110,000, now 120,000. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] im jamie colby, and today im on my way to fall river, massachusetts, about an hour south of boston. Im going to meet a man whos strange inheritance begins with his familys powerful connection to a future president. Im Dennis Harkins. Our mother passed in 1990. She left us with correspondence regarding our uncle harold who was lost in the South Pacific during world war ii. Dennis. Im jamie. Pleased to meet you. What is this place . This has to do with our inheritance. These ships. Mmhmm. Yes. Lets check it out. The Battleship Cove museum here in fall river has two of the last remaining pt boats from world war ii. Dennis uncle harold, who served on a pt boat, joined the navy in november 1941. He was the impish, typical younger brother. I think it was probably exciting for him. Then, a month later, pearl harbor. [ explosions ] with the u. S. At war, harold is shipped to the South Pacific. He puts in a request to join a pt boat crew. Pt is navy lingo for patrol torpedo. In addition to torpedos, the 80foot boats were armed with twin machinegun turrets, including one just to the right of the captains helm. They could lay low in the water, wait for the enemy ships to pass, and then attack them with the torpedos. The museums pt boat curator, don shannon, shows me around. Wow. Tight quarters. Why are they called the mosquito fleet . Mosquitos could infect you with malaria. So, they were deadly, and they were small and fast. By the summer of 1943, harold is stationed aboard a pt boat, like this one, near the solomon islands. Harolds captain 26yearold Navy Lieutenant junior grade john f. Kennedy. So, don, this is where john f. Kennedy, lieutenant junior grade, controlled the ship from. Correct. Right here. Can barely see over. And they operated in the dark of night . Yes. Four feet away is where harold was operating that turret. This really puts it in perspective. The idea was to go out and attack the destroyers and sink them. But no radar. The 109 did not have radar. So, you know, try driving down the highway at night with your headlights off. On one such night august 1st, 1943 out of the darkness comes the amagiri, a japanese destroyer traveling at 40 knots. 19yearold Harold Marney is stationed in that gun turret. Harold gave the alarm, ship at 2 00. The amagiri slices right through pt109. And right here, where youre standing, this wing tank actually exploded. Its hard to imagine anyone could have survived. Things happened so fast. He probably got sucked into the wake of the ship. Harold and a second sailor, andrew kirksey, didnt have a chance. The surviving sailors swim to a small string of islands and take refuge until theyre rescued six days later. Distraught over the loss of his men, lieutenant kennedy writes to harolds mother, jenny marney. What did jfk tell her . Dear mrs. Marney, this letter is to offer my deepest sympathy for the loss of your son. Kennedy goes on to write, i realize that there is nothing i can say can make your sorrow less. Harold had come on board my boat a week before to serve as an engineer. He fitted in quickly and was very wellliked. Jenny writes back to kennedy right away, thanking him for his letter and asking if its somehow possible that her son harold could still be alive. Kennedy responds, when the crew was finally united around the floating bow, we could find no trace of him, although every effort was made to find him. I am terribly sorry that i cannot be of more help or encouragement to you. My grandmother jenny, who we called mum, was from amherst, nova scotia. She was very english. She was very proper. And she feels shes made a friend. In early 1944, mum learns that kennedy will be back in boston to get treated for the back injuries he sustained on pt109. She goes to visit him in the hospital. You dont just get in to see jack kennedy. No. No. No, you dont. [ chuckles ] but somehow, she does, more than once. What they talked about, god only knows, but im sure they talked about harold. They probably talked about his brother joe. Jfks older brother joe was a naval aviator. When hes killed in a topsecret mission over england, jenny sends her own letter of condolence. Jfk writes back. It says, i want you to know how much i appreciated your card. Standard thank you note. But he goes on to say, i know you know how we all feel. Boys like harold and my brother joe can never be replaced. Incredible. And he says, i hope that i shall see you sometime again. Yes. In 1946, kennedy is elected to congress. Six years later, to the senate. And in november 1960, kennedy wins the white house, narrowly defeating Vice President richard nixon. The torch has been passed to a new generation of americans born in this century. Just three months after taking office, in april 1961, kennedy writes to mum again. He sends her a photo of a Memorial Wall at the manila American Cemetery in the philippines thats inscribed with harolds name. Kennedy closes his letter saying, if ever you are in the nations capital, i would like very much to have the white house and other Public Places here shown to you. Then comes that awful day in november 1963. [ gunshot ] president kennedy was shot today, just as his motorcade left downtown dallas. Its the end of the white house camelot years and the end of mums relationship with the most powerful man in the world. Jenny marney dies in 1973 and bequeaths her carefully preserved letters from kennedy to her daughter, dennis mother, elaine. Elaine gives the letters to her son in 1985, just five years before she dies. When i first looked at them, it was, oh, wow. And promptly put them in a safe deposit box. There they remain for the next quarter century. But a surprise phone call from s familys interest in their unique inheritance. I got on the phone and left this very strange message. Are you the nephew of pt109 crew member harold w. Marney . Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. Whats the most expensive piece of president ial memorabilia ever sold at auction . Is it washingtons personally annotated draft copy of the constitution, lincolns signed emancipation proclamation, or fdrs date of infamy speech with his handwritten notes . The answer in a moment. You cant predict. The market. But at t. Rowe price, we can help guide your investments through good times and bad. For over 75 years, our clients have relied on us to bring our best thinking to their investments so in a variety of market conditions. You can feel confident. In our experience. Call a t. Rowe price retirement specialist or your advisor. To see how we can help make the most of your retirement savings. T. Rowe price. Invest with confidence. 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Farxiga can cause serious side effects, including dehydration, genital yeast infections in women and men, serious urinary tract infections, low blood sugar and kidney problems. Stop taking farxiga and call your doctor right away if you have signs of ketoacidosis, which can be serious or life threatening. Farxiga. We are everyday people. I am everyday people, yea, yea. Ask your doctor if farxiga is right for you and visit farxiga. Com to learn how you can get it for free. My school could be bad. Ing fast. Could be a blast. Cant find a single thing to wear. Will they be looking at my hair . Wont be the same without you bro. When its go, the new Choice Privileges gets you there faster. And now, stay two times and you can earn a free night. Book now at choicehotels. Com so, whats the most expensive piece of president ial memorabilia . Its a, George Washingtons personally annotated draft copy of the constitution. It sold for nearly 10 million in 2012. For years, jenny marney corresponds with john f. Kennedy after her son harold was killed on the pt boat jfk commanded. They remain friends until jfks assassination in 1963. Neither Dennis Harkins nor francis piorek, who are halfbrothers, ever met their uncle harold. What i heard about my uncle was really just whispers and stuff. Oh, you know, uncle harold was on pt109, and john f. Kennedy was the commander. But when francis grows up, he catches the genealogy bug and starts posting messages online. I came to the realization that, geez, i didnt really know much about my family. And my uncle was kind of semifamous. Francis says hes looking for any unknown relatives of Harold Marney. His message goes unnoticed until 2013, when brian willette, the junior Vice Commander of a vfw post, petitions to place a headstone for marney in a Veterans Cemetery near springfield, massachusetts. I could not find him anywhere honored, and not even in springfield. And he was from east springfield. Brian comes across francis post from way back in 2001. I got on the phone and left this very strange message. Are you the nephew of pt109 crew member harold w. Marney . It was quite shocking to get a call out of the blue. In august 2013, that gravestone for uncle harold is placed at the Veterans Cemetery. It gets dennis thinking about those four jfk letters written to his grandmother that hes been holding on to for 25 years. Isnt time he did something with them . But then comes another kind of reckoning for dennis and francis. Their brother john dies of diabetes at the age of 57. It kind of makes you start to think about what do you want to do with the rest of your life, cause his death was unexpected. They retrieve the letters, which francis has never seen. And i was actually shocked when i saw what the letters actually detailed. Why now . The driving thing was the loss of our brother john. Yeah. It was like a wakeup, you know, cause i know im not getting any younger. These documents could be of significant historical value. And they could also be worth a lot of money. You had a big decision to make. Mmhmm. Yeah. I just kind of thought they were worth something. Um. Give me a number. What did you think . 30,000, 40,000, perhaps. Dennis didnt pull that number out of a hat. The son of andrew kirksey, the other sailor who died aboard pt109, sold his grandmothers letter from kennedy. That single letter went for 9,500. We had four. Was one worth 9,500 or was it worth 20,000 . I mean, we have no idea. But dennis and francis are about to learn that authenticating jfk documents for auction is a lot more complicated than they imagined. One of the most important things you need to know if youre ever gonna buy a john f. Kennedy letter is hes one of the most forged autographs there is. Is a jfk signature easy or difficult to spot a fake . Jfk is perhaps the most difficult. Thats next on strange inheritance. Heres another quiz question for you. Babe ruth is the most forged autograph of all time. Whats the most forged outside the sports world . Is it neil armstrong, marilyn monroe, or Elvis Presley . The answer in a moment. When you think what does it look like . Is it becoming a better professor by being a more adventurous student . Is it one day giving your daughter the opportunity she deserves . Is it finally witnessing all the artistic wonders of the Natural World . Whatever your definition of success is, helping you pursue it, is ours. Tiaa. Help individualize our Cancer Treatment . Now through advanced genomic testing, we may be able to pinpoint and diagnose what makes your cancer different, which can reveal precise Treatment Options that were not considered previously. With this important breakthrough at the intersection of science and technology, weve arrived at precision Cancer Treatment. The evolution of cancer care is here at Cancer Treatment centers of america. Call or visit cancercenter. Com to learn more about precision Cancer Treatment. [martha and mildred are good to. Go. Heres your invoice, ladies. A few stops later, and it looks like big ollie is on the mend. It might not seem that glamorous having an old pickup truck for an office. Or filling your days looking down the south end of a heifer, but. I wouldnt have it any other way. Look at that, i had my best month ever. And earned a shiny new office upgrade. I run on quickbooks. Thats how i own it. So, whats the most forged signature outside the sports world . Its c, Elvis Presley. Thats according to psa dna authentication services. For 25 years, Dennis Harkins keeps an old family heirloom stored away in a safety deposit box four letters written to his grandmother, jenny marney, from john f. Kennedy, three written by hand before kennedy became president and a fourth typewritten on white house stationery. In 2013, dennis and his brother francis decide its time to sell. Enter Bobby Livingston of rr auction. He knows anything associated with jfk can fetch big bucks. Kennedys a very important figure in american history, thus collectible. People really related to the kennedy family, and pairs of Jacqueline Kennedys shoes sell for 30,000. According to livingston, the brothers jfk letters hold their own unique value. And the reason goes back to that fateful pt109 mission. There are no other letters that we know of from john f. Kennedy where he gives his personal account of what happened that night. When someone walks in with john f. Kennedy letters, letters that no one has ever seen and never read, we get excited. But many a collector has been burned after plunking down a fortune for a newlydiscovered document that turns out to be a fake. Jfk is ranked by memorabilia dealers as the fourth mostforged nonsports signature on the market after elvis, the beatles, and neil armstrong. So, how does a handwriting authenticator gives his stamp of approval on these letters . Is a jfk signature easy or difficult to spot a fake . Jfk is perhaps the most difficult. 80 of the process is does the signature and handwriting match known exemplars . Jfks handwriting changed so much there was an entire book done in the 1960s just on kennedys handwriting. Why would he change his signature . His personality changed and his signature changed. And it changed more dramatically than any other president and pretty much most famous people. The brothers know the handwritten letters to their grandmother, going back to 1943, must be real. But bob eaton cant just take their word for it. He compares them to a known jfk letter. Show me. Ive got a letter from 1940, which is three years prior. And the similarities he always had a tendency, even later in life, when he made a t, he would continue. It wouldnt be a short little t. He also would break words up. Bob confirms the letters to jenny marney also have jfks unique t. But how do you authenticate the one from the white house . The president cant sign every letter by hand. What about that one . How do you tell its not a secretary . Most of kennedys letters from that time period were secretarials and autopens. But he had a bond with this family. And this is a real signature . Thats a real jfk signature. Youre 100 sure . I am 100 110 sure. So, how much are they worth . Weve never seen anything like it from kennedy, so we estimate it to be worth 50,000 or more. Wow. [ chuckles ] thats a little more than i had thought. Of course, anything could happen at auction. Was your heart palpitating . Just about out of my chest. This is our remarkable rarities auction. Thats next. After brushing, listerine® total care strengthens teeth, helps prevent cavities and restores tooth enamel. Its an easy way to give listerine® total care to the total family. Listerine® total care. One bottle, six benefits. Power to your mouth™. Now back to strange inheritance. For 25 years, Dennis Harkins has kept his strange inheritance locked away in a safety deposit box these four letters written to his grandmother by john f. Kennedy after her son harold was killed on pt109. Its september 18th, 2014, in boston. Dennis and his brother francis are ready to sell. A hotel while hundreds more are bidding by phone and online. Lets start now. This is our remarkable rarities auction. We started getting a little excited, maybe some butterflies as to what is this going to do. All right. Here we go. Here we go. Its a great lot right here. John f. Kennedy, pt109 letters. Oneofakind archive of kennedys letters to the family of his lost crew mate. I got 22,000. All right. Were starting with a 22,000 bid on the internet. Now 23,000. Remember, the preliminary estimate for all four of dennis and francis jfk letters was 50k. 45,000 on the phone now. 47,500. 