. This was her office, basically. That was her office from 9 00 in the morning. Then she would go to her house, and then around 3 30 in the afternoon, she would come and wait for the bell signal. May i . These are the controls . Yes. This is the speed. Okay. These adjustments are for the brake. Let me just see if i could. So basically. Oh, my gosh. So, ruth would sit here. Her husband is down there somewhere, martin. She cant even talk to him, and its like oh, my gosh, this reminds me of having to start a model t. [ grunts ] thats pretty good, no . Thats it, yeah, exactly. You have arms just like ruth duffy. Ruth, i got a lot of respect for you now. In 1971, martin took a fatal spill off a ladder inside the mine, leaving ruth a widow. By 1995, ruth, turning 80, starts thinking about who should inherit the mine, which has produced nary a nugget of gold since martins death. Ruth has no children, but for the past decade, theres been someone else in her life history buff and carpenter jon aurich. Because ruth wants him to help preserve her mine, jon says, she signs papers giving jon her rights to the mine upon her death. I was kind of shocked. And then she says, i need something from you. I says, well, what is it . She says, i need 10. Good and valuable consideration. I gave her the 10, and that sealed the deal for her, because she wanted the place preserved. Ruths niece, barbara sheffield, worried about her aunt, travels to goldfield in 1996 and meets jon for the first time. I just told him i said, i certainly hope that you are honest, because i believe that all of us are accountable for our actions. And so i hope youre on the upandup. Barbara believes that aunt ruth is suffering from the early stages of dementia and should return with her to colorado for medical care. Anybody thats familiar with dementia knows, once you have Something Like that occur to you, you kind of nosedive down. And then youll come back up, but youll never come back up to where you were before. Jon firmly believes that ruth did not have dementia when she left goldfield. Through the phone calls that i got from her for a while, she seemed sharp as a tack. But barbara believes jon shouldnt inherit any part of the mine. In fact, she says she and her aunt would prefer to see it become a state park. Jon refuses to give up his title to it. So barbara becomes her aunts legal guardian and sues jon. And she signs a deed on ruths behalf, transferring ruths share in the mine to herself, to ensure, she says, that her aunts intent is honored. What did she accuse you of . Unjust enrichment, elder abuse, manipulation. But jon gives as good as he gets. Mr. Aurichs attorney attacked my integrity. Id never had that done before. The lawsuit goes to trial in december 2001. Turns out jon has an ace in the hole. Did ruth ever explain to anybody else that she wanted you to be the one to oversee what she and martin had built . Barni chapman. Barni chapman is a realestate broker whose friendship with ruth and martin duffy goes back to the 1960s. From colorado, ruth wrote to barni about the couples longtime desire to preserve the mine as an historic site. What did you tell the judge when you were on the stand . Your honor, i have a letter, and it states very simply, dear barni, i think i found someone that will live up to martins wishes. And she said she trusted him. Who was she talking about . Jon. On december 5, 2001, a judge rules that barbaras petition, in its entirety, is denied. My aunt ruth had dementia. And i truly believe she did. But to prove that, its just very difficult. And obviously, we werent able to. I was very disappointed. [ crying ] oh, im sorry. [ sighs ] ruth duffy dies just six months later. Jon gets to keep his strange inheritance. I think the judge could see there wasnt a manipulation or an unjust enrichment, because the mine was just a historical relic. I wonder, how can jon know it wont produce again . Technology has improved. You may be able to bring in another company, lease the mine, and have them come and pull up some of this gold for you. Thats the lure of the gold, you know. People think, wow, its get rich quick. You have any samples around that maybe youd let our show take and have tested . Yes, theres some samples that martin had. They were there in the basement. He was mining a certain area that he thought looked very promising, and ruth told me about it. Jon says this is one of those samples. Its from 1971, and one of the last martin duffy pulled from the mine before his death. Remember, he thought he was on the verge of his next big strike. Maybe he was. This is by far the hottest result that ive ever worked with. Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. The 1849 California Gold rush spawned the phrase 49ers. How many dollars worth of gold did the 49ers find in that first year . Was it. The answer in a moment. Want to brain better . Unlike ordinary memory supplements neuriva has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. Memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration. Try neuriva for 30 days and see the difference. I got this Mountain Bike for only 11. Dealdash. Com, the fair and honest bidding site. An ipad worth 505, was sold for less than 24; a playstation 4 for less than 16; and a schultz 4k television for less than 2. I won these bluetooth headphones for 20. I got these three suitcases for less than 40. And shipping is always free. Go to dealdash. Com right now and see how much you can save. These days staying connected is more important than ever. So were working 24 7 to maintain a reliable network, to meet your growing internet needs. Were helping customers who are experiencing Financial Difficulties stay connected. Were increasing internet speeds for low income families in our internet essentials program. And delivering selfinstall kits to your door. Nos comprometemos a mantenerte conectado. Were committed to keeping you connected. For more information on how you can stay connected, visit xfinity. Com prepare. So. Its b. In that first year of the gold rush, miners found 10 million worth of gold, the equivalent of 300 million in todays money. Remember martin duffy, the prospector you met at the beginning of this strange inheritance story . With all the fabulous ore that was found here, i hope to get to that pot of gold myself. Alas, martin met his end before getting to that pot of gold. But i cant stop wondering if he was about to hit the mother lode. So we go to Salt Lake City to ask jim stieben, a metalprocessing engineer, to test a rock that jon told us martin pulled from the Florence Mine shortly before he fell to his death. The sample i received from jon aurich was only a pound in size. We crushed the material and then ground the material down to a fine powder. Jim prepares it for whats known as a fire assay, or a test to determine how much gold is in the rock. Doesnt look like much gold, but jim says, dont be fooled. This could be in a very hot zone in a vein. Theres no telling if that vein is 2 inches or 50 feet deep. But this is by far the hottest result that ive ever worked with. Had you ever had a lab in this area look at any of the samples you gave me . No. And you would be excited to know if it were what . 10 ounces a ton is a great number. Hows 300 . 300 . 300 ounces a ton. Holy christmas. 300 ounces is incredible. You know, thats interesting, because that what the lab technician, highly trained, told us. Wow. Martin was close to gold at the end of the rainbow. Part of your strange inheritance. And thats strange. Im perplexed. I was thinking hed be jumping up and down. So, why isnt he . The surprising answer after the break. Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to hear it. Send me an email, or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. My agerelated Macular Degeneration could lead to vision loss. So today i made a plan with my doctor, which includes preservision. Because he said a multi vitamin alone may not be enough. And its my vision, my morning walk, my sunday drive, my grandsons beautiful face. Only preservision areds2 contains the exact nutrient formula recommended by the National Eye Institute to help reduce the risk of moderate to advanced amd progression. Its how i see my life. Because its my vision. Preservision. Youre the engine that makes all things go eys] and youre always in disguise, my hero i see your light in the dark smile in my face when we all know its hard theres no way to ever pay you back bless your heart, know i love you for that honest and selfless i dont know if this helps it but good job youre doing a good job a good job youre doing a good job dont get too down the world needs you now know that you matter matter matter yeah weve worked to provide you with the financial strength, stability, and online tools you need. And now its no different. Because helping you through this crisis is what were made for. And now the conclusion of strange inheritance. Florence mine hoist house, 1906, one of the best preserved in the state of nevada. I thought id make a little video of it so people could see it. Since he inherited this gold mine in 2002, history buff jon aurich has been trying to preserve the site. And he creates dozens of videos of the artifacts hes found in it. Here are some cabinets they used to put their tools in. This segment is about blueprints. Yeah, yeah, all that history stuff is fine. But i guess im more like that old prospector martin duffy. I want to know if theres still gold down there. So i took a rock jon says is from the mine, had it tested, and was able to inform jon there was a High Percentage of gold in it. Im shocked. Shocked, but apparently not overjoyed. What am i missing . Well, for starters, jon tells me, the mine would need extensive renovation before anyone could work it. Its been flooded, the gypsum walls have contracted, and the tunnels are liable to cave in. In other words, things are a lot dicier since the