Im jamie colby. Today im in picturesque roanoke, virginia. The name roanoke is believed to come from an algonquin word that means shell money, which is very appropriate to the story of this strange inheritance. My name is ryan givens. In 1992, my mother, melva givens, died at the age of 79. As executor of her estate, i found a lock box in her closet which contained a strange envelope. Ryan, this is the box . This is the box that she kept it in in her bedroom closet, and she kept it along with other things in this envelope right here. So, it says, this is a changed date, and what else does it not real . Not the real one. Changed date, not real, 1913. Melvas terse note reflects what shed been told about the coin inside that its a clever fake of one of the rarest and most valuable coins ever minted the 1913 liberty head 5cent piece. Coin expert and auctioneer Paul Montgomery wrote a book about the nickels. From 1883 to 1912, the liberty head nickel was the design that the u. S. Was using for commerce. It was in 1912 that they made the decision to move on to the next design, which was the buffalo nickel. At the end of 1912, they really should have stopped making liberty nickels. Instead, somebody made five before the dies were destroyed. The five nickels are legal tender, but the u. S. Treasury has no record of them. Samuel brown was a mint employee at the time when the coins were transitioned from the liberty head nickel to the buffalo nickel. Theres a lot of speculation that sam brown was the one that actually had them made and put them away. Five specimens make their first appearance in chicago at a 1920 convention. The seller surprise, surprise samuel brown. It was seven years later. The statute of limitations had passed for any crime that might have been committed, and so, all of a sudden, there is a huge story that five coins that had never existed were now gonna be at the Chicago Coin Club show. Four years later, all five coins are purchased by a single wealthy collector for 2,000. Its not until the early 1940s, in st. Louis, that the set of five nickels is sold in public again. Egypts king farouk scoops one up for his collection, and, the following year, so does a prominent coin collector from roanoke, Virginia Ryan givens uncle George Walton. Enter the enigmatic benefactor of our strange inheritance. Ryan, tell me more about uncle george. I like to refer to him as a professional collector. He had a pretty decent stamp collection. He had books, almanacs, but coins were his main thing. Truth be told, ryan doesnt know his uncle george well, and neither, it seems, does anyone else. Hes a lifelong bachelor and successful estate appraiser, a job that keeps him constantly on the move. He lives in a series of hotels from North Carolina to florida. Exactly how walton came to acquire his 1913 nickel is equally murky. The most ofttold story is that in 1946, he trades 3,750 worth of gold for the rare nickel. The seller, the story goes, may or may not be an heir to the camel cigarette fortune. It was said a member of the tobacco reynolds family, so we can assume that it may have been r. J. Reynolds. However he acquires it, the 1913 nickel gives walton a special status on the coinshow circuit. It was a calling card of sorts because if you were one of the owners of a 1913 nickel, you were an important collector. Walton plays the role of swaggering, inscrutable collector to the hilt. Once hes seen nonchalantly flipping his famous nickel wasnt he worried about scratching it . His reply no, because its a fake. The reason being since its a valuable coin, he used it for display rather than the real one. He promises to display the real one at a show in wilson, North Carolina, where hes a headliner. With about 250,000 worth of rare coins, he sets out on the drive from roanoke to wilson. Nowadays youd be in some sort of, like, armored truck thats how things were back then. You would never see that today, but wilson was having their first show, so it was going to be a big deal. Its march 9, 1962. He was almost within the town limits. [ tires screech, crash ]. When he was hit by a lady that was driving a car. Apparently, she had been drinking. He was killed instantly. George walton was 55 years old. He dies without a will, so his siblings name a bank in roanoke to act as his executor. What was the process . The bank sent letters to every bank that they knew in North Carolina and virginia and said, do you have anything there that belongs to George Walton . Once all his collections are reassembled and catalogued, the family gets some shocking news that also stuns coin aficionados around the world George Waltons 1913 liberty nickel. Is declared a fake. The nickel had no value. It was just a piece of junk. A piece of junk . Could it be . Thats next. And now for our strange inheritance quiz question. The answer in a moment. Life isnt a straight line. And sometimes, you can find yourself heading in a new direction. But when youre with fidelity, a partner who makes sure every step is clear, theres nothing to stop you from moving forward. People at higher risk, re must take extra precautions. You are at higher risk if you are over 65, or if you have any serious underlying medical conditions, like heart disease, chronic lung disease, diabetes, or if your immune system is compromised for any reason. If youre at higher risk, wash your hands frequently with soap and water for twenty seconds. Avoid touching your face. Disinfect frequently touched objects. And wash up after being in public spaces. And when it comes to social situations. Less is better. Stay six feet or two arm lengths away from other people. Better still, stay home if you can. If youre sick, please stay home and away from others. And if you think youve been exposed to the virus, call your Health Care