Im jamie colby, and today im on the road in lawrence, kansas, on my way to the university of kansas home of the jayhawks, one of the most storied teams in all of basketball. Now, kansas is actually not where the tale of this strange inheritance begins, but through a turn of events, it does wind up here. In 1939, my grandfather, dr. James naismith passed away and left us an artifact that dates back to 1891. He was my greatgrandfather, and what he left us was the magna carta of basketball. Naismiths. Jamie. Im jim. Good to meet you. Hi, jim. How are you . Jamie, im sean naismith. Great to meet you both. Likewise. I am interested to hear about your strange inheritance. Im awfully curious what the connection is to k. U. Wed love to show you. My greatgrandfather, dr. James naismith, started the first basketball teams here at k. U. [ whistle blows ] but time out lets reset the clock. The boy who would grow up to invent basketball, James Naismith, is born in ontario, canada, in 1861. At age 9, he and his brother and sister are orphaned when both their parents die of typhoid fever. The three kids were left with a bachelor uncle. Now, that is not the softest person to be raising three kids on a farm. I know for sure that he just deeply missed his mother. James drops out of school at the age of 15 to work in a lumber mill. By 19, hes working hard and drinking harder. He was in the bar drinking too much, and there was an older man down at the end of the bar and said, are you Margaret Youngs son . And he said, i am. The response was, shed roll over in her grave if she saw you now. He made a decision to go back to high school at the age of 20. And after that to mcgill university. James letters in rugby and soccer while earning degrees in physical education and theology. Its just the resume one employer is looking for. He talked to some people that encouraged him to take a look and see what the ymca is up to. The y . Ymca, yeah young mens christian association. At the time, legions of young men are leaving farm country for cities. Theyre rowdy and unchaperoned. Jumping into the breach, the ymca, founded on the principle of muscular christianity. Its mission to promote clean Christian Living through athletics. The thought was we can teach more through athletics than we can from the pulpit. James pulpit becomes the ymca Training Center in springfield, massachusetts. In december 1891, hes tasked with creating an indoor activity for a group of young men during the winter. So, he dreams this game up . He had to start from scratch, and thats when the thinking started. The light bulb goes on one night, and hes ready to start the next morning. Evidently, he asked the Maintenance Man there, i need a box you know, something you can put a ball in. And he came back and said, i cant find any boxes. I got a couple of peach baskets. Oh, my for peaches. James hangs one up at each end of the gym, 10 feet high only because thats where he could get the nails in. He picked up a soccer ball because it was big enough where you had to hold it out. You couldnt hide it. The arched shot came from the little game of duck on a rock, a kids game in canada. Then, he calls the boys in. He describes the first game. He said, i had multiple black eyes, a dislocated shoulder, one guy completely knocked out. But the new games a big hit. His young men begged to play again, so james tries to civilize it a bit. He types of 13 basic rules and tacks them to a board in the gym. If basketball is your religion, these are the tablets moses brought down from the mountain. Do you have a copy of those . Ive got them in here. So, let me just take a look. Basketball he has basket ball. Yeah. Two words. Yeah. Evidently, somebody suggested naismith ball, and he said, i dont think thatll work. A month later, in january 1892, naismiths basketball rules are publish in the Springfield College newspaper. Rule 1 says, the ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands. And the game is supposed to be noncontact. Theres no shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping, or striking. Hey, coach. Im jamie. Hi, jamie. How are you . I asked some Young Players from the mokan Basketball Program in kansas city to demonstrate for you how todays hoops differ from the original game. So, coach, the naismith version of basketball has 13 rules. Now you have 150 pages of rules in the nba. What are the big differences . The big difference is rule 3. Back in the olden days, you had to actually pass the ball, and right where you catch it, you had to stop right there. So now the guys can actually dribble and go places. I dont know no dribbling . You instructed the guys to give us a little demonstration of how its done. Go right ahead. [ whistle blows ] thats right. Im calling the shots. [ buzzer ] [ bell dings ] at this point, they cant dribble the ball at all. They just have to move and pass. Teamworks coming into play now. [ bell dings ] the games a little bit slower, a little bit harder to get up and down the floor. Right. Nicely done. Do you ever think that basketball went in a direction that is different than what it was originally intended . I think its better now, and its more entertaining. You think your greatgrandfather could ever envision that the game he developed could be what it is