Author - Naomi Luc

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.

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.

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.

Auction Hunters: Wheels and Deals

April 6, 2011

Auction Hunters: Season 2, Episode 2: “Quadzilla Attacks!”

Allen and Ton headed to Playa Vista, CA. Since it’s a town with a great beach community and lots of residents with expendable income, the guys hoped to find some exciting items inside the day’s units.

Vintage Lantern Unit

They won their first unit of the day for $250. Allen had spotted a vintage traffic lantern inside which he valued at $100. They also found several promising items which would have been worth a lot more if they hadn’t been broken, including one half of a two man lumberjack saw valued at $50 and an old western electric telephone.

Fact: Before the invention of chainsaws in 1927, crosscut saws were used to cut trees into lumber.

Allen judged the phone was from the early 1900’s because pieces from it were made from Bakelite. Since it was missing it’s receiver it was only worth about $60 instead of $400 – $600.

Fact: “Bakelite “was the first synthetic plastic, created in 1907.

The rest of the room seemed pretty worthless, being full of old boxes, a lamp, a couple of cases, a baseball bat and some clothes. But as they loaded everything into their truck Ton accidently broke a small cabinet and they discovered a pouch inside. When they unzipped it, they found a Derringer revolver from the early 1900’s and a Squeezer Cocker.

Fact: A “Squeeze Cocker” is a trigger-less gun designed to fire with a single squeeze.

They took the guns to their expert Blaze, and tried them out on the range. Both of them fired and Blaze bought them off them for $600.

Fact: The “Squeeze Cocker” or “Assassins’ Pistol” has an effective range of only 10 feet.

Quad Room

The second room they won, Allen wasn’t so sure about but Ton saw what looked like a quad under a tarp and got excited so they took the room for $1000.

The room was full of air compressors, helmets, fenders, an old generator, boots, wheels and various tools. When they lifted the tarp they discovered a Quadzilla, a vehicle made between 1987-1990 that had more horsepower than any other ATV in its time. It stopped being made after too many people got hurt while driving it.

Ton spotted some sediment in the fuel tank and was concerned the motor could be shot, which would have made the quad worth a whole lot less. Since the quad was in pieces, they had to put it back together before they could see if it ran.

Fact: Honda created the first three-wheel ATVs in 1970.

Once it was in one piece again, Ton got on and tried to start. It took several goes, but it eventually came to life.

They took it to Tony an ATV specialist friend of Ton’s. When the decided to take it for a test drive they once again had trouble starting it. Allen whispered to Ton how important it was to get it going. Maybe he should have told it to the quad, since Ton was already doing everything he could.

Thankfully it finally came to life and Ton took it for a spin. They haggled with Tony, and he finally agreed to pay them $2900 for it.

Ton and Allen also managed to sell a few of the other items from the unit. They made $180 off the helmets from the unit, the fenders went for $100 and they found $1000 worth of tools.

Fun with wheels and a day at the gun range. Not a bad day for the Haff-Ton team!

Auction Total:

Paid $1250
Sold: $4990
Profit: $3740

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

Auction Hunters: Fly Me to the Moon

April 5, 2011

Auction Hunters: Season 2, Episode 1: “Miami Heat.”

With the auction scene not looking so good in LA, the Haff-Ton team decided to take a little road trip 3000 miles east to Miami.

Fact: Miami has a population of 5.5 million. In 2009 it was ranked the richest U.S. city.

With lots of wealthy people living in Miami who are into various expensive hobbies and enjoy their sun, anything is possible from barbeques to boats and they were hoping for something big.

Fact: Over $300 million worth of vehicles are kept in storage facilities across America.

Electronics Unit

They won their first unit with a bid of $1000. It had some boxes, old speakers, clothes and dishes inside, but it was some of the electronics that attracted their attention. They found a Numark CD player and mixer of the kind a DJ would have. It had a value of $220.

They also found an off-brand generator, with a value of $200.

But things got more interesting when they started uncovering space memorabilia.

They found a fake NASA space suit only worth $40.

Fact: A NASA spacesuit once sold at auction for $187,200

They then uncovered a large replica rocket and an authentic countdown machine.

Fact: Some display models were once prototypes for actual rockets.

They took their space items to Don Willis, a space memorabilia expert. Don told them the rocket replica was a Delta Relay model from back in 60’s. Ton and Allen got very excited when he told them it was the only one he’d ever seen of its kind.

Fact: In 1962, the Delta Relay rocket launched NASA’s first communications satellite.

The countdown machine was also something Don had never seen before. He was certain it was authentic and probably came from the same place as the rocket.

Don valued the two items at $6000, and after some haggling agreed to pay them $2800 for both.

