Archive - 2011

Auction Hunters: Season 2, Episode 7: “The Chi-Town Showdown”

Allen and Ton decided to drive to an auction in Chicago. It’s a town with lots of history. Excitement bubbled as the duo expected to find collectibles.

Fact: Chicago is the third largest U.S. city with a population of 2.7 million.

There were eight units up for auction. Duo had a worth opponent when the first six units were taken by Chicago Charles. He’s a local who does not put out the welcome mat for out-of-towners. Haff-Ton team managed to snag the last two units away from him.

Footlocker Unit

Allen and Ton paid $500 for a unit with some furniture and old army footlockers. They found a hand painted anatomy model. Creepy but at least valued around $180.

Then it went from creepy to morbid. Haff-Ton team fround a casket in the back of the room. Duo surmised the three reasons why someone would default on a storage unit:

1 . Drugs.
2. Illegal firearms.
3. Death.

With a little trepidation they opened the lid. AAAAAAHHHH! Just kidding. The casket was empty. Though they felt awkward as they carried the casket out of the storage unit. Duo took the casket to Adam and Skye, experts in vintage oddity pieces. That has to be an interesting job.

The burial casket was made of tin. Adam and Skye could tell from the laurels and cherubs it was from the Victorian era.

Fact: The cherub symbol often represents “innocence” or “ascension to heaven.”

Often people would be displayed in their loved ones in a special casket and then buried them in a cheaper casket. This particular casket was never used for burial, which meant it held a lot of dead bodies during ceremonies. Creepy.

The casket would have to be restored for greater value. Adam and Skye bought it for $1500.

Ammo Box Unit

They bought their second unit for $500. It was full of brooms, boxes, tote bags, a few sports items, and tools. Ton excited when they spotted an ammo box; but it was full of garbage.

They did find a lot of interesting firefighting memorabilia such as a Fireman’s carry ax. Ton hacked up an old worthless door. Yes, he had fun!

Haff-Ton team discovered old firefighter parade helmets from the Rainbow Volunteer Fire Company which were made of leather. They were worth about $1000.

Fact: Helmets with multiple ridges indicate high rank, and are therefore more rare and valuable.

Also found old belts also from the Rainbow Volunteer Fire Company, the oldest continuous volunteer fire company in the country.

Fact: The Rainbow Volunteer Fire Company was founded in 1773.

Next firefighter item was two fire extinguishers worth $200 apiece. Both dated around the time of the famous Chicago Fire.

Fact: The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 burned over a third of the city to the ground.

Duo also found small glass bottles with chemicals inside including carbon tetrachloride.

Fact: Carbon tetrachloride can damage the nervous system and internal organs.

Last fire extinguisher was more commonplace. It didn’t have much value. The logical thing for the duo to do was to set something on fire and use the extinguisher. I said it was their logical, not good logical.

Fact: “Grenade” style fire extinguishers containing dry chemical powders are still in use today.

Ton also found an antique fire house alarm bell worth $3000, as very few are still in existence today.

Fact: Before fire bells, people raised the alarm by ringing church bells or shooting guns.

Haff-Ton team also retrieved a speaking trumpet used to issue orders during a fire. It would have belonged to a high ranking officer and was worth $1,200.

Fact: Ornate speaking trumpets were often used to commemorate promotions or retirements.

They took all the firefighting gear to Frank, a firefighter memorabilia collector. He paid them $5,800 for everything.

Fire gear and casket. What bizarre day.

Auction Total:

Paid $1,000
Sold: $8,100
Profit: $7,100

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

Auction Hunters: Baby, It’s Cold Outside!

May 3, 2011

Auction Hunters: Season 2, Episode 6: “The Chicago Grand Slam.”

Allen and Ton made a trip to Chicago Heights, Illinois. It was seven degrees Fahrenheit and the guys were freezing as they had to stand out in the snow for two of the three auctions.

Fact: Chicago Heights is called the Crossroads of the Nation.