today . He saw it change a lot in his lifetime. You know, many rules come into the game some he was happy about, some he wasnt so happy about. What was his vision . Was it just about an athletic sport, or more . He said building character was something that he strove for, along with athleticism. Building character through athletics james really spreads that gospel. When after marrying and earning his md, he joins the university of kansas as chaplain and p. E. Instructor. Its 1898. His first move start a College Hoops team. Soon, basketball is played at schools across the u. S. And by newly formed professional teams. Naismith even sees his game go global, thanks to the ymcas christian missionaries who teach it overseas. Your grandfather must have been a very wealthy man. Wrong. [ laughs ] wait, look at where basketball is today. Multimilliondollar contracts, endorsements, and the merchandising. Didnt he ever protect his ownership . No, he characterized the game as a gift. But even a christian can make a buck. Well, thats true, but what was his bottom line . Make the world a better place for having been here. Dr. Naismith said, its hard to describe to anybody the feeling i get when im in a foreign country and i see on some back road a basketball hoop nailed up to a tree. That means more to me than 1 million dollars. Which brings us back to those original rules he wrote in 1891. What did james do with them . He was a woodworker, and he actually built a sideboard, and he kept a little secret compartment that the rules were kept in for many years. Seems he always knew he was onto something. So does his youngest son, James Naismith jr. In 1931, he gets his aging father to authenticate his 13 rules with a signature. This says, first draft of basketball rules, hung in the gym that the boys might learn the rules. Mmhmm. When james dies in 1939, that original statement of the rules passes to james jr. , jims father. A nailbiting ride is about to begin. Did he carry it around, the original . He carried around the original rules. He had it insured, though. He did not have it insured. Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. The answer after the break. Introducing stocks by the slice from fidelity. Now you can trade stocks and etfs for any amount you choose instead of buying by the share. All with no commissions. Stocks by the slice from fidelity. Get your slice today. Stocks by the slice from fidelity. Find your getupandgo. Find pants that arent sweats. Find your friends. Find your sense of wander. Find the world is new, again. At chevy wed like to take you there. Now during the chevy open road sales event, get up to 15 of msrp cash back on select 2020 models. Thats over fiftyseven hundred dollars cash back on this equinox. Its time to find new roads, again. Im making pizza on kings hawaiian mini subs. Yum kings hawaiian. We love our new home. Theres so much space. We have a guestroom now. But, we have aunts. Youre slouching again, ted. Expired, expired. Expired. Thanks, aunt bonnie. Its a lot of house. I hope you can keep it clean. At least geico makes bundling our home and Car Insurance easy. Which helps us save a lot of money oh, teddy. Did you get my friend request . Uh, ill have to check. doorbell ringing aunt jonis here for bundling made easy, go to geico. Com. Hello . Its b, moses malone, in the 197879 season for the houston rockets. He was paid exactly 1 million. When dr. James naismith dies in 1939, he leaves his son james jr. A strange inheritance, two typewritten pages outlining his invention basketball. Almost immediately, the game explodes into a worldwide phenomenon. By 1959, theyre even building a hall of fame in basketballs birthplace springfield, massachusetts. James naismith is not only the first inductee. The place is named after him. His son loans the museum the rules. The goal is to display them, show the world. By the time James Naismith jr. Dies in 1980, his heirs are not pleased with the hall of fame. I went to school in upstate new york, so i stick my head in the door. Hi, there, im jim naismith. Id like to see the rules. And they would find them in the safe. In the safe . In the safe. Not displayed . No, the hall of fame apparently didnt really know what to do with them or what really needed to be done. Jims brother, 42yearold ian naismith, isnt just dismayed with the hall but with the game itself. For while many think basketball is enjoying a golden age bird, jordan, magic, the dream team ian sees a sport that has strayed far from their grandfathers original vision. He wasnt very happy with the state that basketball was in at the time. Whats his beef with it . If you recall in the 90s, there were fights on the court, there were fights with fans. He felt it was time to remind the world that the game was a gift. Underscoring ians sense that basketball has forgotten its roots, the hall of fame building falls into disrepair and ian fears that when its renovated, the building will no longer prominently feature his grandfathers name. He got upset and told them that hes gonna climb up there himself and spraypaint in orange letters. The new building does keep the naismith name, but ian convinces the hall of fame to return the neglected rules to the family. He wants to reform the sport and has a plan to call attention