[ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] >> i'm jamie colby, and today i am in berkeley, california, home to the famous university and once the epicenter of the hippie movement of the 1960s, hardly the place i'd expect to find this strange inheritance, which attracted the attention of the fbi. >> my name is tom marek. when my brother robert died in 2015, he left me an arsenal of weapons -- swords, knives, guns, hatchets, you name it. >> hi, tom. i'm jamie colby. >> hi, jamie. i'm tom marek. >> it's so great to meet you, but i have to be honest. from what i've heard, your inheritance is a little disturbing. >> it's quite unique. >> well, let's take a look. oh, my god, this is not for real! i am totally creeped out right now. >> we have axes. we have knives. we have mallets. >> guns. >> there are a few guns in here. >> floor to ceiling, in every nook and niche -- big and small, sharp and blunt. intricate rows of knives, arrays of swords, hoards of hatchets. talk about "axes of evil"! >> you have to look at this more as an art display. i mean, my brother compiled this collection over his entire life. >> and he lived here? >> he lived here. >> in this room? >> his tv's in here, his bathroom is in here, and his bedroom is in here. >> where's his bed? i don't see a bed. >> up in the rafters. >> i know that our show is "strange inheritance," but this is truly weird. >> you had to know my brother. he was a little strange, but he was my brother. >> robert marek is born near san francisco in 1958. he's the second of four boys. tom is the youngest. >> we had a great childhood. i mean, we were four male children, one year apart, and we egged each oer on. >> was there anything about your brother that stood out early ? >> he was a little bit of a clown. my brother was into pyrotechnics. we had weapons, bb guns, .22s. >> nice arsenal. >> it just was a fun house for a young man growing up. >> as a teen, robert is fascinated by stories of war, gore, and weaponry. he and bruce horton become friends in high school. >> he could tell you about conquerors going back 4,000 years and and give dates and names. he loved to read this stuff. >> after high school, robert joins his buddy bruce at uc berkeley. he double-majors in art and art history, with a focus on the craft of ancient weaponry. >> we kind of formed our own little clique. in the art department, pretty much everybody was weird. >> of course, there's weird, and then there's weird. while his classmates draw, paint and sculpt, robert fashions weapons from scratch. and so begins his collection. how on earth did your brother learn, not just to make a knife, but to make swords and hatchets? >> one, reading up on it, because he really enjoyed reading and the history of weaponry, and, second, from experimentation. he had bought knives and swords. he had seen how they were assembled, and he decided he can do it better. >> in his senior year at berkeley, robert channels his vision into edgy performance art. here he is blowing fire for the camera. >> we had a performance-art group called the architects of doom. bob was like the armorer for us. we basically beat the crap out of everything. fter college robert does odd jobs -- masonry work, medil data entry, even serving subpoenas. all the while, he dedicates more and more of his time to collecting weapons and making them. how accurate was the historical part of what he did when he would make them? >> his knives had to be able to fool an expert. the composition, the iron had to be correct. the way the handle was mounted with rivets had to be correct. >> how many really great knife makers are there out there that can do what he did? >> probably about forty or fifty... >> that's it? >> ...in the world. >> in the world? >> in the world. >> i'm here at klockar's blacksmith shop in san francisco, meeting with renowned swordsmith francis boyd. he knew robert and shows me how much effort goes into a single knife. i'm no robert, but i think i can do this. >> okay, so grab it. >> got it, got it. >> you got it. now slide it under there. >> okay. >> and push it all the way up and then just hold it level. okay, hold it. go that way. okay, it's too cold. pull it out. >> it's really hard work, folks. after reheating our steel, francis teaches me how to hammer it into a blade. >> all along the edge. now flip it over. all right? now hammer along there. >> you're a very patient teacher. >> right, right, always move the work, always hammer in the same place. yes. >> yes, i got a yes! but i'm nowhere near done. it will take days of filing, polishing, and sharpening, so francis shows me what our crude weapon can eventually become. >> and there's the finished knife. if you turn this in the light, you'll see a pattern in the metal. where you see this thing along the edge, it's as hard as glass. >> this doesn't just happen in an hour. >> no. >> you saw how many knives he had collected and made over the years. how many hours did he spend? >> his