Allen at least felt a little bit at home, since he’d grown up in Michigan, before fleeing to the warmer weather of LA, something that turned out to give him useful knowledge for at least one of the big ticket items they ended up finding.

Stadium Seating Unit

They paid $100 for their first unit after spotting some trophies and sport horns inside and hoping to find some collectibles inside.

They found two stadium chairs from the 40’s or 50’s, but since they were not marked with the name of any particular stadium they were only worth about $200.

They found a Robby the Robot but as it was a newer one it wasn’t worth much.

Fact: Robby the Robot debuted in the 1956 movie Forbidden Planet.

But then they opened a second box and discovered a second Robby, this one from the 1950’s. Allen valued it at $400 to $600.

Fact: Robby’s TV credits include The Addams Family (1966), Mork and Mindy (1979), The Love Boat (1983).

They found a vintage hockey stick worth $20, a vintage baseball board game worth $50 to $60 and some vintage ads featuring Joe Louis.

Fact: Joe Louis was one of the first African American sports heroes.

They also found an old un-webbed baseball glove, with the name Joe Jackson, and a baseball signed by Hank Aaron.

Fact: Gloves without webbing were used to swat the ball to the ground.

They took all the sports memorabilia to Scott, a sports collectables expect. He told them the vintage ads would be worth $150 to $200 and the signed baseball about $100 to $150.

Fact: Hank Aaron was the first player to break Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record.

He looked at the glove and said it was from the 1920’s. He told them if the signature was authentic it probably would have been worth somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000.

Fact: Jackson’s legendary bat “Black Betsy” sold for $577,610.

Scott then assured them it was definitely a fake. Hmm, he probably could have led with that.

Fact: According to the FBI, 70% of autographed sports memorabilia sold online is fake.

He explains Joe Jackson was illiterate and couldn’t sign his own name. So pretty good bet that wasn’t his signature. Still, since the glove was from the 20’s and in pretty good condition, it was still a great vintage piece worth between six and seven hundred dollars.

For the whole group of sports memorabilia, Scott paid $775.

Hunting Unit

Allen and Ton paid $950 for a unit with several archery targets, a helmet and ladder and a few pieces of fifties furniture. Ton quite enjoyed a headless 3D archery decoy worth about $300 and they also found a mounted deer’s head they thought they’d be able to sell for $50.

When bidding on the unit they had spotted what they thought was a snow blower in the back. When they lifted the tarp however, they were extremely excited to find a 1984 Yamaha SS 440 snowmobile.

Fact: Some of the first snowmobiles were modified Ford Model Ts.

They took it to Nick, an expert and dealer of snowmobiles. He was very impressed with its condition and how clean it was, saying it was definitely a collector’s item. He also explained that the 1984 model was the first to have shock absorber suspension.

Of course they had to see how well it still ran and Allen couldn’t wait to volunteer, clearly still a Michigan boy at heart. He took it for a ride, impressing Ton with his moves and maybe showing off just a little bit.

Fact: The 1984 Yamaha SS 440 has a top speed of 85 mph.

After the ride Allen wasn’t entirely sure he even wanted to sell it anymore, but he couldn’t say no when Nick offered $950 for it.

It might have been a cold freezing day, but the guys definitely could chalk up their day in Chicago Heights as a success!

Auction Total:

Paid $1050
Sold: $3905
Profit: $2855

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

Auction Hunters: Easy Rider

April 26, 2011

Auction Hunters: Season 2, Episode 5: “Labor of Love.”

The guys went down to West Los Angeles for what was supposed to be a five unit auction. Unfortunately there ended up only being one unit for sale and it looked pretty bad so they left.

Allen and Ton decided it was good day to go through two containers they had won a week ago. They paid a man $300 and a case of beer to deliver that day and then set to work.

Radio Container

They paid $250 for the first container. They were interested in it when they saw a Marantz radio, but unfortunately after plugging it in they discovered that it no longer worked.

Fact: Saul Marantz was a pioneer in the development of Hi-Fi audio systems.

There were some old bird cages, boxes, a purse and dead speakers inside, all of which was pretty worthless to them.