last guy was killed down there. Oh, and in the years since he got his strange inheritance, jons become a husband and father. If you were to go ahead and proceed with mining, when do i come back and find you still in this home of ruths that youve preserved and maybe getting a few extra bucks for your two adorable children from mining . Id have to talk it over with my wife and see, cause this is really a lot to digest. If jon wanted to do something with the mine, it is my understanding that he would have to have my permission to do so. Then there ruths niece, barbara, who claims a share of this strange inheritance. Shes even less bullish on opening up the florence again. I cant honestly think of a situation where i would want the mine to be exploited. With jon and barbara intent on preserving the mine as an historical site, they both fear a force that would be out of their control. Itll be a gold rush. To your door. Yes. I guess i see why that worries jon, but i got to tell you, im thinking, wouldnt it be cool if that lab result does prove old martin was right and if this ghost town did get one more boom . Then again, maybe i just caught my own case of gold fever out here. It seems the storys not over. The state of nevada says its rerouting a highway to make room for a new gold mine way over yonder, and jon says hes fielded multiple calls from Companies Looking to explore the possible riches right here in his strange inheritance. Sure is nice to be sitting on a gold mine. Im jamie colby for strange inheritance. Thanks so much for watching. And remember, you cant take it with you. Its one of the largest armies of its kind. Would you say it was a hobby . Or was he obsessed . I think that he was obsessed. Soldiers of fortune and a fortune in soldiers. Do you have any idea what its worth . Yes, we know what its worth. Can i know what its worth . The man who raised this army was on a mission. He was a true historian. He wanted to bring these battles to life. But is it a bridge too far for his heirs . He left you with a huge responsibility, didnt he . Its just too difficult. Its kind of interesting that toy soldiers would get their own trust. I dont have my own trust, but they got theirs. [ theme music plays ] im jamie colby, and today im in new york on the south fork of long island on my way to the Beach Community of southampton. A viewer wrote to me about her father, whose childhood hobby became his lifelong obsession. He wanted to share his strange collection with the world after he died. His heirs want to honor his wishes, but is the world even interested . My name is linda munn. In 2011, my father, my father, orson, passed away, leaving the family one of the largest collections of its kind, along with the monumental challenge of carrying on his legacy. Linda has invited me to her parents country home. Hi, linda. Im jamie. Jamie, it is such a pleasure to meet you. So great of you to invite me here. You wrote me. You said you had something really strange. I have something very special to show you. All right. Im ready. Shall we go in . Come on in. Yeah. In here . Yeah, just walk straight ahead. What . Linda takes me into her dads war room. Its amazing. Where orson spent countless hours over the years on his unique hobby. The room is filled from floor to ceiling with nothing but toy soldiers. Thousands strong, the tiny troops stand frozen in time, their miniature faces stoic with expressions of war. This is a lifetime of work, linda. Amazing. Theres the charge of the light brigade. The battle of cambrai. Napoleons defeat at waterloo. Clashes from the boer war all the way up through world war ii. Stare at them long enough, and you can imagine them coming to life. [ gunfire, men yelling ] toy soldiers become a passion for orson munn when he moves from manhattan to long island as a little boy, says his widow, pat. He came out here because he has ill health. The doctors felt that he should be in the country. Orsons chronic ear ailment often keeps him confined in his room. Thats when he started playing with soldiers on a tray in his bed. Were they substitutes for friends . I think that they were. Orson iii says his dad kept building his armies through prep school, princeton, and law school. Then orson decides, rather than collecting troops, hell become one. He was in the navy during the second world war, and he actually lied to get in because he was stone deaf in one ear. But he felt it was his obligation. After the war, orson returns home, marries pat, starts a family, and launches his career. Father said, whatever you do, dont go on wall street, but he did anyway, and he was very, very successful. The family lives in new york city but spends weekends here in southampton. Its around this time that orsons toysoldier recruitment begins to ramp up. He bought and traded them constantly. We had correspondence i say we its not we he from all over the world. He would go to europe. Hed stop by a soldier store in london that was his