whole life. you know, like a painter's got to paint, sculptor's got to sculpt, a knife maker's got to make knives. there's no way out. >> where did he work on them? >> at my mother's house. we had a lathe and drill presses and all this equipment my brother could use. >> it's not long before her son's hobby attracts unwelcome attention. >> a mother does not want the fbi knocking on her door asking about her son. >> the fbi? >> the fbi. >> but first, our "strange inheritance" quiz question. the famous swiss army knife was not originally manufactured in switzerland. was it made in... the answer after the break. dear predictable, there's no other way to say this. it's over. i've found a permanent escape from monotony. together, we are perfectly balanced, our senses awake, our hearts racing as one. i know this is sudden, but they say: if you love something... set it free. see you around, giulia ♪ bburning of diabetic nerve pain these feet... jumped into city life as a kid... ...raised two rough and tumble boys... ...and kept my town moving. but i couldn't bear my diabetic nerve pain any longer. so i talked to my doctor and he prescribed lyrica. nerve damage from diabetes causes diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is fda approved to treat this pain. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling or blurry vision. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs, and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. now i have less diabetic nerve pain. and i love keeping their little feet safe and sound. ask your doctor about lyrica. if you are eligible, you could pay as little as $25 dollars a month. >> so, where was the swiss army knife originally manufactured? in 1891, the swiss army needed a folding knife that could also open cans and disassemble a rifle. the fish scaler, ballpoint pen, and led light came later. >> a boy fascinated with battles of yore grows up to be an expert craftsman of deadly weapons. some he makes from scratch, like this battle axe. others, he buys for their historical value, like these world war ii navy knives. in 1986, 28-year-old robert marek is still living at his mother's house near san francisco. he doesn't know it, but his eccentric hobby has landed him on the radar of federal law enforcement. what happened? >> my mother answered the door, and there were two fbi agents there. and they told her they wanted to interview my brother, and she asked why. and they explained to her that they had done a profile on the unabomber. >> at the time still unidentified, "unabomber" was the fbi's code name for a domestic terrorist who sent mail bombs to his victims. he killed 3 people and injured 23 others. >> the unabomber had an association with uc berkeley, apparently was thought to be intelligent, and also worked with wood. and my brother was an artist who went to uc berkeley. >> did they bring him in for questioning? >> the following week, they came back to interview him, and my brother was never terribly open about how the interview went. he was a little embarrassed by this episode, but quickly they ruled him out as a suspect. >> the following year, in 1987, robert moves into this house in a quiet berkeley neighborhood, where he can live by himself, surrounded by all his weapons. >> did he have friends? >> well, you know, again, as an artist, you could call him a starving artist. a lot of his friends were on the edge, too, financially. they were just unique people, the type of people that make life interesting. >> his neighbors recall the first time robert has them over for dinner. what was your reaction? >> i was in shock because it was these beautiful wood walls, but floor to ceiling axes, knives. >> cannons. >> cannons. >> guns. >> oh, my. >> yeah, and so after we got in and the door closed, i kind of felt like we were never coming home. >> instead, robert serves them a delicious gourmet meal -- hold the fava beans and nice chianti. do you think he got a kick out of people's reaction. was that part of it? >> you know, probably. he was proud of his collection, but he wanted to overwhelm you. that was his goal. >> for the next 20 years, robert does what makes him happy. he fashions weapons -- lots of them -- and collects them, too. he covers the walls of his house row by row, layer by layer. while his weapons collection grows over the years, he and his brother tom, a straitlaced financial planner, grow apart. >> i moved up to washington state, and as a brother we just separated. >> then, in july 2015, tom receives some distressing news. >> i got a phone call from a female friend of his, who told me he was in the hospital. and at the time they thought he had a ruptured appendix, which he did have. and later on they found out it was cancer. >> robert is diagnosed with stage-iv cancer throughout his body. how did he react to his diagnosis? >> he was a little scared. he wanted more time in life. the doctors thought he would have a couple more years. >> but just three