55,000, now 60,000. They had the auction people there, and theyre hoopdeedoing and hollering and pushing. 90,000. 95,000. Looking for 100,000. Bid 100,000. Looking for 100,000. Yes. Now 110,000. 110,000. Now 120,000. 130,000. Holy cow. Wow. Looking for 130,000 now. 140,000 . But dt hmer e gal o so. E biingnot er. 14000. Ow 0,00 50,0. 60,0 is e hi bidn the phone. Looking for 170,000. And well say fair warning. Then the final call. And this is sold 160,000. Wow. On the phone. Wow. Thats three times more than the brothers had originally hoped for. Im flabbergasted, cause it just was amazing to watch it unfold. I would hope that the successful bidder enjoys them. Perhaps theyll put them in a museum. A young man makes the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. That legacy, he left for all of us. The letters his Commanding Officer and future president writes help lighten his mothers grief and, decades later, become family he never knew a strange inheritance indeed. How hard to part with them . It was hard, but it was time. Like your old jalopy pickup truck. Its you love it, but its just time to let it go. Think its become time in life to move on. Dennis mum always relished her special relationship with john f. Kennedy, and she wasnt shy about calling in a favor, even in her later years. Family legend has it that when mum retired to connecticut and had trouble receiving her Social Security benefits, she turned to her friend, now president kennedy, for help. When letters on white house stationery arrived at the local Social Security office, officials there jumped to fix the problem. And from then on, mum always got her checks on time. Im jamie colby for strange inheritance. Thanks so much for watching. And remember you cant take it with you. Do you have a strange inheritance story youd like to share with us . Wed love to hear it. Send me an email or go to our website strangeinheritance. Com. An ancestor they knew nothing about. I went through 50someodd years of my life and had no clue. An inheritance they can hardly believe. What was your reaction as you opened those first boxes . It was mindblowing. Why does andrew green have George Washingtons will . Bareknuckle politics, coldblooded murder, a legacy all but snuffed out. This was a cloud of suspicion of having lived a double life. What did they do . What are the chances that those boxes wouldve just been trashed . Very good chance of that. What would you do . Well, it drove me crazy. How bout 6,000 . And whats it all worth . You think youll ever get another auction with a story like this . No, i kinda doubt it. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] im jamie colby. And today, im in kennebunkport, maine. Its renowned as the bush familys summer haven and also for its succulent lobster. But this story has a cast of characters that are up and down the atlantic seaboard. The heirs, they live here, a reclusive aunt from massachusetts and their gilded age ancestor once dubbed the father of greater new york. Im john green. And im lisa green buchanan. I think its fair to say that our aunt julie was a hoarder. And when she died in 2009, she left us a mountain of stuff to sort through. Oh, what a great house thank you welcome to kennebunkport i got a story. John and his sister lisa belong to a new england family whose history goes back to mayflower days but whose legacy had been largely forgotten. In 2005, that reclusive aunt i mentioned, julie green, is diagnosed with cancer, and john moves her from the boston area into a condo up here in maine, where the siblings can help care for her. Its a big job to be a caregiver. I never thought of it that way. She had nobody else. What was she like . She was single and independent. Never married . No. No children . She did not want children. Nor does aunt julie want anyone to get rid of all her stuff. Even when we moved everything out of that house, we had a dumpster put in there, and she would guard the dumpster. She would make sure we wouldnt throw anything out. So the basement of julies condo gets overwhelmed with stacks of boxes of books and who knows what else. John, what are the chances that, if you and your sister didnt care for aunt julie, that those boxes wouldve just been trashed . Very good chance of that. In her last years, the tightlipped aunt julie does drop references to their ancestor she says accumulated much of it all. The only thing she would say is uncle andrew this, uncle andrew that. Wed tease her that she was living in the past. You know, youre talking about all these people that arent here anymore, and little did we know why. Aunt julie dies in 2009 at the age of 73. Everything was left to my sister and myself. When we started opening boxes, we still didnt know exactly what we had at that time. First, they have to separate the wheat from the chaff. And theres plenty of chaff decades of old knickknacks, newspapers, mail, and clothing. How many boxes are we talking about . Hundreds. Among the boxes, lisa discovers this book which gives them a clue of whats to come. Its a family journal going back to the 19th century. This is so cool this is a