Auction Hunters: Season 2, Episode 13: “Beantown Bidders.”
The Haff-Ton team headed to Boston. The city is home to one of the country’s oldest storage units, which has been in business since 1886, and that’s exactly where the guys were headed.
Fact: Boston is the birthplace of the American Revolution.
They were impressed by the very building itself, Allen calling it an antique. Sorry guys, the building’s not actually up for auction.
There were only a few units up for auction and the competition was intense, but the guys won two.
Polo Stick Unit
They paid $200 for this unit, after spotting some polo
sticks. There were filing boxes inside, a 1940’s stand, Christmas wrapping paper and a couple of garbage bags.
Most of the boxes had nothing but trash inside, but they did find an antique sewing stand worth $100 and the two polo mallets themselves were worth $200.
Fact: Polo, a sport played on horseback, is derived from Persian military training circa 500 B.C.
Allen then uncovered a bucket full of vintage bike parts and a Schwinn vintage Tandem bike.
Fact: Founded in Chicago in 1895, Schwinn was the 20 century’s largest bike manufacturer.
They took the bike things to Vinnie, a vintage and retro bike expert. He was quit
e pleased with the bike parts, saying some of the pieces were worth as much as $800.
The bike itself was from late 40’s or early 50’s and it was still in pretty good condition.
Fact: Today Schwinn makes adult tricycles under the Town and Country name.
He told them that it was a very difficult bike to ride and that it was a great way to get in a fight with a friend. Good thing Allen and Ton didn’t insist on trying it out for a change.
Fact: “Tandem” refers to the arrangement of the riders one behind the other.
Vinnie bought the bike and all the parts for $1750.
Fragile Box Unit
Allen and Ton paid $775 for a unit full of boxes marked fragile. The only other things they could see inside the unit were trash bags and an old leather suitcase.
The suitcase was unfortunately
damaged but they found a replica Gadsden flag inside.
Fact: The Gadsden was the first battle flag used by the US Marine Corps in the American Revolution.
Also inside the case they found a thirteen colonies flag. Allen could tell from the stitching however that it was replica. Still, it was worth $300.
Fact: The first sewing machine was patented by inventor Thomas Saint in 1791.
The trash bags and boxes turned out to be full of a lot of trash and old newspapers
, but they did find an antique nautical compass, valued at $100.
Fact: Before it was a navigational tool, the compass was used by the Chinese for fortune telling.
Things got exciting when they found a long thin case and opened it to find a solid iron, whaling gun, very clean and in great condition. They also found a bomb lance with the gun.
They took the gun to Peter, a nautical antique collector. He said it was a CC Brand gun. He said the find of the bomb lance with it was actually very rare and that the gun worked similarly to a grenade launcher.
Fact: Swede Sven Foyn invented the heavy explosive harpoon in 1864.
Since the gun would be worth more working, Peter brought along a reproductio
n bomb lance for the guys to fire.
Ton used a watermelon for target practice and well in love with whaling gun as soon as he saw the melon explode into pieces. He had to say goodbye to it though, when Peter offered $4400 and a pitcher of beer.
Ton may have had to give up the whaling gun, but a nice healthy profit and a pitcher of beer, would definitely cheer him up.
Auction Total:
Paid $975
Sold: $7300
Profit: $6325
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