months after that diagnosis, robert passes away. he's only 57. >> i don't believe he was ready to go. he had more work in life, more knives to make, more pieces to add to his collection. so, it was very sad. >> you had to be close to him to see the full person who he was. otherwise it's just a snapshot, and yeah, he's strange, but he's an incredibly unique person, and we won't see another one of him, maybe ever. >> robert names brother tom his principal heir, but he doesn't forget about his close friends. >> i thought he was very generous, to leave money to people he knew late in life, college friends, people he cared about. >> after his brother's death, tom visits robert's house for the first time in more than a decade. >> i was just shocked, and i was overwhelmed. i had seen photographs, but they only show one wall or one segment of the collection. >> i would imagine that if he spent this much time collecting, he probably kept very detailed records? >> i wish he had, but no, he did not. >> so, do you have any idea what you have here? >> i really don't. >> but this guy will take a "stab" at it. >> there could easily be a hidden jewel buried somewhere. >> next. >> here's another quiz question for you. what's the name of these weapons built by robert marek? are they... the answer when we return. ♪ hey, i'm the internet! i know a bunch of people who would love that. the internet loves what you're doing... ...so build a better website in under an hour with... ...gocentral from godaddy. the internet is waiting. start for free today at godaddy. you know how painful heartburn can be. for fast-acting, long-lasting relief, try doctor recommended gaviscon. it quickly neutralizes stomach acid and helps keep acid down for hours. relieve heartburn with fast- acting, long-lasting gaviscon. and helps keep acid down for hours. listen up, heart disease.) you too, unnecessary er visits. and hey, unmanaged depression, don't get too comfortable. we're talking to you, cost inefficiencies and data without insights. and fragmented care- stop getting in the way of patient recovery and pay attention. every single one of you is on our list. for those who won't rest until the world is healthier, neither will we. optum. how well gets done. tthat's why at comcast,t to be connected 24/7. we're always working to make our services more reliable. with technology that can update itself. and advanced fiber network infrastructure. new, more reliable equipment for your home. and a new culture built around customer service. it all adds up to our most reliable network ever. one that keeps you connected to what matters most. >> so, what's the name of these weapons built by robert marek? the answer is... they were used in medieval times to attack enemies in body armor. >> forged by expert hands, a massive collection of more than five thousand weapons. it's tom marek's strange inheritance, hanging off the walls and rafters of his big brother robert's berkeley, california, house. >> just visually it was overwhelming. it was my brother's life, but i don't think i could have been prepared until i walked through that door. >> he'd like to honor his brother's wishes. >> we had a heart-to-heart talk in the hospital. he would have preferred it to go to a museum. he would have preferred it to go to a single collector. >> but it's clear that's a tall order. >> and he gave me permission to auction off his collection. he realized that was the most likely outcome. it is sad to me. it's my brother. it's a collection of artwork that he created. >> tom's not sure how valuable the collection might be, or how to sell it, so he contacts michaan's auctions in alameda, california. they send in their sharpest mind -- world-renowned antique weapons expert greg martin. is this a once-in-a-lifetime collection? >> oh, i believe it is. you don't find collections like this, compiled by the maker and the collector rolled into one. >> greg tells me that's what makes this inheritance so unique. it's a combination -- some historical items robert purchased, but most he made himself. >> this axe, this is a handmade piece that he forged and pounded out. >> wow. >> this is really i think very interesting. these are all classic renditions of the bowie knife. >> so, did he research these in order to get them so accurate? >> he would have had to. but i was going to point out, one of the characteristics of a bowie knife, one of them, is a clip-point blade. >> what does that do? >> and clip-point blade, sharpened, like this one, if you're having a knife fight or something, it becomes handy when you pull back. >> so, both parts of this blade are blade. >> that's right. this is sharp and this is sharp. >> and it's not just blades of every size and shape. robert also dabbled in gunsmithing. >> now, this is a serious piece of metal... >> no kidding. >> ...that robert was working on and evidently he was making himself a very big-bore gun of some sort. >> that's really heavy. >> i understand robert