Archive - 2011

Auction Hunters: Season 2, Episode 12: “Top Gun Ton.”

Allen and Ton drove to Ontario California. The storage facility there were headed to only holds one auction a year, so there were 26 units up for sale and a lot of people.

The Haff-Ton team jumped right into the bidding and won the first unit. After that, Allen and Ton held off, not seeing anything they wanted right up until the final unit. Since they hadn’t bid on anything else, they still had plenty of money and were able to go higher than the others who’d been bidding all day, and they won the last unit.

Dusty Unit

The guys paid $450 for a large unit full of dusty old boxes. Dust promised old and old usually means good money.

They found one of the first army cellphones, called a Handie Talkie, worth $80 as well as two clock radios from the 1950’s worth $60.

Fact: “Handie Talkies” were developed in WWII replaced the back mounted “Walkie Talkies”

After Allen took a leaf blower to the dust to clear things up, they found more antiques: an old box camera worth $30 and an early Polaroid camera with a value of $60.

Fact: The first permanent photograph was made in 1827 using a sliding wooden box camera.

Then they uncovered a 100 year old studio camera.

They took all the cameras to Eric, a camera expert. While he wasn’t very interested by the others, he was impressed by the studio camera. He said it was an old Korona, made by Gundlach and had all the original pieces.

Fact: Gundlach made lenses before acquiring the Milburn Korona camera company in 1896.

The light grey green color of the bellows was also very rare, as most of them were black or red. He dated the camera between 1910 and 1930, and said it was also the kind press photographers would use.

To test if the shutter would still work, Allen and Ton did a little modeling and the pictures came out great.

Since the camera was still working, Eric paid them $525 for the all the whole lot.

R.C. Unit

Ton got excited at the last unit, when he spotted what looked like remote control car parts. The guys paid $1300 for the unit and then started digging through all the boxes. At first the contents all seemed pretty worthless, until Ton found an R.C. car worth $200.

Then they found a small remote controlled yellow jet.

After reaching the back of the unit Ton found a tarp covered item. He lifted it and found an even larger R.C. jet.

They took the two jets to Billy, an R.C. jet expert. He wasn’t interested in the yellow one, saying it was just a toy, but the bigger one really impressed him.

Fact: Some R.C. jet motors run on the same jet fuel as commercial airliners.

He said it was a Sky Master Fighter Jet, an actual scale model of a real Viper Jet. He checked the motor and found there was a $4000 piece of equipment inside.

Fact: The real Viper Jet can be purchased by civilians and costs over $2.5 million.

It was still no guarantee that it would fly though, and it wouldn’t be worth anything grounded. They had to try it out and Ton wanted to give it a spin. Billy definitely wasn’t so sure that was a good idea and started him out on the yellow jet first.

Fact: Beginner R.C. jets can fly as fast as 120 MPH.

Billy turned out to be right when the plane crashed and burned under Ton’s watch. Crashing that plane lost the Haff-Ton team $600.

Billy wisely took over the flying for the Viper Jet. It flew beautifully and landed without a hitch.

Billy bought the jet from them for $9000.

Ton might have crashed and burn one plane that day, but the guys were soaring high after two great units!

Auction Total:

Paid $1750
Sold: $10825
Profit: $8475

Please post your insightful and thoughtful opinions in the comment box below.

Auction Hunters: Tanked!

July 17, 2011

Auction Hunters: Season 2, Episode 11: “The Smoking Ton.”

Allen and Ton went down to Worcester, MA, a city with a rich historical background and a history of some great storage finds.

Fact: Worcester is 40 miles west of Boston and is the second largest city in New England.

Auctions only occur every few months, so the Haff-Ton team knew they had to make this one count, and they certainly did. Of the four units up for auction, the guys won three of them.

Fact: In 2010 antique pottery found at a Worcester storage auction sold for over $30,000.

Funky Smelling Unit

None of the other bidders were too interested in bidding on a unit that had a definite odor, but Allen and Ton decided to step up to the plate and won it for only $275.

There was a file cabinet inside, an old air conditioner and boxes. They found some vintage restaurant chairs worth $240 and a professional kitchen knife set with a value of $275. Chop, chop!

Packed in a box they found an industrial meat slicer worth $850. Since startup restaurants are always looking for secondhand equipment, this unit ended up being a winner.

