The rarest type of Navajo blanket emerged from obscurity when it was brought to an auction house for appraisal by a California man whose family handed it down through generations.

After his family casually used it for over a hundred years, the blanket dramatically changed the disabled descendent's life. He was teetering on bankruptcy when the appraiser shocked him with an assessment of $50,000 for his museum-quality treasure.

But that's not the end of the story.

The Navajo Chief's Wearing Blanket made auction history. Watch the scene unfold, but grab the tissues first…