was a real big guy, and, i mean, i can barely get it up. >> greg also pulls some of the historical items that robert acquired. >> this is a very interesting gun. >> it's beautiful. >> it looks like a small gun, but it is a big-bore gun. this carries a very big, powerful cartridge, and this is known as a howdah gun. >> what year do you think? >> 1880s, most likely. >> so, greg, what do you think this one's worth? >> between $1,500 and $2,500. >> do you have an idea in your mind of what this collection might bring? >> piece by piece, if you, i think it would probably bring a quarter of a million or more. >> a quarter of a million? >> yeah. >> really? that much? tom's ready find out. so, it's off the walls for more than 5,000 weapons, headed to auction. >> $2,500, go $2,750. $2,750 is now the bid. go $3,000. >> that's next. what's your "strange inheritance" story? we'd love to tell it. send me an e-mail, or go to our website, strangeinheritance.com. liberty mutual stood with me when this guy got a flat tire in the middle of the night. hold on dad... liberty did what? yeah, liberty mutual 24-hour roadside assistance helped him to fix his flat so he could get home safely. my dad says our insurance doesn't have that. don't worry - i know what a lug wrench is, dad. is this a lug wrench? maybe? you can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you™. liberty stands with you™. liberty mutual insurance. thereit comes to technology, about my small business so when i need someone that understands my unique needs. my dell small business advisor has gotten to know our business so well that is feels like he's a part of our team. with one phone call, he sets me up with tailored products and serves. and when my advisor is focused on my tech, i can focus on my small business. ♪ ♪ in very old habits of using toothpaste people are stuck to clean a denture. but dentures are very different to real teeth. they're about 10x softer and may have surface pores where bacteria can grow and multiply. polident is specifically designed to clean dentures daily. it's unique micro-clean formula kills 99.99% causing bacteria and helps dissolve stains. cleaning in a better way than brushing with toothpaste. that's why dentists recommend polident. polident. cleaner, fresher, brighter every day. ♪ here comes the fun with sea-doo. ♪ ♪ sea-doo has the most affordable watercraft on the market. starting at just $5,299 and get 0 percent financing. visit sea-doo.com today. looking from a fresh perspective can make all the difference. it can provide what we call an unlock: a realization that often reveals a better path forward. at wells fargo, it's our expertise in finding this kind of insight that has lead us to become one of the largest investment and wealth management firms in the country. discover how we can help find your unlock. >> now, back to "strange inheritance." >> it's september 2016, and tom marek is pleased. a small slice of his strange inheritance -- a 5,000-piece weapon collection amassed by his brother robert -- is up for sale at michaan's auctions. >> they did a very good job setting up my brother's display. beautiful bowie knives i think people will appreciate and a number of rifles and pistols. >> we will begin today's auction. >> first up, three of robert's handmade weapons modeled after the medieval mace and horseman's hammer. >> we'll start the bidding on this lot at $100. $100 is bid. thank you. $100 is on the telephone. $190 is now the bid. go $200. $190, go $200. $200 is bid there. last call, $200. [ cash register dings ] >> on down the line, this robert's historical pieces -- es for $250. next, a rare civil war collins hospital knife sells for $550. this japanese gunto sword cuts in at $700. >> lot number 23 is a rigby english double rifle. $1,000 is there. $1,000, now the bid goes. $1,100 i have. $1,200 is bid. $1,200 is now bid... >> now, this one could go somewhere. rigby is a sought-after manufacturer founded in ireland, and this rifle, circa 1900, is in excellent condition. >> $1,300 is there first. $1,400 is seated. $1,900 is here, $1,900. $2,000 will be next. $1,900 is the bid on the telephone. $2,000, new bidder. now the bid goes $2,250. $2,250 is bid. $2,750 is there. go $3,000. last call -- $2,750. [ cash register dings ] >> remember that big-bore english howdah pistol greg showed me? when it comes on the block, tom switches from seller to bidder. >> yeah, i got it. >> that's because he's his brother robert's principal -- but not sole -- heir. so, if he wants to keep any of the weapons, he'll have to buy them himself at auction. >> ...will get you there. $1,000, $1,100's your bid. $1,100. $1,200 is bid here. >> yeah. >> it's too rich for tom's blood, as the pistol squarely hits its appraisal target. >> last call. [ cash register dings ] >> tom will be more tenacious when bidding starts on some of robert's expertly crafted bowie knives that greg showed me back at the house. >> ...the bid there. is there any advance