The source of the smell was discovered in a box full of very, rotten cheese.

Safe Unit

They guys paid $1000 for this unit after spotting an old antique safe inside. The rest of the unit wasn’t worth much, just an old couch, a broken player piano and a toy penguin.

The safe itself was from the early 1900’s and they sold it for $2000.

But inside the safe they also found a humidor from 1890. It still had its original key which made it even more valuable.

Fact: A humidor contains a wet sponge to maintain the humidity inside.

They also found a lighter and a Red Snaper Cigar Box inside worth $125 to $150.

They took all the cigar collectibles to David, a cigar expert, who bought everything from them for $1900 and threw in a cigar for Ton.

Fact: Tobacciana refers to vintage collectibles like ashtrays, lighters and humidors.

Air Hockey Unit

Allen and Ton paid $600 for a unit after spotting an original air hockey table inside from 1975 that was worth $300.

There was a lot of worthless furniture they had to dig through but they did find $50 worth of antique tools and as well as 10 World War II officer jackets worth $500 and some 1960’s Gas Masks with a value of $40.

Ton was quite excited to uncover some mini tank treads and oddly enough, that wasn’t the only piece of a tank they found. They also discovered a solid steel tank barrel. It was a first, even for the Haff-Ton.

Fact: Tank treads are made of a manganese alloy and cannot be punctured.

They took the tank equipment to Andy, a military expert. He said the tracks were from a M24 tank and that their five blocks were worth about two to three hundred.

Fact: The M24 was a fast, light-armored tank that delivered large caliber fire.

The barrel was a 27 millimeter World War II barrel from a M3 Stuart.

Fact: The M3 Stuarts were the first American-manned U.S. tanks used in WWII combat.

He explained that if someone had used a torch to prevent it from firing it would be worth $1200. If it was still operational it’d be worth between five to seven thousand.

After checking it out Andy confirmed it was a live barrel.

Andy paid Allen and Ton $5000 for the barrel and the treads as well as letting them fire one his tanks.

Fact: The largest shells ever fired in WWII were 31.5″ in diameter.

Ton took charge of the guns and had a tank-filled field day!

A nice healthy profit and a ride in a tank, Ton and Allen definitely came out on top!

Auction Total:

Paid $1875
Sold: $10450
Profit: $8575

Please post your insightful and thoughtful opinions in the comment box below.

Storage Wars: Don’t Bet On It

July 11, 2011

Guest Contributor

Storage Wars

Storage Wars: Season 2, Episode 1: “Hang ‘Em High Desert.”

Victorville held a special place in Barry’s heart as it was the place of his very first auction.

Barry: I remember it well, mainly because I didn’t win anything.

Jarrod last visit here without much cash or a partner. He returned with a pocket full of cash and Brandi. Dave mentioned his competition was weak. Darrell stated his shenanigans and trash talk days were over. Yeah, I’ll believe that when I see it.

1^st Storage Unit
Furniture covered in plastic, Bob Marley poster, guitar picks, beds, and dressers. Barry used his high powered spot light.

Liked what he saw and won at $1,100

Barry found a two guitar cases. One had a Gibson mini electric guitar iniside; the other a small acoustic guitar. He also found an amplifier.

Guitar expert appraised acoustic guitar at $1,500. Mirovex amplifier a few hundred, at best. Mini Gibson electric guitar however, estimated value at $4,000.

Barry: The (Bob Marley) poster was the first clue, the finger picks were the second clue. Like any good detective, I’ll finish the hunt.

2^nd Storage Unit

Refrigerator, toys, pet crates, couches, fishing poles, dog kennel, bike, clocks, furniture, and what appeared to be the contents of an entire house. Dave Hester won at $2,750.

Hester sifted through his merchandise. Found an oil painting, refrigerator, grandfather clock, dresser, DVDs, dog cage, world globe, ottoman, sofa with loveseat, washer and dryer, and a child’s bike. Unique find was an antique pedal car.

Appraiser mentioned that the pedal car dated back to the 1950s. Though rare, market value low at $400-$500.

3^rd Storage Unit
Chairs, Tupperware, plants, book cases, stereo equipment, trash cans, blue trunks, and boxes. Darrell won at $1,150.

He dug through his room. Retrieved dining room chairs, step ladder, golden rings, a wooden skull clock, and Tag and Seiko watches.