favorite, and he would buy them. We stayed in a wonderful little hotel in vienna, and naturally, the back door of the hotel was a soldier shop. I think he picked it on purpose. [ laughs ] on purpose. Just as he did when he was a boy, orson plays with his soldiers, painstakingly recreating the worlds most famous battles. I think that he could have easily have been a general. He knew more about military history than anyone i ever met. Orson handpaints many of the miniature figures himself, spending hours on end adding even more historical detail to his military dioramas. He would come home, read his stack of analyst papers, and then go into his painting room. Every single braid on the uniform, every button is clearly detailed for you. Right down to the color of the eyeballs of napoleon. Its painstaking work. Its so accurate you can see the pain on the faces of some of the soldiers on their way to the ground. Its just incredible to me. He was a true historian he wanted to bring these battles to life. With sand on some shelves and artificial snow on others, no detail is too small for his handcrafted battle scenes. Would you say it was a hobby . Or was he obsessed . I think that he was. Obsessed. He even makes home videos of his collection. We have the battle of bastogne. The snow is talcum powder and theyd been fighting it out. The 101st airborne was not going to surrender. Over the years, the battle scenes grow to include the charging scottish highlanders, the british fighting the zulus, and much more. The allies fighting the germans outside of berlin, the French Foreign legion fighting the english in the desert. I mean, there are soldiers that are probably 80 years old. Orsons is eventually one of if not the largest toy soldier collection in the country, with over 10,000 figurines. And as orson enters his golden years, he begins to worry about the fate of his beloved troops once hes gone. He has the will, but can his heirs find the way . He left you with a huge responsibility, didnt he . Its just too difficult. Coming up. Rolling the dice with their strange and valuable inheritance. Im busting your morale by killing all your flag holders. And im a guest in your home. Youre the enemy. I do need to blow something up on your side. Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. In 1645, britain adopted its famous redcoat military uniform. What led to the color choice . Is it that red uniforms did not show bloodstains . Red dye was cheap . Or that red made regiments appear larger . The answer when we return. This is decision tech. Find a stock based on your interests or whats trending. Get realtime insights in your customized view of the market. Its smarter Trading Technology for smarter trading decisions. Fidelity. Actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases. Wash your hands. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Stay home when you are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects with household cleaning spray. For more information, visit cdc. Gov covid19. This message brought to you by the National Association of broadcasters and this station. So. Its b the red dye was cheap. There is no basis for the popular myth that red was favored to hide bloodstains. Orson munn spent over 80 years collecting more than 10,000 toy soldiers, miniature figures he uses to meticulously recreate some of historys famous battles. The next group of figures that i have i painted them all myself. And as orson reaches his 80s, the toysoldier general hatches a plan to create a Permanent Base for his troops. What he would have liked more than anything is a museum in southampton. He gave 19 years of his life as a village trustee here. And his collection is well known in toysoldier circles. But nobody in town seems interested in erecting a museum to display all this. But in the fall of 2010, a curator from several states away does come knocking. A museum did approach your father, but it wasnt in southampton. Correct. Orson receives a visit from the Frazier History Museum in louisville, kentucky, which offers to take the entire collection and put it on display. Orson isnt ready to give up his men, but he does agree to a lesser donation 2,600 socalled flats twodimensional soldiers he has in formation at his manhattan apartment. So, why didnt dad turn over the collection to a museum that showed such enthusiasm . Because we still had hope that we were gonna be able to get a building here in southampton. So, in august 2011, when orson passes away at the age of 86, his family inherits not only his toy soldiers, but the tall order of creating a museum to house them. Did he specify in his will what he hoped the family would do with the soldiers that meant so much to him . What we did is we actually put them in a trust so they could be given away tax free to a museum. Its kind of interesting that toy soldiers would get their own trust. [ laughs ] yeah. Exactly. Right. I dont have my own trust, but they got