They did find a faux vintage table that Allen said would be worth $50.

Then they found the shoes. Lots and lots of shoes. Vintage Nike shoes, in mint condition and still in their original boxes. Many of them were Air Jordan shoes.

Fact: Bill Bowerman created Nike’s signature “waffle sole” using his wife’s waffle iron.

They took the Nikes to Bobbie, a Nike expert, who was quite impressed with the collection. He pointed out that one pair was actually a Nick Diamond shoe.

Fact: Nick Diamond’s ‘Tiffany’ Dunk SB was the most hyped and sought after shoe in Nike history.

Another was a Pushead shoe.

Fact: Pushead has created artwork for Metallica, Travis Barker and the misfits.

Bobbie was clearly very excited about the collection and paid them $3500 for the whole lot.

Inside the container they had also found a Ms. Pac Man arcade game. Allen got super excited when they plugged it in and it still worked. He started playing immediately. He wondered how they were going to ever get anything done for the rest of the day. Ton unplugged the machine. Yep, that’ll do it.

Fact: In Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Footloose, the sound of Pac-Man dying occurs in crucial scenes.

Since the machine was missing a lot of its original artwork and not worth a lot as it stood, they decided to spend a bit of money on fixing her up.

Fact: Since 1980, Pac-Man arcade games have been played more than 10 billion times.

$175 and six hours later, the guys had the machine looking pretty again and placed an ad for it. A guy named Nathan came by to look at it. He bought it from them for $1300.

Fact: The coin box in a Ms. Pac-Man can hold $600 worth of quarters.

Garage Container

They paid $200 for a unit that had a bunch of coolers, boxes, old wheels and bikes inside it. As soon as they opened it, they did spot a couple of items worth a little bit of money: a camping stove worth $40 and shop vacuum valued at $50.

Allen found a leather motorcycle jacket worth $175. He tried it on and was quite pleased with the look.

While going through the container they kept finding parts to a Harley Davidson Softrail bike, including a frame and an “Evo” motor.

Fact: You can identify Harley “Evo” Motors by their blocky rocket boxes and aluminum heads.

They took all the pieces to “Mean” Gene a motorcycle expert.

Fact: Prior to 1958, Harley manufactured Hardtail motorcycles which lacked rear suspension.

At first he wasn’t very impressed since the frame was so old and in bad condition but then he spotted a number on it which said the bike was from 1958, the very first year that particular kind of bike had been made. The frame suddenly became the part he was the most excited about.

Fact: Harley Davidson Softtail frames have a pivot point near the rear axle.

The “Evo” motor was also still in great condition. Ton pointed out it was only a few years old.

Fact: “Evo” motors made motorcycles more popular because of their easy maintenance.

Gene paid them $4500, for all the parts.

Fact: Evolution “Evo” motors are V-Twin engines manufactured by Harley Davidson since 1984.

Two months later, Ton went back to Gene, to see the bike all put together. And of course, being Ton, he took it out for a spin.

Auction Total:

Paid $950
Sold: $9300
Profit: $8350

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

Storage Wars: Barry Weiss Feels Lucky

April 20, 2011

1 Comment

Storage Wars: Season 1, Episode 19: “Live and Let Bid.”

Darrell bent on not having anyone mess with him on his home turf. Dave brought his son, Dave Jr., who was bent on buying his own locker with his life savings. Jarrod and Brandi bent on not getting sucked into Darrell’s trash talk before the auction. Barry bent on distracting everyone with his all-green Lucky Charm outfit.

At least no one was Hell-bent…

1^st Storage Unit
Big locker with few items. Boxes, records, tennis balls, and packing Styrofoam. Darrell’s intent to bid up the locker and drop it on someone; hopefully Dave. Plan backfired. Dave dropped it on Darrell at $250.

Darrell: Well, that just bit me in the ass.

Time for Darrell and Brandon to see if the locker held anything of value (good luck). Darrell found a new fog machine, skateboard, vinyl records, CDs, driveway and concrete cleaner, knives, and a small brass thing-a-ma-gig.