caricature of andrew green, known as the father of greater new york. Im from new york. Ive never heard of him. Did you know much about him before . No, we didnt. Thats when i started to go down the rabbit hole. They learned that this guy, their greatgreatgreatuncle andrew green, was born in 1820 in an area known as green hill in worcester, massachusetts. He had 10 brothers and sisters. His father was a lawyer. They were welloff but not rich. 300 miles south of kennebunkport here in manhattan, historian Mike Miscione has pieced together the story of lisa and johns ancestor and how he left his mark here in the big apple. And while theres no skyscraper, highway, or airport named after him, it turns out there really ought to be. He was largely responsible for creating the institutions that transformed new york into a worldclass city. Mike explains that, as a teenager, andrew green left massachusetts and moved to new york city. He worked as a clerk at a drygoods operation, and, eventually, he decided to settle upon a career of law and came into contact with a upandcoming lawyer tilden is making a fortune representing railroads. Hes also becoming a big shot in new york politics. Greens dealings with tilden brought him into Democratic Political circles. And soon, he was involved in new york city civic affairs. Green becomes tildens law partner and begins making a hefty salary. Instead of marriage and children, hes devoted to work. But when tough times befall his family up in massachusetts, andrew returns temporarily to worcester to take charge. He was able to not just get the estate out of debt but make it prosper, as well. He became the patriarch of his family for the remainder of his life. Great shot. Is that the house . Andrew figures the family home could use some extra rooms, 42 to be exact. One of those rooms is a museum showing off artifacts from the green familys history. There was a museum in the home for the family, not for the public. And how do you know that . This book is the story of the family and green hill. Can i look . Sure. So this is the story of the home 1754 to 1905. Thats a lot of family history. Mmhmm. Andrews ready to make history himself back in new york by shaping it into a worldclass metropolis. Among other jobs, he heads the commission that creates central park. Central park, the metropolitan museum of art, the American Museum of natural history. Green would be largely responsible for creating the bronx zoo, the new york public library. Theres very little green doesnt touch during new yorks gilded age. In 1871, when city coffers are almost bankrupt, he becomes the citys comptroller. Andrew green needed to be escorted by a ring of mounted policemen as he was approaching the Comptrollers Office on his first day of work. And this was a blood sport in this era. Green exposes the shenanigans of new yorks corrupt democratic machine, known as tammany hall, and helps send the citys notorious boss, william tweed, off to prison. Oh, and one other little achievement. It was greens efforts to get new york to expand beyond the borders of Manhattan Island and to annex the municipalities around new york harbor, which included the city of brooklyn, and make that all one giant metropolis. So how could his own family 100 years later not know all about him . Could it have anything to do with the way green died . Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. In the president ial election of 1876, andrew greens law partner, samuel tilden, won the popular vote but lost to rutherford b. Hayes. The answer after the break. When it comes to Small Business, shes in the know. So strap yourselves in for action flo Small Business edition. Oh, no im up to my neck in operating costs ill save the day for plumbers and bakers and scapers of lawn, shes got insurance savvy you can count on. You chipped my birdbath now youre gonna pay not so fast i cover more than just cars and trucks. Action flo did somebody say insurance . Children flo action flo cut can i get a smoothie, please . Ooh they got smoothies . For me. When you think what does it look like . Is it becoming a better professor by being a more adventurous student . Is it one day giving your daughter the opportunity she deserves . Is it finally witnessing all the artistic wonders of the Natural World . Whatever your definition of success is, helping you pursue it, is ours. Tiaa. Its a. Among other problems, Florida Democrats printed ballots showing abraham lincolns face in an effort to trick freed slaves who couldnt read into voting democratic. A special commission was set up to decide the contest, leading to the election of hayes over tilden. John green and his sister lisa green buchanan initially think their hoarder aunt julie has simply left them a big headache when she dies in july 2009. But among the hundreds of boxes that filled her basement, they uncover a 19thcentury journal that begins to open their eyes to the legacy of their greatgreatgreatuncle Andrew Haswell green, a man Theodore Roosevelt nicknamed the father of greater new york. Nobody told us the story. I went through 50someodd years of my life and had no clue how important he was. John comes to suspect that may be because of the scandal surrounding greens death in 1903. A man approached him and accused him of seeing his mistress and shot him in the back. [ woman screams ] the stranger his