to his cause. In 1995, he hits the road in this rv with his strange inheritance. Whats a better attraction than the original 13 rules of basketball from 1891 . Did he carry it around, the original . He carried around the original rules. It was in a gold briefcase. It was fireproofed, between two plates of glass. But its in a briefcase. Ian brings the family heirloom to schools and gives lectures on his grandfathers original hoop dream. People say, well, naismith, you want everything to stay the same. Nothing stays the same. Sportsmanship, respect, dignity, positive role modeling, and teamwork can stay the same. And should. Ian travels the rules to big games, like the final four and the nba all stars. Did your dad ever have them appraised . He did. They appraised at approximately 5 million. Hes driving around with a 5 millionappraised document. He had it insured, though. He did not have it insured. That premium would have been about 50,000 a year. So you can imagine ians horror on a trip to kansas city. He starts looking around and thinks, oh, my goodness. Where are the rules . Youre kidding. Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. The answer when we return. I am totally blind. And non24 can throw my days and nights out of sync, keeping me from the things i love to do. Talk to your doctor, and call 8442142424. My grandma. My cousin. My greatgreat grandmother. She was all of 411 but very tenacious. A very independent woman. Driven, passionate. Embodied grit, perseverance. She marched. She wrote. She demanded. She was proud to pass on a legacy of civic mindedness to her descendants. Im very proud to carry on her story. All her story find their stories. Make them count. At ancestry. Find their stories. Msimon pagenaud takes the lead at the indy 500 coming to the green flag, racing at daytona. Theyre off. In the kentucky derby. Rory mcllroy is a two time champion at east lake. He scores stanley cup champions touchdown only mahomes. The big events are back and xfinity is your home for the return of live sports. The answer is c. They banned the dunk shot. After lew alcindor, later known as kareem abduljabbar, dominated the season, the ban was rescinded in 1976. In 2002, ian naismith, grandson of dr. James naismith, the inventor of basketball, is on a mission to preserve the games true legacy in the face of what he sees as its ongoing decline. One of the 12 values that dr. Naismith saw in the game was sportsmanship. And my dad felt that was the one thing that was really lacking at that time in the game. He spent almost a decade traveling the thirteen original rules, which have been appraised at 5 million, to schools and sporting events. Touring the country with a document worth 5 million with no insurance in a gold briefcase he was a very risktolerant person. Just outside lawrence, kansas, ian realizes the rules have gone missing. He finished up a meal, got in his van, and when he gets to lawrence, he starts looking around and thinks, oh, my goodness. Where are the rules . No. He called his waitress, who gets on the phone and says, mr. Naismith, i can guarantee you 100 that i saw you walk out with those rules. And he goes back out to his conversion van and starts tearing it apart. Luckily, they were actually in the van. That was a close call. It was a very close call. The scare helps the family realize they cant keep their strange inheritance forever. My brother did talk to me and he said, in order to properly value and protect, they may have to eventually be sold. And he and i agreed on that. Ian contacts leila dunbar, thendirector of collectibles at sothebys auction house in new york. Her first step make sure the rules are the real thing. The rules scored a 10 10 because they had come down from dr. Naismith to his son to ian naismith. Having his signature on it added another layer of documentation and i think added value to it. So, what is it worth . At the time, the priciest sports document is the contract that sent babe ruth to the yankees from the red sox in 1919. In 2005, it sold for 996,000. Sothebys believes the naismith rules will fetch more. If youre a basketball fan, you could certainly consider them the magna carta of basketball. They set the minimum bid at 1. 3 million. Thats less than the 5 million the rules were once appraised for. The proof will be in the bidding. Its like a horse race. You just dont know how its going to end. Or where theyll end up. Jim, its like fort knox here. [ laughs ] next. Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it. Send me an email or go to our website strangeinheritance. Com. Now back to strange inheritance. Its december 2010 in new york city. The heirs of James Naismith, the man who invented basketball, are ready to sell the original set of rules that naismith posted in a ymca gym back in 1891. The famed sothebys auction house has set the minimum bid at 1. 3 million. The auction generated a tremendous amount of excitement. Unbeknownst to the naismith clan, a lawrence, kansas, native and k. U. Grad turned texas billionaire named david booth is one of the bidders. I was born in lawrence. I grew up naismith drive. Now hes in the game via telephone from austin, texas. This was a highly unprecedented auction. You had Bobby Kennedys original copy of the emancipation proclamation. You had the only known flag that survived custers last stand at little bighorn, and then you had the rules. Talk about competition. The flag from little bighorn sells for 2. 