Medical device called a “bleeder” or “scarificators.” It was as bad as it sounds. Made in 1850s-1860s to draw blood. Valued at $500.

2^nd Storage Unit
Suitcase, lamp, small refrigerator, rubber bin, and boxes. Barry easily won at $375. Nothing to shout home about once he dug through his locker. He did however find a strangely made musical instrument.

Barry went to a music store for appraisal. Instrument a waterphone. Pour a little bit of water into cylindrical neck. Use small mallets to strike or strum against the bronze rods around the rim of the bowl.

Only 150 made back in the 1970s and its primary use for sound effects in movies. Sounded good until the appraiser told Barry his was not an original. Valued at $100.

Well, Barry’s lucky charm all-green outfit was no luck at all.

3^rd Storage Unit
Fishing gear, lots of rubber bins, and miscellaneous items. Everybody wanted this locker and the bid started at $1,000! Dave Jr. won at $5,550 and that made his father extremely nervous.

Dave: That’s like going out to a Blackjack table and putting $5,500 on one hand and just stand there and watch the cards flip.

As father and son dug through the locker, it was more nickel and dime items. Dave tried to assure Dave Jr. every item was profit.

Dave Jr.: My dad is trying to give me a little bit of hope here, but it’s still not looking very good.

Things did start to look up when one of the rubber bins was full of sports cards. Lots of fishing poles. Possibly 100 year-old painting and frame. Two slot machines which Dave wanted to get appraised.

The first slot machine was called a Jennings; good for parts only. Second slot machine made in 1933 called a War Eagle without a back door. It almost works with original parts and valued at $700. If restored, could be worth $3,000. Dave Jr. opted for restoration.

Profit Scorecard:

Dave Jr.: $1,889
Darrell Sheets: $547
Barry Weiss: LOSS -$275
Jarrod Schulz and Brandi Passante: $0

Would you have invested over $5,000 on your first storage unit?

Please leave your thoughtful opinions in the comment box below.

Auction Hunters: Luck Be a Lady

April 19, 2011

Auction Hunters: Season 2, Episode 4: “Disco and Dice.”

Allen and Ton went to Fort Lauderdale, FL, a place known for its leisure, luxury and expendable income. The local bidders warned them about G-Mar, a man who obviously wanted to make it clear that this was his territory.

Fact: Fort Lauderdale is 2300 miles from Los Angeles and has a population of 183,600 people.

Because of G-Mar’s high bidding, they lost some good looking units but they did win two before the day was done, and G-Mar wasn’t so happy about that.

Smalls Unit

They bid $250 for a unit of small items, but they hoped there might be something worthwhile inside. The unit was full of books and boxes and some glass pitchers that weren’t worth much. But they did find an Excelsior’s pilot wheel worth $50.

Ton was excited when he found an ammo case, but disappointed to find it empty. No road trips to the gun range today. However the ammo case was an antique and valued at $50.

Allen found an 18^th century clothes iron for $35, and then Ton pulled a 1992 bar-top breathalyzer out from a box.

Fact: The first breathalyzer was invented in 1938 and called a Drunk-O-Meter

The guys tried it out and it still worked. It had a value of $140. Plus, they were still okay to drive.

Fact: Despite the myth, sucking on a penny will not beat a breathalyzer.

Wooden Horse Unit

Thanks to G-Mar the Haff-Ton team had to pay a whopping $3200 for their second unit. They were attracted to it by antique furniture, an old wooden horse and what appeared to be a pinball machine.

While rooting through some of the boxes they found a professional fly fishing reel worth $125 and five 1950s Silver Mexican Coins with a total value of $150.

As they started moving the antique furniture, some of the other people who had attended the auction walked by and showed interested. Allen and Ton sold them the furniture for $1500, meaning they wouldn’t have to bother with the heavy lifting.

The wooden horse turned out to be an early 19^th century folk art horse, carved and painted by hand. Allen was very impressed with the detail of the work. It was worth $700.