Provider before going to their office. In challenging times, the choices you make are critical. Please visit coronavirus. Gov for more information. Its a, martha washington, who appeared on the 1 silver certificate in 1886. On his way to a North Carolina coin show in march 1962, eccentric coin collector George Walton dies in a car crash. Its frontpage news in the coin world. George walton was a respected numismatist. He put together one of the greatest collections of all time. The executor calls in stacks, a new york city auction house, to appraise georges coin collection. So stacks sent a man to evaluate and catalogue all the coins. It took approximately two to three weeks. How much did the family get for what was sold . The total came to over 850,000. It set a record for an individual collection. It would have been even more maybe 60,000 more if not for the stunning pronouncement that waltons prized 1913 nickel is. A phony because the 3 in 1913 is unlike any font used by the u. S. Mint, stacks concludes the date has been altered. There were so many altered dates out there that it wasnt difficult to take another liberty head coin, such as a 1910, and alter the zero to make it look like a 3. In fact, walton has a number of suspect currencies in his collection so many that the bank feels it needs to notify the secret service. The secret service came and took some of the items that he had because they were either counterfeit, altered, or illegal to own. Stacks declared the nickel a fake, but the secret service said, keep it, its okay . It was not totally illegal to have an altered date, but if you tried to sell it to someone, that was illegal. The secret service returns the nickel but warns the family never to try to pass it off as the real mccoy. In the meantime, George Waltons reputation as an esteemed coin collector takes a posthumous beating. It was just a piece of junk, so it was put in with the odds and ends, so my mom picked out the 1913. She was born in 1913, so that could have been a reason. My other thought was she wanted it put away permanently, and thats what she did. To protect his reputation . Right in other words, try to keep it from getting any worse. Melva givens never wavers in her belief that her brother george had the real nickel somewhere in his vast coin collection, but she accepts that the one in her closet really is a fake. She had some coin magazines, newspaper articles, that kind of kept up with other 1913s, so she knew he had it. She just couldnt find it. Shes not the only one whos looking. Everyone in coincollecting circles is wondering where the vanished nickel has gone. Some assume it must still be by the side of the road where walton crashed and show up at that spot with metal detectors. Over the decades, the nickel enters into american cultural lore. Its even the subject of tv episodes on hawaii fiveo and the hardy boys. Then, in 1992, melva passes away at the age of 79. I was executor of her estate, so it was up to me, of course, to go through what she had and split things up between my brother and my sisters. She had a box of items in her closet, and i got the box out. The nickel was there. Ryan takes the envelope with the nickel in it and places it on his nightstand. I used to look at it late at night, and one time i just imagined shes sitting there saying to me, they say im not real. What do you think . With each passing year, the 1913 liberty legend grows, and so does the value of the four confirmed specimens. In 1996, one becomes the first coin to sell for over 1 million. Then in april 2003, a cub reporter on a local feature assignment sparks the most stunning turn of events ever in the coin world. Everything the experts thought they knew about the most famous coin in the world was wrong. I wasnt looking to find the milliondollar nickel. I was looking to tell a good story. Thats next on strange inheritance. For this strange inheritance quiz question, you might want to get up close to your television set. One of the coins youre looking at is a fake 1913 liberty nickel. The other is genuine. Can you tell which is the real one . Hint the numbers tell the story. There are times when our need to connect really matters. To keep customers and employees in the know. To keep business moving. Comcast business is prepared for times like these. Powered by the nations largest gigspeed network. To help give you the speed, reliability, and security you need. Tools to manage your business from any device, anywhere. And a team of experts here for you 24 7. Weve always believed in the power of working together. Thats why, when every connection counts. You can count on us. So were working 24 7 toected 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. Take one more look. Can you tell which is the real 1913 liberty head nickel . Its b. Stay tuned to find out why. One of the five superrare 1913 liberty head nickels has been missing for decades, ever since George Waltons was declared a fake after his death in a car crash in 1962. 