on $130? $140. $140 is up front. new bidder. $140 now the bid. no advance on $140. up front at $140. last call, $140. [ gavel bangs ] [ cash register dings ] >> i didn't get one of the pistols i wanted. it went for too much money, but i got a couple of beautiful bowie knives that my brother made. i'll bring them home, put them in my cabinet, put them on the wall. i'll remember my brother. >> in total, the sale of just 30 items nets 11,400 bucks. considering there are about 5,000 more still set to go to auction, it seems like that estimate of a quarter-million dollars is well within reach. >> i'm happy. i think this will do him honor. >> and for the heir in this strange inheritance story, honoring his brother has always been the point. the money, ultimately, is beside it. >> this was a lifelong passion. not many people can do what they want in life, and he did. i mean, he made it work, without much money, but he put together an amazing collection, and he was proud of what he did. >> i bet you're all wondering, did robert ever actually use any of those weapons in his collection? turns out he did. back in his college days, he took care of the landscaping around his mother's house. he mowed the grass, weeded the flower beds, and when it was time to trim the hedges, he did that, too. his tool of choice for that job? you guessed it, a sword like this one from his collection. i'm jamie colby for "strange inheritance." thanks so much for watching. and remember -- you can't take it with you. >> muscle-bound heroes... >> my dad said, "if i'm gonna do conan, it's gonna be done my way." >> curvy vixens... >> when i look at the female characters that dad did, mom was okay with that? >> the da vinci of fantasy art. >> this entire visual genre traces back to this one artist. >> how much did it sell for? >> about $1.1 million. >> but when he's gone, a real battle takes shape. >> how bad did it get? >> i'm not close to my brother anymore. even today we don't talk. >> can the next generation save the family and its fortune? >> i think i was like their last hope. >> my grandfather deserves to live on, and what better place than comic-con? [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] ♪ >> i'm jamie colby, driving through east stroudsburg, pennsylvania, about 100 miles north of philadelphia. i'm headed to a fantasy wod that sprang from the mind of an artist whose name you may not know, but whose work you've surely seen. >> my name is bill frazetta. my father was an incredibly successful artist and a great dad, but not such a great estate planner, so when he died, he left my siblings and me a valuable inheritance that nearly tore us apart. >> i'm jamie. >> hi, jamie. how are you? bill frazetta. >> i meet bill in front of the costume shop he's been running for 36 years. can we go in? >> come on in. >> on the third floor, bill leads me to what he calls his private horror bar. >> i'd like to show you a couple of oil paintings that my dad did. these were done back in the '60s. you got "wolf moon" here. this was the "sea monster." >> what do you call these? i've never seen art like this. >> this is science-fiction art, fantasy art. >> the true story of this fantasy art begins in the sheepshead bay section of brooklyn, new york, where frank frazetta is born in 1928. what do you know about his childhood? >> he loved sports, loved playing stickball. he loved the streets of brooklyn. >> when he's not playing ball, little frank enjoys drawing and coloring. >> from the time he picked up a crayon, it was just a god-given talent. >> holly frazetta-taylor is frank's eldest daughter. >> his grandma would give him a penny every time, and he would draw on toilet paper. whatever there was he could find, he would draw on it. >> in grade school, frank shows off for classmates by sketching his favorite comic-book heroes. >> one of his teachers actually got mad at his father -- "why aren't you doing something with this boy?" they couldn't believe how good he was, and that's when they put him into art school. >> so young frank studies pencil sketching, oil painting, and watercolors. but when the art school shuts down, frank, now 16, strikes out on his own. he creates this original comic story about an ax-wielding snowman. his work's good enough to land him a job at a bustling comic-strip production house in manhattan. frank gets his "snowman" comic published his first year in the biz. >> he was very versatile. he could do realistic war stories, crime stories. he could do westerns. >> in 1952, a neighborhood cutie with a comic-book name -- ellie kelly -- takes an interest in the 24-year-old artist. and who can blame her? with this physique, the kid could have been his own model. they get married in 1956... >> they had movie-star good looks, both of them. they were a really, really handsome couple. >> ...with, in due course, four gorgeous kids, including holly and bill. >> the great thing about being an artist, you can work from home. he loved