Fact: Some folk art horses are crafted from thousands of individual pieces of wood.

They then uncovered two games. The first was the pinball machine, which was from 1978 and had a disco fever theme. It was in great condition with the original stencil art still intact.

Fact: The peak of disco’s popularity was during the mid to late 1970s.

They also found an 1898 dice gambling game. Players would put in a coin and then pop up the dice, hoping the combined numbers on the dice would equal something low and they could win a cigar.

Fact: Primitive “gambling” devices were popular in saloons in the 1800s.

They took the two games to Jason, a vintage games expert. He opened up the pinball machine to see inside, and while there was some battery acid damage, everything still looked pretty good. They plugged it in and it still worked perfectly.

He paid them $600 for it.

He was even more impressed with the dice game however and said it was very rare to find one that still worked, with the original glass and dice. He said it was worth $7000, and agreed to buy it from them for $5000.

Luck was definitely with the Haff-Ton team and they ended up having a successful day, despite G-Mar.

Auction Total:

Paid $3450
Sold: $10600
Profit: $7150

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

Storage War: Hat Mockery

April 17, 2011

Storage Wars: Season 1, Episode 18: “Skullduggery.”

Brandon wore a hat exactly like Dave Hester’s “Newport Consignment Gallery,” but with a little creative licensing to the lettering to read: “Newport Con Gallery.” How did Hester feel about this poke?

Dave: I prefer not to talk about it.

According to Darrell, crybaby Dave (his words, not mine) threw such a fit (or tantrum), that Brandon covered the lettering with tape. Begs the question – Why wear the hat at all? Psychologically warfare, that’s why. Dave knew what was underneath the tape and of course that was the point – to grind at his emotions. Did it work?

Let’s see…

1^st Storage Unit
Antique desk, table, paintings, couch, sled, and boxes. Jarrod took Brandi aside to tell her he wanted this locker. Brandi wanted a cap of $300. Jarrod wanted a cap at $600. She was less than agreeable.

Brandi: I will kidney punch your (bleep)!

Jarrod wanted to stay in play but he said it was not worth the “Brandi headache.” In the end, Darrell won at $850. No unique finds, other than the table that was really an antique toilet (don’t ask).

Darrell: I got to buy a locker with some profit and I got to mess with Hester’s head. That’s what I call a win-win.

2^nd Storage Unit
Leather chair, suitcases, boxes, and a statue-like horse’s head. Brandi really like that horse, but Jarrod not so much. He placed a cap at $300. Uh, but Brandi didn’t stop her bids after the cap.

Brandi: Jarrod might have said $300, but I didn’t agree to that.

She won at $475. Brandi shifted through the merchandise and Jarrod was not content. He stated the horse’s head would only bring in $20. At appraisal they discovered it was a horse made of gold leaf over tin. Gold leaf derived from France. Wall mount was used in France to signify that the restaurant had horse meat on the menu. Brandi gagged, but she smiled at the value – $3,000. Appraiser offered $2,000. Deal!

Now, before the appraisal, during the walk down the corridor to the last storage unit, Darrell talked to Dan about Brandon’s hat. It was a tease and Dave was pissed.

Dan: I don’t mind a little drama. It’s good for business. The higher the bids go, the more I take home at the end of the day.

Before the start of the third auction the drama exploded.

Dave: If you have a butcher name that I can butcher, then it’s all fair.
Brandon: You butcher yourself.
Dave: No, no, no…
Brandon: That’s why you’re speechless at me because you’re a crybaby.
Dave: No, no, no…
Brandon: I got some cheese for your whine, Dave.
Dave: You know what? F–k you, okay?
Brandon: Alright.
Dave: Don’t play games like that unless I can return the effing favor.
Brandon: You’re just mad cause you can’t.
Dave: That’s right. So, don’t put something out there that can’t be returned. So play on f—king equal ground.
Brandon: I am playing on equal ground.
Dave: You don’t f—king know me.

Now Darrell had stripped the tape off Brandon’s hat during the verbal exchange. Words became so heated, that Darrell stepped in front of Brandon and took over in the hat war fiasco.