2 million. The emancipation proclamation beats that easily 3. 7 million. You could feel the tension building throughout the other two sales. The comes harlem globetrotter curly neal to introduce the basketball rules. The bidding races to 3 million. Its a jump ball between david booth and one other phone bidder. Did you know who it was . I didnt at the time, but it turns out its a good friend of mine david rubenstein. Rubenstein, also a billionaire, once purchased a 13th century copy of the actual magna carta for more than 20 million. About 3. 2 million, you could feel mr. Rubenstein starting to slow down. He had to think about each bid more carefully. And then, the final bid. On my left, 3,800,000. Sold to david booth you paid more than the emancipation proclamation. Yeah, well, thats because theres only one original rules, and the emancipation proclamation, i think, had about a dozen. With the auction House Commission added in, the price comes to 4. 3 million, the most ever paid at auction to date for any sports memorabilia. For the heirs of James Naismith, the man who invented a game that grew into a multibilliondollar worldwide phenomenon, its a long overdue payday. Wait stop the clock yes, theres but seconds left in this strange inheritance tale, but still time for one last twist. Turns out, the naismiths dont cash in. They donate their millions from the sale to a charity that helps poor kids with food, clothes, and basketball courts. It was founded by ian naismith, who dies two years after the auction at the age of 73. Really good things can be done with money, but granddads focus was people. And high bidder david booth has a surprise, too. He donates the rules to his alma mater and James Naismiths old employer, the university of kansas. Jim, its like fort knox here. [ laughs ] theyre keeping it under lock and key, and i can only open it for a few minutes, im told. Its been a long time since youve saw them. Its been a long time. Thats it. Wow. Its very emotional. It is emotional. I see here 1891. James naismith. Granddads signature. And what is your greatgrandfather saying, knowing that theyve come full circle and theyre back here . Oh, hes cheering somewhere. [ cheering ] speaking of goals, one of the quirks of the original game of basketball was that the baskets had no holes in the bottom. So every time somebody scored, you had to climb up there with a ladder and fetch the ball. This was obviously annoying, so somebody figured out a way to build a better basket. Swoosh nothing but net im jamie colby. Thanks so much for watching strange inheritance. And remember you cant take it with you. [ whistle blows ] dad had a talent. Theres nobody out there who does what he did. He was just that good. But its lost on his son. When youre 16 or 17 years old, the last thing youre worried about is your dad up in a building, building models. This strange inheritance ultimately brings them together. When his father was alive, he did not want larry to touch them, and i can only imagine what hes thinking now. How would you describe this inheritance . A little bit more of a journey than i was prepared for. So, is it time to take a new tack . I know youve said, larry, that youd never seriously considered selling, but now that you hear this. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] im jamie colby, and today im driving into the oldest settlement in louisiana. Its called natchitoches. Its rich in Southern Charm and civil war history. Battles raged nearby, both along and on the red river. Well, that history inspired one mans remarkable craftsmanship. But it left his son wondering what the heck to do with all the crafts. My name is Larry Atteridge. In 2008, my father passed away and left behind his lifes work a massive fleet of amazingly detailed model ships he built from scratch. Hi, larry. Im jamie. Well, hi, jamie. Nice to meet you. Great to meet you. Thanks for inviting me deep into louisiana. It sure is pretty. Well, ive got a lot to show you. Come this way. Larry invites me in to see some of his fathers civil war ships. This is one cool viewer submission. Which one is that . This is the eastport, which was on the red river here in natchitoches parish. It was one of the largest ironclads of the civil war. It was 280 foot long, and it weighed 770 tons. With the civil war, i first think of great armies clashing at gettysburg, shiloh, and antietam, not naval battles. But thats the story these miniature vessels tell. When war between the states breaks out in 1861, Union GeneralWinfield Scott creates the anaconda plan. The idea blockade southern ports, take control of the mississippi, and, like a huge snake, squeeze the south into submission. The union builds a navy of more than 600 ships. They would commandeer boats from people ferry boats, paddlewheelers, anything that floated and they could put a gun on it. Larrys father, william, made models of many of them. Theres the c. S. S. Gaines, a wooden sidewheel confederate gunboat built in mobile, alabama. Theres the u. S. S. Vicksburg and the c. S. S. Alabama a massive propellerdriven ship built in secrecy in england for the confederacy. All are made precisely to scale. 