playing with us all the time and drew at night a lot of times when we'd go to bed. >> frank contributes to big-name titles like "buck rogers" and "flash gordon"... then as a ghost illustrator on the weekly strip "li'l abner." >> it was a really good paycheck for the day, but he just got tired of doing the same. there was no creativity in it, and he just wanted to do something else. >> so frank leaves his salary job with "li'l abner" in 1961 and takes a shot at freelancing. banking on his reputation, he waits for the phone to ring. it doesn't. wow. what happens when you have kids at home, and you go from being very successful with a nice paycheck to nothing? >> mom was furious. i'm sure there was a lot of fighting going on. [ laughs ] but, you know, i mean, thent ed around. >> what happened next? >> he did an ad in a mad magazine. >> on the back cover of mad magazine, frank creates a parody ad for a men's shampoo called "blecch," featuring the famous beatle, ringo starr. >> that nice full head of hair that ringo had, big full lips, the nose was -- you know, everything was a little over-exaggerated. >> that was mad magazine. >> that was. >> somebody in hollywood saw it and loved it and immediately hired him to start doing movie posters. >> frazetta's first go is this poster for the 1965 comedy "what's new pussycat?," starring peter o'toole and woody allen. it's a hit. dozens more follow, including "hotel paradiso" and "the secret of my success." >> the movie posters started really setting his career off. >> next thing you know, frank is creating a new world of barbarians, blades, and babes -- many we wouldn't think of airing on a family program. >> he brought the sex and violence of the pulps of his youth to a whole new level. >> the most bruising fight, however, won't be fought on frank's canvases, but over them. how bad did it get? >> this whole story, it brings back a lot of bad memories. >> that's next. >> but first, our "strange inheritance" quiz question... the answer after the break. ♪ >> so, which bikini was inspired by frank frazetta's work? it's "b." princess leia's slave costume is recognized as being influenced by this frazetta book cover. >> it's 1966, and 38-year-old artist frank frazetta is creating movie posters for hollywood. a new rk publisher approaches him to do origin cover art for the release of a paperback book series featuring conan the barbarian. >> my dad said, "if i'm gonna do conan, it's gonna be done my way." >> with oil on canvas, a hulking hero emerges, conan the adventurer. >> when he did this first conan here, that's when he was put on the map, and it's almost like everything's jumping off the canvas at you. >> it's got everything -- weaponry, chains, the damsel in distress. >> this is everything that came right out of his mind. he was so powerful as a person that he put himself into a lot of his barbarians. >> with conan, he saw a great potential to put himself into it, the wilder side of frank. >> frank goes on to do seven more conan covers, including "conan the conqueror," "the buccaneer, and "the avenger" -- a mix of of muscles, gore, and girls. the frazetta covers help sell more than 10 million copies and spawn a whole new style of fantasy art. >> younger people today have no idea that this entire visual genre traces back to this one artist. >> frank's so in demand, that ellie, who runs the business, is able to insist that they only accept projects where they hold on to the original artwork, including the rights to reproduce prints. >> my dad and my mother loved the art pretty much the same. my dad didn't want to give up any of his art and neither did mom. >> you know, when i look at the female characters that dad did, they're like, uh, buxom and pretty sexy, curvy girls. mom was okay with that? >> she did not mind that at all. she thought the body was beautiful to see on canvas the way he painted it. >> in 1971, frank decides to pack up the family in brooklyn and head to the country for some space and serenity. they land near east stroudsburg, pennsylvania, and buy an old farmhouse on 80 acres. what was it like growing up in the country? >> oh, it was so nice 'cause we had like no neighbors, so it was just a big play land out there. >> nestled in the pocono mountains, frank churns out more otherworldly scenes. his influence keeps creeping across american culture. tv series like "battlestar galactica" commission his work for their advertisements. and in 1983, his art hits the big screen in the animated adventure film "fire and ice." then, in 1986, the army iii corps, nicknamed the phantom warriors, adopt his "death dealer" character as their symbol. they even erect a bronze statue outside their fort hood headquarters in texas. with an inventory of oil paintings on hand, ellie frazetta opens a frazetta museum in 2000 on the grounds of the family estate in the poconos. >> you would get people with phd's, and you would get bikers, and everything in between, and they just had an absolute