Darrell: Go away, before it gets ugly.
Dave: You, too.
Darrell: Go away, Dave.
Dave: F—k you! You’re old enough to f—king know better.
Darrell: You better know what I’m f—king saying.
Dave: You don’t want me to f—king embarrass you.
Darrell: Punk.
Dave: You know what, f—k you. Use your head besides a f—king hat rack. because you don’t have a f—king business.
Darrell: No, I don’t have the overhead.
Dave: You don’t qualify for a f—king business.
Darrell: Oh, oh, it’s bugging you now. Anytime you want to compare assets pal, you’re on.

Comical to Jarrod that he mimicked the exchanged:

Jarrod: Uh, uh, my truck’s bigger. I got a bigger truck. Um, my girl friend’s bigger.

That got a laugh from the crowd. Now back to the auction…

3^rd Storage Unit
Rubber bins, furniture, clothes, and a mess. Though Jarrod made a play it was Hester who won at $1,350 because he wanted to prove a point. Actually, Brandon did get inside Dave’s head, so Dave lost that psychological battle. Dave didn’t have any helpers when he went inside his locker.

He didn’t find much (because he didn’t work that hard to dig through the containers); but he did find a case with a human skull and bones. Appraised at a little over $1,600 (ew).

Profit Scorecard:

Jarrod Schulz & Brandi Passante: $1,860
Dave Hester: $525
Darrell Sheets: $300
Barry Weiss: $0

What did you think of Brandon’s hat?

Please leave your insightful thoughts in the comment box below.

Storage Wars: Rookies Rock

April 13, 2011

Storage Wars: Season 1, Episode 17: “Young with the Gun.”

Jarrod expected the storage units full of household items because a lot of homes were up for sale in the area. Barry expected collectibles, but what he didn’t expect was the huge crowd in the parking lot.

Darrell and Dave absent from auction which rose Jarrod’s hope to win a good locker. Barry spoke to a man named Bill Archer who quit his day job. This was his first week as a full-time auction hunter.

Raise your hand if you think it’s unwise to quit your full-time job before you get started in this business.

Yeah, I thought so, too.

1^st Storage Unit
Scant. Old trunk, few boxes, and a rubber bin. Barry had a small child bid on the unit for him.

That might actually prevent Barry from bidding twice! Dan tried to spark the crowd to bid higher.

Dan: Come on, dammit. You’re not in Vegas, act like you are.

Seriously Dan, that wouldn’t work on me. Barry won the unit at $575. First thing he took out was the old trunk. Inside? One dirty sock. Old trunk however had value. Everything else junk expect for a pack of fur coats.

He sent them to Dave’s consignment store. Hester made money without attending an auction. Great, just great.

2^nd Storage Unit
Packed. Boxes, neon lights, and a plethora of miscellaneous items. Jarrod and Brandi agreed on a $1,500 cap.

Bill stepped in and raised the bid.

Jarrod: Who the f— is this guy?!

And just when you thought it was over at $2,400… Jarrod raised the bid against Bill. However the newbie won at $2,600.

That raises another question. If this was your very first week at auction, would you pay THAT much for your first locker? I didn’t think so either.

Barry: Buying units like this, with that kind of money, he’ll be out of business sooner than he knows.

Bill allowed Jarrod and Brandi to take a look at his storage unit.

Jarrod: One of the biggest mistakes new guys make is undervaluing their items.

Jarrod appraised a few items: Saddle: $500; Bikes: $200-$300 ; Gas tank: $200-$300; Bar neon sign: $150; and so on. Too many boxes, really impossible to truly give an accurate estimate of the value of the storage unit.

Brandi appreciated that Jarrod was helpful and not a “Dave Hester” (who wouldn’t give a rookie the time of day). Jarrod stated he had to learn hard way. Schulz had to lose the money to learn.

3^rd Storage Unit
Tight. Boxes, rubber bins, and garbage bags. Jarrod concerned about overpaying for the locker.