name was Cornelius Williams shot andrew green five times, killing the man instantly. He made no attempt to escape, made no attempt to deny what he had done. The confessed killer claims green and a brothel owner named bessie davis were part of a conspiracy against him. Newspapers across the country relish the salacious story. This was a very troubling, mysterious set of circumstances, and andrew green was under this cloud of suspicion of having lived a double life. The Police Determine green was a victim of mistaken identity. Or was it payback from the political machine that he had taken down . Whatever the case, the damage to his oncespotless reputation is done. Plans to erect Memorial Gates in his honor at the entrance to central park evaporate. In worcester, greens mansion is sold to the city and later demolished. Gradually, even his own kin forget all he accomplished and left behind, the effects of an important man boxed up in cardboard. They cleaned the mansion out. And my grandfathers father took possession of all these items, and then it went to my grandfather. They were passed on to julie. And why julie . She took care of my grandparents when they got elderly. When my grandparents moved into assisted living, julie was the one that took em. And because john and lisa take care of aunt julie in her dotage, she leaves them this strange inheritance. What was your reaction as you opened those first boxes . It was mindblowing, really exciting. Theres china, tiffany silverware, coins, stamps, antique books, clothing, toys, and jewelry. And how many items are we talking about . Thousands. So after tossing aunt julies actual junk, including decades of old newspapers and mail, they reach out to Richard Oliver, a family friend and local auctioneer. We knew there was enough value to get historians and people like richard involved. I mean, my brother and i couldnt have settled this estate by ourselves. Indeed, richard will need an entire team to go through all those boxes and catalog everything. I said, listen. John, you pay the expenses. Ill keep the buyers premium. Do all your clients pay up front . Well, a good part of the time, we take 20 or whatever it might be, and we pay the expenses. John agrees but quickly learns hes taken a huge risk. Research gets expensive. Take this old hebrew translation of the quran from andrew greens massive library. To find out where it came from, richard must run an ad in an antiques magazine. Somebody picked up on it, and i started getting calls from israel and calls from all over the country. Another example this silver cup with a wolfshead crest. It drove me crazy. I wasnt able to find out what the crest was. After much effort, historian bill ralph, a member of the research team, figures out it was from a group called wolfs head. Sounds like a secret society. And it in fact, it is, and it was. It was the third secret society at yale. Fascinating stuff. But can the siblings expect a return on that kind of research . Did you ever say to richard, i got your latest bill, and were not gonna do any more research until we sell some of this stuff . I didnt put it like that, but i questioned him. Are you sure were discovering enough things of importance to pay this bill . And, richard being richard, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Dont worry about it. I told john i had calculated we ought to be able to do 600,000 without a problem. Thats because his team has found plenty. Check out these letters apparently given to andrew green as a gift, penned by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and james monroe. They were. Originals . Yes. What were the letters about . My favorite letter, james monroe and James Madison were talking about this gentleman who happened to be andrew jackson. They were afraid that he might be the ruination of their careful plans to carry on their ideology with the american public. The next big find . This rare copy of George Washingtons last will and testament, printed in 1800, right after washingtons death. At the time, we knew there were only 13 existing copies. Make that 14. It was in a plastic bag filled with other things, and it very well couldve been thrown out without anybody ever knowing about it. By july 2010, john and lisas strange inheritance is cataloged and ready for sale. Theyve invested a year and a lot of money in it. How much had john spent getting ready for this big auction . It was around 225,000. Whoa i hope we get enough out of this to pay for what weve discovered. Will they . Sold at 1,000. Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. When andrew green was new york citys comptroller, the Brooklyn Bridge was partially financed by renting what . Apartments atop its towers, boat slips by its piers, or wine cellars at its base . The answer in a moment. At ally bank, no branches equals great rates. Its a fact. Kind of like social media equals antisocial. 