41 years later, in 2003, Paul Montgomerys company is trying to come up with a way to raise excitement for a coin show that summer in baltimore. Our publicist remembered that it was the 90th anniversary of the making of the 1913 nickel. We thought it would be a nice thing to have a reunion for all the coins. That prompts another brainstorm. What about a 1 million reward for that fifth nickel, regardless of the condition it was in . I said, well, sure. I guess id pay a million bucks even if it had a hole in it. The press picks up on the story, and within days, a reader of the Roanoke Times calls the newsroom suggesting a local angle. Somebody said he knew George Walton when he lived in roanoke. We had our Research Librarian at the Roanoke Times start digging up information on mr. Waltons relatives. Adams research leads him to ryan givens. Ryan knew about the nickel. He didnt know about the milliondollar reward. Adams pursuit of a good story sets in motion a series of extraordinary events. Mason adams also contacted the editor of coin world. She asked him if he knew where the altereddate coin was. So, she finally got in contact with me and said, wed like to have that altereddate coin on display in baltimore. Ryans uninterested in dredging up the bogus walton nickel tale. But that 90yearold lady is calling out to him again. So i asked my brother and my sisters if it was okay to take it up there, and they said fine with them. Wow. Did you think to yourself, what if its real . You always wonder, but i wanted more to find it was real for uncle george because it was basically his reputation. On july 30, 2003, he drives from roanoke, virginia, to baltimore and meets with his siblings to show Paul Montgomery the nickel. I was ready to tell them that their coin wasnt genuine, but, at the same time, you always want to meet someone that has history in the business. But once he has the coin in his hand, Paul Montgomery does a doubletake. He was expecting to see a fake, but this doesnt look like a fake. Paul invites jeff garrett, a numismatist with a pedigree as solid as his own, and four other experts to assess the nickels authenticity. He says, i think we found the coin and i was like, wow thats almost like goosebumps stuff, you know . They were the coin experts, and you try to get some indication from their expression as to whether its real or not, but they didnt really show any, so i was a little nervous. This Convention Holds an unprecedented opportunity that stacks auction house didnt have in 1963 to compare George Waltons nickel with the four others that had already been authenticated. We spent 45 minutes talking about the different nuances of the coin. The experts hone in on that strange 3. What shocks them is that its identical on all five coins it took a long time, but, finally, paul called us over. They had all decided. That it was real. The very defect that caused stacks to declare waltons nickel phony proves, four decades later, that it has to be real. Whats more, its mint condition and incredible story make it worth much more than the milliondollar bounty montgomery was offering. I am the only dealer in the history of our industry that has gotten to tell a family who thought they had nothing that they indeed had millions of dollars, and that is the best thing that happened to me in my career. The givens are newly minted millionaires. It was almost like having a lottery ticket. All they need to do is cash in but not so fast thats next on strange inheritance. 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. I came across sofi and it was the best decision of my life. I feel cared about as a member. Were getting a super competitive Interest Rate on our money. Were able to invest through the same exact platform. I really liked that they didnt have any hidden or extra fees. Sofi has brought me peace of mind. Truly thank you for helping me prepare for whatever the future has in store. Now back to strange inheritance. In july 2003, ryan givens and his siblings find out that the strange inheritance they thought was fake is real and they can cash in for millions. It was very clear to me that this was a family that was not interested in selling the coin. Ryan will tell you he would much rather have the coin because he loved having it in the family. They dont have the money to insure the coin, so they loan it to the American Numismatic Association, which displays it at its museum in colorado springs. Then, in 2013, the liberty head nickels 100th birthday is approaching. We started to realize, hey, were not getting any younger. We knew wed have to sell it, and it was part of my moms estate, so any one of us couldnt hold on to it. Paul montgomery introduces the givens to greg rohan, c. E. O. Of heritage auctions, the Worlds Largest coin auction house. The 1913 nickel is arguably one of the most famous coins there is, so for the opportunity to handle one is like a paintings collector getting the mona lisa. 1,000. Heritage sets a date of april 25, 2013, in chicago fitting, since thats where the five liberty head nickels were first revealed back in 1920. The auction shut down and said, now were gonna prepare for this very, very special offering, so we sat there on pins and needles, and then the numbers start climbing. 180,000. Now 190,000. Bid 190,000. Then jeff garrett, one of the experts who helped authenticate the nickel in 2003, decides to place his own bid with another collector, larry lee. I was sitting in the audience, and i send a text to larry. I said, larry, this coins gonna to sell in about 15 minutes. I said, last chance to bid, kind of almost half jokingly, and he calls me. He says, what do you think itll bring . And i bid 2. 1 million. Jeff and larry bid against another collector as the price rises by 100,000 each bid. Jeff and larry win the auction. How much did they pay for the nickel . The total price on it came to 3. 2 million. It was almost a surreal experience, really, cause from a personal perspective, it was kind of like my everest. It was like the chance to handle one of the few great coins in numismatics. Larry lee, now the nickels sole owner, puts it on display at this coin shop in panama city, florida. The givens siblings split the net proceeds four ways and donate 100,000 to the American Numismatic Association in honor of uncle george. Any regret in not waiting to sell it for more money . If you hold on to it, itll keep growing and growing, but how long do you think youre gonna live to enjoy it . Although the mystery of the walton nickel is solved, george himself made noises about knowing of a sixth 1913 liberty he