Skull clock appraised by a clock expert who stated if original, would sell for $2,000. Darrell however, had a knockoff. Valued at $150.

Darrell: With this watch right here, I just paid for the whole locker.

Jarrod did not win a storage unit but he did make a coin-toss bet with Darrell. He won $100. Better than nothing.

Profit Total:

Dave Hester: $1,140
Barry Weiss: $4,600
Darrell Sheets: $90
Jarrod Schulz & Brandi Passante

What did you think of Barry’s antique guitars?

Please leave your creative comments in the box below.

Storage Hunters: Jesse Fights Brandon

June 21, 2011

Chuck G.

Storage Hunters

Storage Hunters: Season 1, Episode 2: “Bloody Battles.”

Brandon and Lori Bernier play it smart. Before they attend storage auctions they research who rented the locker, what they did for a living, and where they lived. Rest of the cast, nothing to write home about.

1^st Storage Unit
Boxes full of toys, though boxes not in the best shape. Doesn’t mean the toys were not collectible. Jesse knew Berniers did their research, so if they’re interested, so was he.

Berniers vs. Jesse, bid shot up quick but it was the Berniers for the win at $900.

Unlike other reality storage auction shows the winners immediately enter their storage units. Berniers found a Fran Dresher talking doll (big whoop), baseball signed by Alan Thicke (another big whoop), few vintage toys, comic books, and a genuine Lionel train (now that’s a whoop!).

Also unlike other storage auction reality shows the auction hunters do their own appraisals. Lionel train made of enamel. Placard underneath train displayed the full “Lionel” name instead of just the “L” which predates train before 1940s. Mint condition and original valued at $800-$1,000.

2^nd Storage Unit
Tires, table saw, rims, and tons of tools. Lots of “ooohs,” and “aahs” for this locker.

Berniers were out because owner went jail. The couple worried if items inside the locker might be stolen goods. No one else shared their concern.

Sean the Auctioneer: If you’re looking to open up your own NASCAR pit stop, this is your chance.

Sean started the bid at $800… Ka-Chow! But this locker was Jesse’s all the way at $2,300.

Jesse dug through the unit with Sean (that’s different to have auctioneer enter the locker). They found four BMW rims, late 90s 3-series, estimated valued at around $500. Four vanity wheels maybe at $200-$300. Craftsman big red tool cabinet and miscellaneous car items. Sean quipped items might have belonged to a chop shop. Ya, think? Did Fonzie-Jesse care? Uh, no.

3^rd Storage Unit
Stank! Crowd covered their noses, it was that bad.

Furniture, fans, small appliances, boxes, and miscellaneous household goods, but it all stank! That turned away a lot of bidders.

Sean begged people to bid. He got one bid at $25 but it was Brandon who won at $50. Inside the unit he found a classic “Pong” game worth at least $280.

The highly collectible item however was a first generation Mac computer. The back label on the computer mouse read M0100 which classified this as one of the first Macs in production. With computer, mouse and keyboard, rare to find complete set, valued at $500.

4^th Storage Unit
Pool tabled covered by a cloth, mattress, flat-screen TV, boxes, table, and a chair. Pretty sparse for a big locker. Berniers were out because of the cost to move the pool table, but that didn’t scare Papa Bear.

Lori: Papa Bear he’s like a wild card. He’ll bid on anything at anytime.

Papa Bear won the locker for $2,600. The pool table was made of solid wood, which was a good sign, but it was also HEAVY. Papa Bear drove to the auction in his ’51 Plymouth. Hmmm, how is he going to fit that pool table into his car. Papa Bear said he jumped the gun on that one. Doh.

5^th Storage Unit
Low budget film director owned the locker. Huge alien prop, movie props, boxes, and filing cabinet. Brandon decided to spook Jesse by nagging him to bid. The Fronze was not amused. Bid war and in-your-face battle escalated. Brandon did distract Jesse enough to win the locker at $3,100.

Jesse called Lori a (bleep). Staff had to immediately intervene, separated the two men. Jesse said he was fine but then charged toward Brandon.

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

Brandon: My plan worked, but I’m not letting anyone disrespect my wife.

Jesse shoved Brandon against the door of a locker. Took a couple of staff members to pry the two hot-heads apart. Jesse spouted a few choice metaphors then eased off.