1 inch here translates to 8 feet on the real vessel. Where did this all begin . Did dad buy a book on ship building . I dont remember anybody ever teaching him how to do this. Its just something you have to be born with. William atteridge jr. Is born in 1929 in highland park, illinois, a suburb of chicago. From an early age, hes fascinated by the ships he sees on Lake Michigan and dreams of one day setting sail. In 1951, during the korean war, william joins the navy and travels the pacific on the u. S. S. Valley forge. The 22yearold specializes in cosmetic maintenance, doing the detail work. The 45 that you see on the u. S. S. Valley forge, he was one of the guys that painted the numbers on the Aircraft Carrier he was on. William is honorably discharged in 1955, returns home, gets married, and starts a family. Larrys the youngest of three kids. The family settles in central louisiana, where williams artistic skills lead him to a job. He started out as a draftsman for the mobilehome industry. He just had an incredible talent for artistry. Did you inherit the artistry gene . No. When hes not buried behind a stack of blueprints, william loves to travel the country. He took us to National Parks all over the united states. But it seemed like we always ended up at a Naval Air Base or some military museum. Then, in the mid1970s, a trip to vicksburg, mississippi, sparks williams creative passion. More than 100 years earlier, the u. S. S. Cairo was the first vessel ever to be sunk using a mine remotely detonated by hand. Williams there to watch it go on display after being raised from the yazoo river. He started getting involved with the Museum People over there, and next thing i knew, he was building ships. The 46yearold father of three starts with his own miniature version of the massive cairo piece by piece, out of pine and cypress. The smokestacks. The deck boards. Cannons. Even miniature ropes. It takes two months. You know, he would make the little doors and the little lifeboats. And then he would paint them and he would drive little nails into the deck. Its amazing. He just went haywire with it, really. Over the next decade, william builds a civil war flotilla. Theres the c. S. S. Virginia, the first steampowered ironclad warship, built by the confederate navy. The u. S. S. Neosho, a union vessel with a steampowered frontgun turret that can spin 360 degrees. Thats some firepower. And the c. S. S. Calhoun, a civilian steamer converted into a 500ton sidewheel gunboat. All with the precision youd expect from a career draftsman. Before he built a ship, hed study it. He had blueprints from the smithsonian institution, and if they didnt exist, he would draw his own set of blueprints. Down to the finest detail. He was a fanatic about it. Was your mom applauding his efforts . Not really. I recall her not being all that thrilled with dad spending a lot of time in the shop. But he wouldnt stop. Oh, no. It became an obsession. By the time william retires in the early 1980s, hes churned out more than 500 ships. Thats when the hobbyist decides to share his fleet with the world. He built an annex on his property, next to the family home in arcadia, louisiana his very own civil war naval museum. Lets be honest most people would build, maybe, an addition to their house. Your dad told your mom, im gonna build a museum for the ships. You know, for lack of better terms, i think he didnt really listen to much about what my mother had to say. William doesnt even let his son touch his delicate crafts. Not that larrys interested. As a young man, i didnt pay as much attention to what he was doing. When youre 16 or 17 years old, the last thing youre worried about is your dad up in a building, building models. But outside the family, word is spreading about a reclusive shipwright in the woods of louisiana. They call from around the country and around the world. Civil war buffs and private collectors not only want to see his work, they want to buy it. Was this profitmaking for him . Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. The c. S. S. Virginia was a confederate ironclad warship also known by what name . The answer after the break. We made usaa insurance for veterans like liz and mike. An army family who is always at the ready. So when they got a little surprise. Two . They didnt panic. They got a bigger car for their soontobebigger family. After shopping around for insurance, they called usaa who helped find the right coverage for them and even some muchneeded savings. That was the easy part. Usaa insurance is made the way liz and mike need it easy. Usaa insurance is made find your getupandgo. D it find pants that arent sweats. Find your friends. Find your sense of wander. Find the world is new, again. At chevy wed like to take you there. Now during the chevy open road sales event, get up to 15 of msrp cash back on select 2020 models. Thats over fiftyseven hundred dollars cash back on this equinox. Its time to find new roads, again. I am totally blind. And non24 can make me show up too early. Or too late. Or make me feel like im not really there. Talk to your doctor, and call 8442342424. Find a stock basedtech. 