reverence for seeing these originals. >> but frank's professional career comes to an end when, in his late 60s, he suffers a series of debilitating strokes. >> it was horrible. i lost part of him. he was never the same -- you know, not being able to get the right words out and speak, and it would frustrate him. >> then frank's wife of 53 years loses her battle with cancer. in 2009, ellie frazetta dies at 74. but even as the family mourns mom's death, a feud begins brewing. it will flare up into a fight as fierce as anything on frank's canvases. >> billy called, and he's like, "oh, my gosh. the alarm's going off at the museum." >> what happened? that's next. >> here's another quiz question for you. who used frank frazetta's "the brain" as an album cover? the answer when we return. i am totally blind. and sometimes i struggle to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. this is called non-24. learn more by calling 844-824-2424. or visit your24info.com. i cot on my dell small for tech advice. withne phone call, i get products that suit my needs and i get back to business. ♪ ♪ and and togeer we'reelleckley the band america. we'd like to invite you to join us and many of our friends on the rock & romance cruise. ♪too much time on my hands you'll see styx in a special encore performance ♪what a fool believes plus over ♪will you meet me you'll relive the 70s with the feel-good music and feel-good vibes that made the decade so special. ♪ plus experience more than with rock's biggest stars. we'll sail on the highly rated: ♪ join the party and relive the era that made you feel so good. ♪come sail away the 70s rock and romance cruise more information go to rockandromancecruise.com ♪ so, who used "the brain" as an album cover? it's "b," nazareth. the group's 1977 release, "expect no mercy," was one of many albums that featured frazetta's work. >> legendary fantasy artist frank frazetta depicted hundreds of epic, otherworldly battles. but in 2009, the conflict comes home. after his wife's death, and with frank recovering from a series of strokes, his kids begin feuding over the rights to his valuable paintings. did mom leave instructions of what she would want to happen to dad's art if she passed? >> i wish i could say yes, but she didn't. she really kind of left us a little clueless. >> there was no communication going on amongst us. it was a really bad, dark, dark time. >> for more than a decade, bill and holly's older brother, frank jr., who declined to be interviewed for this program, had been working with their mother, running the frazetta fantasy empire. >> she let junior run the business with her because i think it was old school, firstborn, and we all wanted to have a part of it. i think that's where frankie felt entitlement because he did it so long with mom that it was his. and, of course, you know, "sure, frankie, you can have the art." [ laughs ] i don't think so. >> in despair over the family strife, 81-year-old frank frazetta steps in, crting a trust so that all his children will benefit from his art and the business. but that settles nothing. how bad did it get? >> well, there's so much i could tell you, i could make a movie out of this. >> on december 9, 2009, bill receives a phone call from a security company. the alarm had been tripped at his father's museum. as bill drives onto the scene, he comes upon his older brother, frank jr., leaving the museum in his truck pulling a trailer. he was coming towards you? >> coming towards me. >> what'd you do? >> put a stop to it. >> how? >> blocking him. i kind of met him head on. it was just a tap, but enough for me to wave to him, "you're not going nowhere." >> police look inside the trailer and discover that frank jr. took about 90 paintings from the museum. he's arrested and charged with burglary and trespassing. >> it was just a tough time in my life, i'll tell you. [ sniffles, sighs ] >> i bet really hard to tell your dad, too. >> it was. [ sniffles ] it's hard sometimes to talk about it because, you know, i'm not close to my brother anymore, you know, and we don't talk, and family is supposed to be everything, and it's just sad when it -- things fall apart. >> frank jr. claims his father gave him written instructions to remove the paintings from the museum. >> my goal was to hopefully get my father back control to protect him, and that's all -- simple as that. i love my father dearly. i wish i could see him. >> it's painful for any father to go through something like this, you know, but, once again, hopefully, somehow we can work things out. >> charges are eventually dropped by the family. five months after the incident, frank frazetta sr. dies of a stroke. he's 82. >> theouring out of the fans, it was overwhelmg. i knew how much he inspired millions of people out there. he was a gift to all of us. >> in the months following his death, the frazetta family infighting only intensifies. each sibling has a different idea of how to capitalize on their