This show is definitely not Storage Wars…

Brandon and Lori dug through unit. Camera cases were empty. Filing cabinet, empty. Lori found a canvas bag. Inside a Sony HD camera, newer model, estimated value at $4,000. Also found audio equipment valued at $3,000.

Berniers took the alien prop for appraisal at a prop shop. Alien prop was from the second Alien movie. It’s not the mold for the prop, but the core of the alien suit, which goes inside the mold. The prop was devalued because it had been altered from its original form. Appraised at $2,000.

Profit Scorecard:

Brandon & Lori: $5,080
Jesse McClure: $1,000+
Papa Bear: ?

Do you think the fight was real or staged beforehand?

Let us know what you thought of this reality show compared to other storage auction reality shows in the comment box below.

Storage Hunters – Another Storage Auction Reality Show?

June 20, 2011

Travis Lane

Entertainment

45 Comments

Storage Hunters, what a clever and unique name for a storage auction reality show; how ever did they come up with a name so catchy?

It looks as though TruTV is trying to cash in on the millions of viewers that shows like Storage Wars & Auction Hunters attracted, by spinning off of their failed storage auction reality show. TruTV timed the premiere perfectly, while Storage Wars and Auction Hunters were in between seasons. Since I can’t watch Storage Wars or Auction Hunters, this seems to be the only other option. It should be entertaining none the less.

The new show features former boxer Brandon Bernier and his wife Lori. I wasn’t able to find any information on Brandon’s boxing career which might explain why he got into acting. Apparently, Brandon and Lori Bernier are the Husband and wife duo that were in TruTV’s original attempt at a storage auction reality show, “Forbidden Storage,” which miserably flopped. It was tagged by critics as the most fake & most hated show on television. Despite it’s negative reviews, it appears that “Forbidden Storage” is getting a second chance under a new name. The last thing storage auction buyers need is another reality show about our business. The other shows did enough damage and things were just starting to level out a bit.

Recently, I watched a video by the “storage auction guru” who said that the release of this show was going to be a good thing for storage auction buyers. This guy has been out of the business for a while and has lost touch with what is really going on. Perhaps they should give him his own storage auction reality show. The guru said that because of the increased amount of traffic at flea markets, it is a good time to be in the storage auction business. I believe he was insinuating that the reality shows have had a positive impact on vendor’s sales.

In my opinion, this new show can only cause further damage. The more popular the storage auction reality shows get, the more people we will see at the auctions. The more people who attend the auctions, the higher the bids go. It doesn’t matter if you see an increase in sales if you can’t buy a storage unit at a reasonable price.

So, what is your opinion of the new show Storage Hunters? How do you think it will effect the storage auction business? Leave you interesting and creative comments below.

Storage Hunters: Meet the Cast

June 14, 2011

Chuck G.

Storage Hunters

1 Comment

TruTV catapults into the storage auction reality pool, but instead of featuring the buyers as they bid for defaulted storage units, it’s the auctioneer who holds the spotlight. Format of each episode features four storage units up for auction.

Auctioneer Sean Kelly

Military veteran who worked as a translator and interrogator during Desert Storm. Life as a civilian he helped launch nine magazines for United News and Media. Sean then became a development manager for The San Diego Reader.

During his off time, Sean embraced a new hobby as a stand-up comedian. He eventually opened for comedians such as Dennis Miller and Bob Saget.

The first auction Kelly conducted was a charity fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. With his new focus on stand-up and auctions, Sean left the business world to travel across the US conducting both storage and charity auctions.

As an auctioneer Sean is aggressive, foul-mouth, and off-the-wall entertaining.

Brandon Bernier & Lori Bernier

Brandon attended auctions when he was seventeen years old. A twenty year veteran of storage auctions makes him the most competitive of the group. He founded Beantown Bidders. He met Lori and they became an explosive business team traveling around the US attending auctions. They moved to Southern California to continue to expand their business.

Jesse McClure

He dons long Elvis-like sideburns but lacks the rock star’s charisma. Jesse has been buying and reselling merchandise since the age of eleven. McClure’s family owned and operated one of the largest antique malls in Los Angeles County. Jesse learned every aspect of resale from hosting garage sales to selling at swap meets.

