Great Finds?

Has anyone found a diamond in the ruff in a unit like they do on the shows?  These guys always seem to find super valuable stuff.  One guy found 20 plus thousand dollars in paintings, etc.  Is it found only in well to do areas, or certain states?  I would love to hear some success stories.  It pumps me up and revs me til the next auction!

I bought 1 or 2 units a month last year... and 11 so far this year... I've been lucky in that most I make some cash a few broke even and had only 1 total loser... but I did have 2 really ,really nice scores...here's the posting I did awhile back for my best score EVER,lol ...
The Treasure Chest / Best Storage Locker of 2012
« on: February 04, 2013, 08:51:16 PM »
" This time last year..an Auction in my own facility..being tight with management,I asked about former tenants..One guy was a real Biker Type with big legal problems... when the doors went up,mattresses & trash covered the front of the 5 X 10...couldn't see a thing other than what looked like nothing but a trip to the dump...BUT THEN.... against the wall 2 metal lockers both 5 foot tall with double doors...man I tell ya it was like that briefcase in Pulp Fiction that shone a bright light when opened....KNIVES!!. mostly New in the Box(es)...3,500 of them...apparently this guy went to Weekend Biker Events and was a vendor....Rented the same unit for 2 months (didn't move a thing,it was real close to my own units) listed every CASE and BUCK knife individually on eBay...listed Everything else on Craigslist...got several "Cherry Pickers" that over a few weeks period cleaned out the good stuff...then the remaining "Made in China" 1 Dollar stuff I sold in bulk to Flea Market Re-Sellers... total $ investment $360.00, total time invested about 50 hours... took the profits and bought myself a 2009  Chevy "Box" Work Truck with 22,000 miles.... still smile everyday knowing for 360 bucks and some time/effort I scored this workhorse..

Has anyone found a diamond in the ruff in a unit like they do on the shows?

Those guys buy thousands of units and you only get to see the best of the best out of them, do the math. Also, read the disclaimers for the shows, they warn you of this too.

My theory is that the producers of the show make arrangements with local stores and collectors to plant the items into the unit. The winner finds the item, the producers say, "Bring it to this guy, he knows all about it." and the store buys the item back for less than what the show paid for it. Everybody wins.

To answer the original question..

I found a Fine China set in a $25 unit last month. China sold for $500.

I've been buying units for about two years now, average about one a month as a hobby.  (I've got a real job or I'd do a lot more)  I've never hit a big score.  My dad wanted to give it a try so I brought him to an auction.  He went 150 on a unit full of dirty old mattresses I wouldn't have bid on at all.  I gritted my teeth as he just kept bidding up on this garbage...   I headed off to work after the auction.  He had 5k in hand when I got back to help him after work.  (He sold a box full of gold jewelry at a pawn shop before he even finished cleaning out the unit...)