father's lucrative legacy. >> tension was very thick. >> sara frazetta-taylor is frank frazetta's oldest grandchild and holly's daughter. >> there was a little bit of rivalry between the boys and the girls because of different beliefs on how the art should be handled. >> what was the issue with each one? >> there was no way that all four siblings could agree to do a business together, licensing, merchandising, selling the artwork. >> in july 2010, with legal costs mounting, the family decides to sell one oil painting -- "conan the destroyer." the private sale brings in one and a half million dollars, a record price for fantasy art. unfortunately, bill says the family sees very little of the proceeds. >> sadly to say, a lot of it ended up going towards lawyers. so granddaughter sara says she volunteers to try and broker a peace among her warring elders. >> i wasn't a lawyer, and i think i was like their last hope to some kind of resolution. >> what made you want to get involved in what had become a real family mess? >> i've always been a natural mediator. i've always seen both sides of every argument, and i could remain neutral. >> the assumption was always they'd keep the collection together, but maybe it's best for frank's kids to divvy up the 160 artworks equally. what's step one? >> there was a lot of confusion. how do you split pieces of art that are worth so much money, and how do you even put a value to them? >> sara consults with each family member individually. using a tier system, the heirs take turns picking their favorites, from the high-end "conan" and "death dealer" oil paintings all the way down to lesser-known pen-and-ink drawings. how'd that go? >> well, the process caused me to be in extreme adrenal fatigue because of so much stress. so, if the picks were conflicting, and they both wanted the same thing, that's when there would be a little bit of turmoil, and we would have to decide what was fair. >> when the dust settles, each frazetta heir walks away with about 40 artworks, including oil paintings, pencil sketches, and ink drawings. >> no one wanted to fight anymore. that was the truth of it. >> were you satisfied? >> i was very satisfied because the pain wasn't worth what we were going through. >> now everyone's free to do as they wish with their strange inheritances. hold them... hang them... even sell. and they know just where the buyers are. tell me about the deals that you've done for the family. what's your "strange inheritance" story? 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>> this is called "warrior with ball and chain." >> tell me about the deals that you've done for the family. >> one of the pieces i recently sold was the painting called "spider man, and it's not the amazing spider-man, it's a barbarian killing a spider, and we recently sold that for $350,000. i've also sold the "battlestar galactica" painting for about $150,000. >> then there's frank's 1974 piece, "at the earth's core," sold by holly frazetta-taylor and how much did it sellor? >> about $1.1 milln. >> another recent sale, bill frazetta's "sea witch" brings in 750 grand. the next generation of frazettas, meantime, is promoting their grandfather's work. what are you doing exactly with your mom now? >> well, five years ago we decided that we were going to start frazetta girls, llc. we're making tons of different prints like canvas prints, textured art prints, patches, pins -- just my goal is for everyone to know who frank frazetta is, the godfather of fantasy art. >> at a booth here at comic-con, i meet with danielle frazetta, bill's daughter and sara's cousin. she, too, runs her own business, selling her grandfather's art. do younger people recognize this as a frazetta? >> either they know who he was, and they're just like, "this is the master," or they don't, and they're just like in complete awe. >> what is your dad's legacy? >> just being the greatest fantasy illustrator that ever walked the face of the earth. i think he's gonna be remembered as someone that just touched the world with his art. >> the family tells me that amid the fighting and bickering over the division of their father's art, one piece stood apart -- his self-portrait. back in , frustrated and unab to find work, 34-year-frank channeled his anger and put it to the canvas. what emerged was a portrait of determination, a precursor of his success to come. today holly frazetta owns the original portrait, and she guarantees it's one that will never go up for sale. i'm jamie colby. thanks so much for watching "strange inheritance." and remember -- you can't take it with you. a paid advertisement for time life's music collection. ♪ chances are 'cause i wear a silly grin ♪ there are artists we'll always remember... ♪ mona lisa, mona lisa ♪ men have named you there are beautiful songs, words and memories that will always touch our hearts... ♪ it's impossible ♪ to tell the sun to leave the sky ♪ ♪ it's just impossible this is the music of your life.