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. So, by what name was the c. S. S. Virginia also known . The answer is b the merrimack. It was a union ship salvaged by the south and rechristened as the virginia. In 1862, it faced off against the monitor in the first duel between ironclad ships. By the 1990s, William Atteridge has built an armada of nearly 1,000 model ships. Visitors from around the world travel to his makeshift museum in the louisiana woods to see his amazing craft. Did he charge people to come in . His museum was donations only. They would drop a couple dollars in a bucket and hed let them go through there and he would talk them to death. And, finally, it was almost like, okay, we got to go. [ chuckles ] one of his early patrons Louisiana StateUniversity Historian gary joiner. Do you remember the first time walking in . Absolutely. The first thing i saw was this giant model of the c. S. S. Arkansas. And i said, you know what youre doing. Was he a teacher . He was to me. He was a historical sponge. Gary commissions william to build ships to use as visual aids in his classes 17 in all. Whatd you pay . I think i paid 175 at the time. Was it a steal . Oh, yes. Without a doubt. He was just that good. Later, even museums commissioned ships from william. Was this profitmaking for him . He didnt make enough. My dad was a very kind soul, and he did a lot of things out of the goodness of his heart. What would it cost for a ship . Back in those days, he might get 300 or 400. And he would spend two months building it. Year after year, he churns out models. Then, in 2005, william is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given six months to live. Larry has long since moved out. He now owns a successful Ambulance Company two hours away. But he starts making the trip back and forth every week. Its the most treasured time he ever spends with his father. During that period of time is when he taught me the most about these ships and about him. The realization came forward that we didnt really know each other. Do you wish you had spent more time with him . Absolutely. We loved each other, but we just didnt have that closeness. William atteridge outlives his prognosis by three years. He dies in 2008 at age 78. Were you with him when he passed . Yes. It was just me and him. I just told him i loved him and, you know, kissed him on the forehead, which is probably the first time i ever remember kissing my father. And with that, larry comes into his strange inheritance more than 100 ships, the blueprints he built them from, as well as the records of another 1,000plus models hes sold through the years an archive of the hobby his father elevated to an art form. Have you had this collection appraised since you inherited it . I did when he first passed away. And i think it was around 130,000. Would you sell . Not for 130,000. The emotional attachment, to me, is worth a great deal more than that. But things can change. And, as you will see, they do for larry more than once. How would you describe this inheritance . It was a little bit more of a journey than i was prepared for. Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. Extra credit if you can name the war during which it was deployed. Businesses are starting to bounce back. But what if you could do better than that . Like adapt. Discover. Deliver. In new ways. To new customers. What if you could come back stronger . Faster. Better. At comcast business, we want to help you not just bounce back. But bounce forward. Thats why were helping you stay ahead and adapt with a network you can count on, 24 7 support and Flexible Solutions that work wherever you are. Call or go online today. Where you can find games, news and highlights. All in one place, right on your tv. The xfinity sports zone. Use your voice to search every stat and score. Follow the teams you love. And, even get notifications with breaking news alerts and more. With the xfinity sports zone everybody wins. Now thats simple, easy, awesome. Say xfinity sports zone into your voice remote today. The answer is a the turtle. Its inventor tried and failed to attach a time bomb to the hull of a british ship in new york harbor during the revolutionary war. Its 2008, and Larry Atteridge has just been left his strange inheritance more than 100 scalemodel civil war ships built by his father, stacks of blueprints, and a request. Do you remember your last conversation . What he asked me to do was to take the collection, to show them in his honor, and keep them together. So youre guarding the fleet . Yes. [ chuckles ] with his fathers ship collection more than two hours away from his home, larry decides to move them to a closer port. A bedandbreakfast in nearby natchitoches agrees to put them on display. These are so delicate. How do you even go about moving that many ships . I rented a 26foot uhaul truck. We got furniture tarps and put them on the floor. Larrys wife, pam, lends a hand with some hesitation. When his father was alive, he did not want larry to touch them, and i can only imagine what hes thinking now. The ships go on exhibit in natchitoches, with larry serving as the curator. But just a year later, with his ambulance business growing, larry decides he no longer has time to manage them. All of a sudden, i realize that i have to move these again. He reaches out to the state of