His concerns changed when Darrell and Brandon arrived late. Bidding fierce for that last unit of the day.

Darrell: Are these rookies really running me up right now?

Yes they were, Darrell, but “The Gambler” outlasted the bid war and won at $1,000. What did Darrell find? Whole lot of crap. One box of old books he thought might bring him some money, but no. Most of the books appraised were obsolete. Only one book valued at $200.

Players spent too much on storage units because the rookies rocked.

Note:
1. Bill Archer was the only guest player in the entire 1^st season of Storage Wars.

Profit Scorecard:

Dave Hester: $648
Jarrod Schulz & Brandi Passante: $0
Barry Weiss: LOSS -$475
Darrell Sheets: LOSS -$788

Would you have paid that much for a storage unit on your first week as a storage hunter?

Please leave your thoughtful opinions in the comment box below.

Auction Hunters: Playing Chicken

April 12, 2011

Auction Hunters: Season 2, Episode 3: “Sink or Swim.”

The Haff-Ton team headed down to Torrance, California, a town that has a great beach and port, which often means sports equipment and expendable income.

Fact: Torrance has a population of 147,405.

Allen and Ton had made some good finds in Torrance before but not many other serious bidders seemed to remember Torrance so they weren’t expecting a lot of bidders. They were disappointed find a large crowd waiting for the auction to start, but this didn’t stop them from winning two units.

Fact: Chuck Norris opened his first karate dojo in Torrance.

Marine Sports Unit

They won their first unit of the day for $800. It had some tennis rackets, suitcases and boxes, but what really attracted their attention was a large tarp. Once they got inside the unit they looked under it and found a mini boat.

Fact: Mini boats were manufactured from 1984 to 1996 in Dana Point, California.

They took it Ross a boat expert. He said it was an Addictor 190 in very good condition. He explained to them that mini boats were made pre Jet Skis, and it was actually the Jet Ski that eventually killed them.

Fact: The 190 is the smallest two-seater ever manufactured by Addictor.

Of course it would only be worth something if it ran so they had to take the boat for a test run. Ton took it on the water and it ran beautifully. He obviously enjoyed himself. It’s a good bet Ton might not even be in this business if he didn’t get to try out all the toys.

Fact: Mini boats were popular as rental boats at resorts in the 1990’s.

Ron bought the boat from them for $2500.

They also found Pen Saltwater Rod and Reels inside the unit, valued at $1750.

Music Room

They bought their second unit for $925. There was an art deco armoire which Alan thought might be from the 1930s, dead speakers, an electric piano too old to be worth anything, suitcases, a violin case which they were very disappointed to find empty and a very bizarre chicken statue that caused the guys quite a bit of amusement.

They did find some reproduction trunks worth $300, and an antique 1897 music box made by the company Regina worth $1200.

Fact: In the 1900’s the Regina Company became known for making vacuum cleaners.

In one case, Allen discovered $275 worth of vintage records and in a second case a $150 1976 Soprano clarinet. Then Ton found a horn.

Fact: Before electrical speakers, large horns were used to amplify sound on early record players.

The horn was part of an antique Thomas Edison phonograph. They were able to find the rest of the phonograph in the unit and they took it to Scott, a phonograph expert, who said was from 1905.

Fact: The first recording Thomas Edison made was his rendition of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”.

Scott told them when it was first made it would have been sold for $30.

Fact: The Edison Home Phonograph was first sold in 1896 for $30. $30 in 1905 is equal to $831 today.

The phonograph had a recorder, but they had to test it if it still works. Ton and Allen used a blank Edison cylinder to make a recording. It worked! Their voices played back to them, the sound all scratchy and old-timey.

Fact: Due to mass production, an original Edison blank cylinder is worth less than $10.

Ross bought it off them for $875.

Recording artists and boat rides, quite a fun day for the Haff-Ton duo!

Auction Total:

Paid $1724
Sold: $6825
Profit: $5100

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

Storage Wars: Jarrod SQUEEZES Brandi

April 6, 2011