theirs. These figures were, in their time, 50 cents for a cavalryman. These figures now sell at 250 and infantry at 100. With that kind of appreciation, the 10,000 soldiers orson left behind may be worth a small fortune. After all, many are not so much toys as tiny sculptures, delicately handcrafted by talented artists. In 1893, an englishman named william britain revolutionized the production of toy soldiers through the method of hollow casting. After the military men are shaped, they are sent to sculptors and painters. Build up on the metal base buttons, lapels, epaulets, which were then painted to the exact historical regiment. So, extreme detail. Tara finley is an antiquetoy specialist. The munns call her in to tell them what their strange inheritance is worth. I walked into the room on a cold december day, and here before me was an army of thousands, displayed in very realistic dioramas. It was truly amazing. And a daunting task to photograph and appraise every last figure. There were 37 dioramas and 59 groupings of lead soldiers. It took a good five days. In addition to the soldiers orson painted himself, tara identifies thousands of highly soughtafter classics, such as these by premier toysoldier artist roger berdou, pegged at 500 apiece. So all those little soldiers add up to some bigtime value. Do you have any idea what its worth . Yes, we know what its worth. Can i know what its worth . If it were auctioned off in pieces, its probably worth about 300,000 or 400,000. 400,000. But only if they break up the collection and sell it off to hundreds of younger orsons just starting off the hobby, hunting down their own missing pieces, constructing their own dioramas, fighting their own wars. Thats the catch. Why didnt he sell it during his lifetime . I think that if something gives you that much joy, the last thing that ever crossed his mind would be to sell it. But given the high appraisal, surely it crosses his heirs minds, right . Are you absolutely opposed to separating this collection and selling it . Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. Napoleons infamous defeat during his 1812 invasion of russia was due in part to what stroke of bad luck . The answer when we return. Thanks for sharing your diy haircuts. Thanks for sharing your savage moves, and especially your awkward ones. Thanks for sharing your cute kids. And your adorable pets. Now its our turn to share. With the geico giveback. A 15 credit on car and motorcycle policies for both current and new customers. And because were committed for the long haul, the credit lasts your full policy term. So thanks again. One good share deserves another. Actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases. Wash your hands. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Stay home when you are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects with household cleaning spray. For more information, visit cdc. Gov covid19. This message brought to you by the National Association of broadcasters and this station. [ theme music plays ] so. Its c lice. A raging epidemic of typhus spread by lice infected the french army. More than 100,000 of napoleons troops die from the disease. The bottom shelf here, every figure is different, and it was very difficult to get this set. Orson munn spent his entire life building a toy army of more than 10,000 soldiers. Ive shown a zulu warrior wearing a red coat. His collection may be worth 400,000, but that never stops him from toying around with what would become their strange inheritance, say his kids, linda and orson iii. We used to take the soldiers out and set them up like a real war game. A thousand lead soldiers would be lined up on one side against a thousand lead soldiers on the other side. I was the only one that ever beat him in a battle. I surprised him with bringing up a cannon to the top of a church and blowing down the main street where he was approaching. Youre scaring me now. [ laughs ] okay, these guys are going to shoot. Both barrels. Today, lindas challenged me to combat on the miniature war gaming battlefield. Whos this guy . Thats your general. And you got another general here. We use dice to determine how many steps the soldiers may take. [ laughs ] im supposed to measure. And rulers to measure strides. Got it. Im busting your morale by killing all your flag holders. And im a guest in your home. [ laughs ] youre the enemy, not a guest. We were getting along so swimmingly. I do need to blow something up on your side. No guts, no glory. Ready, aim, fire boom oh, my flags. Sorry. Lets get double something. All right then were gonna take the other three and shoot. In the end, though, im no match for the daughter of a mini commander in chief. I cant watch. [ laughs ] lindas father, orson, dreamed of a museum here in southampton, long island, for his troops. Its now up to his heirs to make it real. Did he leave funds behind for you to accomplish that . Or has that been left to your familys