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And that is why you invest. The best returns arent just measured in dollars. Td ameritrade. Its c, renting wine cellars at the base of the bridge. The graniteenclosed spaces maintained a 60degree temperature even in hot summer months. Its september 2010, and john green and his sister lisa are preparing to auction off thousands of items they inherited from their aunt julie. Many belonged to their greatgreatgreatuncle andrew green, the longforgotten father of new york city. They decide everything must go well, almost everything. These are dueling pistols. When you had to settle a score back in the 1700s, these are the dueling pistols that you used and the powder flask that goes with it. Now, why would you keep these . Im a gun nut. So i thought it was kinda cool to have dueling pistols. The stakes for the auction are high. To appraise and catalog the collection, the greens have spent 225,000. Every box was another you never knew what you were gonna get into. The big question now will the auction bring in the money they need to break even . Here we are. Weve extended a lot of time and a lot of money and a lot of resources just to get to this far. Was it important for you to recover enough from the auction to cover your expenses . Very important. Lot number 22. Lets start with. And how much . And get bidding where . John frets as auctioneer Richard Oliver unloads antique toys, dolls, and music boxes for just a few hundred dollars apiece. It was a slow start, like, oh, boy. Is this gonna come into it . Next on the auction block, that silver cup that bill ralph finally determined was from a yale secret even that only fetches 1,000 bucks. Theyre a long way from the 225,000k john and lisa paid up front to get their strange inheritance ready for auction and a far cry from the minimum of 600,000 the auctioneer predicted. And then, with one surprising bid, everything starts turning green none of us thought it was gonna go for what it went for. Thats next. Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it send me an email or go to our website, send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. Moms know their familys mouths often need a helping hand. Send me an email or go to our weafter brushing, strangeinheritance. Com. Listerine® total care helps prevent cavities, strengthens teeth and restores tooth enamel. Its an easy way to give listerine® total care to the total family. Listerine® total care. One bottle, six benefits. Power to your mouth™. And for kids starting at age six, listerine® smart rinse delivers extra cavity protection after brushing. [so i use quickbooks and run mye entire business from the cloud. I keep an eye on sales and expenses from anywhere. Even down here in the dark i can still see were having a great month. And celebrate accordingly. I run on quickbooks. Thats how i own it. The wolf was huffing and puffing. Like you do sometimes, grandpa . 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If you cant afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. Now back to strange inheritance. Its september 2010, and john green and his sister lisa green buchanan are wondering if theyre going to be able to cover the 225,000 theyve spent preparing their strange inheritance for auction. Uh, we had to pay for this somehow. At first, the sale moves slowly and ekes out only a few thousand dollars, nowhere near what they need. What was the moment at which it picked up . One of the most exciting was the small hebrew book that they found. None of us thought it was gonna go for what it went for. The 17thcentury hebrew translation of the quran, a gem from andrew greens vast book collection . 33,000. That copy of George Washingtons last will and testament . 16,000. A single letter from Thomas Jefferson to president monroe . 13k. All of the president ial letters togeer just under 70 grand. 9 booklets from 19thcentury india fetch 11k. A cherry tea table . 9,000. This windsor high chair goes for 11,500. The sales just keep ringing up. The final tally at auctions end 700,000. So were you pleased or disappointed . Oh, very pleased. The things in that auction needed to go to people who cared for them so library buys a bundle of letters written by green himself for only 500 bucks, a bargain for the guy who helped create the library in the first place. If it wasnt for him, who knows what central park would be . He brought the five boroughs of new york together to make one city. This is a lot of history. We told you how john kept those dueling pistols. Johns sister lisa keeps something, too that dusty old journal that reconnected her to the green family legacy. I learned a lot while we were going through this process. Its pretty astounding, and theres no way to deny where i came from anymore, the more i learned. In 2012, new york city finally got around to funding a small andrew green park here along the east river for 5 million. But then the city realized that the pilings along the river would need repairs, costing another 15 million. So for now, andrew green has a dog run and a beautiful view to honor him. And his story, which was in storage for more than 100 years, is finally out of the box. Im jamie colby for strange inheritance. Thanks so much for watching, and remember you cant take it with you. A worldfamous musician dies and leaves his daughters his prized instrument. His love, his treasure, his heart, his voice. Its more than 300 years old and could be worth many millions. But this strange inheritance is about more than money. Its about a european countess, a fathers legacy, and a huge financial dilemma for his heirs. It was very clear to us that he did not want it to be hidden away. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] im jamie colby, and im on cape cod, massachusetts, heading