Jesse is the youngest of the cast and over eager to prove himself as a serious buyer to others. He’s not afraid to cross the line, to overbid, or to engage in personal attacks.

Ron “Papa Bear” Kirkpatrick

It’s not what he’s good at; it’s what he’s NOT good at. He became a jack-of-all-trades when he lost his job. He discovered there was money to be made at storage auctions and began to attend them in and around Southern California.

Ron loves his low-rider and formed his own car club. He’s not the brightest crayon in the box, but if he wants a storage unit, nothing will get in his way, not even good ol’ common sense.

This is the only auction series with body guards who are clearly visible during the show. Is this a staged and scripted reality series? You decide.

Please leave your insightful thoughts in the comment box below.

Auction Hunters: It’s Raining Guns!

May 31, 2011

Auction Hunters: Season 2, Episode 10: “Everything’s Bigger in Texas.”

The Haff-Ton team drove to North Texas and the biggest auction in the country where a major worldwide shipping hub was auctioning off 800 containers.

Fact: Some ranches in Texas are bigger than Rhode Island.

Since there were so many containers to get through, the process was a little different. Units were opened twenty at a time, everyone had ten minutes to look at them before the bidding started, and then bidding moved on to the next twenty.

Fact: North Texas has over 6 million residents, the 4th largest metro area in the US.

The guys ended up buying eleven units. Nine of them turned out to be duds but inside two of them, they made some great finds.

China and Glass Unit

Allen and Ton paid $575 for a unit filled with boxes marked glass and crystal. They could tell the boxes were quite old since the tape keeping them shut was degrading.

When they got inside the unit they were alarmed to find the boxes felt heavier than they should for crystal but when they opened them up they discovered they had six boxes of lead crystal glasses worth $60 a glass, which meant they had $4,320 worth of crystal.

Fact: Lead in crystal increases value by adding weight and “sparkle”.

They also found some vintage slot cars in the back of the unit.

Fact: Slot cars contain an electric motor and are powered by an electrified track.

They took them down to Jay, a slot car expert who was definitely excited about their finds.

Fact: Servicemen returning from the UK after WWII introduced the hobby to the US.

One of them was even a Jim Hall car, which he said was very fair.

Fact: Jim Hall is a 2-time Indy 500 winner and a racing car design innovator.

The Jim Hall car originally came with a miniature driver. After rooting around in the box, Allen found it, and Jay looked like Christmas had just come early. It definitely had for the Haff-Ton team!

Fact: By 1968, there were 20,000 slot car tracks in the US, outnumbering bowling alleys.

They took the cars for a test race, and Allen won twice over: he won the race, and made $2000 selling the cars to Jay.

Fact: Elvis had a giant 155 foot slot car track at Graceland.

Shotgun Unit

They won this unit for $1200. It had been one half of two units, but they lost the other one to a man they dubbed ‘W’, after he looked striking similar to a certain President of United States.

W’s unit included a Grandfather clock, but it was missing its pendulum, which the Haff-Ton team just happened to find in their unit. They swapped it with him for two revolvers he had found in his unit. His clock was now worth thousands and they sold the guns for $2100.

What had really interested them about the unit to begin with were two gun boxes. Inside they found a 1970’s Browning Shotgun worth $2000 and a Browning .20 gauge Automatic worth $3000.

Fact: High-end Browning Shotguns sport real gold-plated triggers.

Ton had a field day when they also found three revolvers, a .357 Magnum worth $1000, a Diamondback .38 Special worth $1200 and a Coly Python worth $1600. All the guns were in mint condition and brand new.

Fact: Dirty Harry’s gun was a Smith and Wesson Model 29 Revolver with a .44 Magnum cartridge.

They also found one antique gun, a Winchester Lever Action Repeater. They took it Mama Jeanie, a gun expert. Ton tried out the gun to show it could still shoot and Mama Jeanie valued it at $5000. After some haggling she paid them $3350 and a home cooked lunched for it.

Fact: Winchester rifles are commonly known as “the guns that won the west”.

Even with nine dud units, two great ones made the whole trip worth it, and a home cooked meal just brightened their mood.

Auction Total:

Paid $2975
Sold: $20570
Profit: $17595 (and one home cooked meal)

Please post your insightful and thoughtful opinions in the comment box below.

Auction Hunters: The Most Dangerous Game

May 24, 2011