responsibility . Its actually been left to the family to figure out how to do that. Linda is dismayed to learn how much it will take to open and maintain a permanent display locally 10 million. Did you try to raise any money . Oh, yeah, we did. How much did you raise, do you think . We raised about 5,000 or 6,000. This is a pretty moneyed town. If you cant raise the interest and the money in southampton, where can you . I think its not gonna happen, which is a shame. So what about donating the collection to an existing museum here in town . The family tries that, too, but none is interested in displaying 10,000 antique toys. Have you gotten a no at every turn . Pretty much. Is that upsetting . It was and is very upsetting. So, it seems like southampton has spoken. It does seem that way, doesnt it . Are you at a crossroads right now that maybe nobody is as interested in the collection as your family is . Will orsons heirs complete their mission . Thats next. Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to hear it. Send me an email, or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. I got this Mountain Bike for only 11. Dealdash. Com, the fair and honest bidding site. An ipad worth 505, was sold for less than 24; a playstation 4 for less than 16; and a schultz 4k television for less than 2. I won these bluetooth headphones for 20. I got these three suitcases for less than 40. And shipping is always free. Go to dealdash. Com right now and see how much you can save. [ theme music plays ] now back to strange inheritance. The heirs of orson munn cant seem to fulfill his dying wish, a permanent local home for his massive toysoldier collection. But some of orsons troops do receive their marching orders. Remember those 2,600 flats orson donated to that museum in louisville, kentucky . The frazier uses these men to carefully recreate the battle of borodino the bloodiest clash during napoleons failed invasion of russia in 1812. They assembled a team of likeminded individuals to himself, and they created this beautiful diorama. The team spends months making sure every soldier is in place, and in november 2012, the display debuts to the public. We went out for the opening, and we couldnt believe it. You have the russian soldiers on horseback, you have wounded french that are trying to retreat off the battlefield. I mean, the wolves are attacking wounded soldiers. Even showing that kind of level of detail. The family is impressed. In fact, they return to southampton even more resolved to find a nearby museum to house their fathers collection. Until i hear from a museum in this southampton village, were probably not gonna make any moves quickly to disseminate the collection outside of southampton. I get it, but i have to say, when i think of the munns strange inheritance story, from the sickly child enthralled with his first toy soldiers to the young man hooked on a collecting to the wealthy Money Managers escape into his war room, would it really be so tragic to split all this up piece by piece . Id let history go ahead and repeat itself. A present once again inspires a young boy. Another middleaged guy indulges his hobby. And a lifelong collector finally gets the piece that completes his world war i diorama. Theres a collector out there who has the entire setup except that one toy soldier theyre missing. Why not split it up and help a ton of other toysoldier collectors get as much pleasure as your dad did . I believe that it would be in the best hands kept as a collection. You can read about a battle, but when you actually see it played out, you can see in a much more clear way what happened at that battle. When you see it, you have that awed feeling, and its the mass of them that is awesome. What happens if it doesnt work out at all . What happens if no museum is interested . Would your dad be looking down on you and your sister and say, im disappointed . I dont think so. I think that he would be very pleased. We certainly have tried. And had it been so easy, im sure he could have done it. So, for now, the soldiers remain frozen in time, and the battle for orson munns legacy at a stalemate. We mentioned orson painted most soldiers himself, but actually got some help from his granddaughter caroline. Every tuesday afternoon during the school year, they would paint until bedtime. Caroline remembers being as sloppy as a little girl can be with a brush, yet somehow, the next morning, every soldier looked impeccable. Go figure. Im jamie colby for strange inheritance. Thanks so much for watching, and remember, you cant take it with you. [ airplane engine buzzing ] maria good monday morning, everybody, welcome. Thank you so much for joining us. Monday may fourth on the east coast. The white house focuses on a lab in wuhan as source and possible retaliation including tariffs for the damage done. The president also predicting vaccine by the end of the year, meanwhile fda granted roech antibody testing. Ceo of roesh on pla