louisiana, and theyre on board. For a second time, larry carefully packs up his sprawling and delicate fleet. This time, he ships it to a state museum in tioga, louisiana. Five years pass. Then, larry receives an alarming phone call. The museums unstable literally. How unstable . It was about to cave in. Then it became kind of a panic situation for us. For a third time, larry scrambles to relocate his strange inheritance. He decides just to bring it home, where the boats will be absolutely safe he thinks. Then, early one morning. My stepdaughter came into the room and said, hey, the house is on fire. The whole house, within five minutes, was in flames. In the 40 minutes it takes the Fire Department to reach their rural location, the atteridge house burns to the ground. We lost everything. So, you escaped with your family, but the ships . They were still in the museum. Thankfully, thered been a delay in delivering custombuilt cabinets to the house, and the models stayed put. Wow. Someone was protecting them. It was just by the grace of god, i think. Unfortunately, most of his fathers sale records for ships that he had sold were in the house and are lost in the fire. Have you ever had a moment where youve said, i do need to sell them . Yes. Its crossed my mind. We know one potential buyer our michael wall, founder of the American MarineModel Gallery in gloucester, massachusetts. When larry called us, we called michael. Ive never seen a collection like this, especially of civil war models. So, whats involved in appraising a collection like this . Well, for example, i chose this model of arkansas because its probably one of the biggest ones in the collection. I love it because of the artistry that is done with the finish. I feel Something Like this would probably be worth between 5,500 and 6,500. Wow. [ Cash Register dings ] the appraiser says William Atteridges model of the u. S. S. Cairo would also go for about 6k. And larry has about 100 more. Michael, what do you sense could happen if larry were willing to part with the collection . Basically, i broke down the collection in three parts the highend, the midrange models, and then the lowrange. The total was 279,000. Okay. [ chuckles ] quite a collection. So, i know youve said, larry, that youd never seriously considered selling, but now that you hear this. Thats next. Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. Im making sandwiches on kings hawaiian bread yum kings hawaiian. Aso the national eye instituteon did 20 years of clinical studies on a formula only found in preservision. If it were my vision, id ask my doctor about preservision. Its the most studied eye vitamin brand. If it were my vision, id look into preservision. Only preservision areds2 contains the exact nutrient formula recommended by the nei to help reduce the risk of moderate to advanced amd progression. I have amd. It is my vision so my plan includes preservision. Now back to strange inheritance. Larry atteridge is weighing his options after receiving an appraisal of 279,000 for more than 100 civil war model ships that his late father painstakingly built over a lifetime. So, larry, how does that compare to the appraisal you got years ago . Well, its a big surprise. Its much higher than it was. Well, your dad did great work, and i think its just a testament to what he put into this. In fact, when you consider that larrys father sold at least 10 times as many models as he kept, there may well be 2 to 3 million of William Atteridge originals floating around the world. Pretty impressive for just an old guy with a hobby. So, larry, i know youve never seriously considered selling, but now that youve heard this, do you change your mind . [ inhales deeply ] well, got a lot to think about. Um. I believe ill hold on to them, keep them in the family and. Great. In the bloodline. Its a lot of money. You couldnt use the money . Obviously, we could use it, but were not in that situation, so. Yeah. Well just hold on to them and keep them in dads honor. And, finally, in a permanent home. Well, here they are. Very, very impressive. Yep. Those display cases finally arrived. So, inside their new house, larry and pam have created a minimaritime museum a contemporary version of the one william had out in the woods all those years ago. Minus, of course, the workshop, the donation bucket, and the modelship builder ready, as his son recalls, to talk his visitors to death. Do you see your father in these . Absolutely. You know, i wake up every day, and there they are. And i think its my longlasting relationship with my father. You know, if it wasnt for that, i dont know that id have anything. In that house fire, larry lost records from about 1,000 of his dads models. Well, hes hoping you can help him locate those missing ships. If you look closely at bill atteridges work, you can sometimes find a sticker with his name, like this one here. And if you see one, email me a picture at jamie strangeinheritance. Com. Thanks so much for watching. And remember you cant take it with you. Maria welcome and good thursday morning, everybody. Thanks so much for joining us. Im maria bartiromo, and it is thursday august 20th, your top stories right you 6 00 a. M. On the button on the east coast. 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