Car Cover Container

The final auction of the day was for a shipping container. After they spotted what looked like a car cover, Allen and Ton bid $1800 and won the auction.

Before they could get to the cover however, they had to work through a bunch of boxes and old clothes. Allen did find seven pairs of Levi 501 Jeans, valued at $210 and an antique lobster trap worth $80. Ton also found a barbeque baster bottle. It might not have been worth anything, but Ton loved it.

When they finally pulled off the car cover they discovered it wasn’t a car it all, it was a hovercraft. They took it down to a marine craft wholesaler named Al to check it out. Al told them a hovercraft could go over water, grass, sand, ice or even human bodies. Well that took a dark turn.

Fact: Hovercrafts can travel over any surface, gliding on a cushion of high pressure air.

They had to take it for a test drive though if they wanted to get top dollar for it. Al estimated a couple of people die every year from hovercraft accidents and Ton happily volunteered Allen for test driving duty. Al assured Allen that the nearest hospital was only a couple of miles away so he didn’t have to worry about that. What a comfort.

It drove great, and after Allen took it for a spin out on the water, Ton had a go too.

Al bought the hovercraft off them for $5350 and agreed to buy the first round of margaritas.

With their work done, they could kick back and relax in the Miami sun. Not a bad way to end the day on a high note.

Auction Total:

Paid $2800
Sold: $10640
Profit: $7840

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

Auction Hunters: Kiss and Tell

December 21, 2010

Auction Hunters: Season 1, Episode 8: “Home on the Gun Range.”

The Haff-Ton team drove to Corona, CA. One small problem, Ton got lost on the way. With only one unit up for auction they arrived halfway through the end of the bids. With little time to profile the locker, the decision was easy. One unit. Long drive. They had to buy. Next time, maybe Ton should ask for directions.

Business Equipment Unit

Office equipment, swirl chairs, boxes, filing cabinets, old computers, and even a fake plant. Duo won the storage unit at $875.

The Haff-Ton team dug into a few of the boxes. Allen found old documents from the cold war. Reference to weapons, nuclear support, biological, chemical, and radiological defense. The contents disconcerted Allen.

Fact: Biological warfare is the deliberate spread of disease-causing viruses and bacteria.

Tension replaced with excitement when Allen found a crossbow. It had staghorn inlay on the wood.

Fact: The most valuable staghorn comes from the antlers of Sambar male deer.

Haff-Ton team took the crossbow to get it appraised. They met with Joe, a crossbow expert, and he stated the bow dated back to the 16^th century. Unfortunately, it was a Victorian era replica from around 1850. Estimated value between $1,500-$1,700. Duo sold the bow to Joe for $1,300.

Fact: The crossbow’s bloody reign began in 5th century China and peaked in the middle ages.

The Haff-Ton team also discovered a 10 gauge shotgun inside the unit. They took it to get appraised by weapons expert Blaze. He informed them it was a 1901 model. Originally designed for stagecoaches and law enforcement.

Fact: Men riding “shotgun” on Wild West stagecoaches carried 10 gauge shotguns.

For accurate appraisal the shotgun had to be tested to see if it would fire. Blaze warned that the shotgun packed quite a punch. Allen was up to the challenge.

Haff-Ton team negotiated with Blaze and agreed on $1,100 for the shotgun.

Fact: A ten gauge barrel fits a lead ball that weights 1/10th of a pound.

The last big ticket item they found an old arcade game called the Kiss-O-Meter. Duo went to Jim, a vintage games expert, to get it appraised. Jim noticed it was in good condition, still with the original paint.

He explained it was a pre-war game. Significance was that most arcade games were destroyed before World War II. Jim valued it at $2,000, but was only willing to pay $700. Allen was firm at $1,300.

Fact: Many arcade game makers ceased production in 1942 to make weapons for WW2.

Ton came up with a solution. If Jim scored higher on the game he could buy it for $700. But if Allen scored higher, Jim would have to pay $1,000. Jim’s score was a passionate kisser. Allen scored naughty kisser. Guess who won?

Jim forked over $1,000.

Kissing, guns and crossbows. Ton decided they should end the day with a celebratory beer.

Auction Total:

Paid $875
Sold: $3,400
Profit: $2,425

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

Auction Hunters: Drinks on the House

December 14, 2010

Auction Hunters: Season 1, Episode 7: “Gangster Whiskey.”

Allen and Ton attended an early auction at reach Moreno Valley. Ton wasn’t too happy. He said his beauty sleep had been interrupted.

At the parking lot the Haff-Ton team saw something that disturbed them – newbies. Newbies bid too high, too fast and inflate the price of units.

TV Room Unit

They paid $125 for a room full of old TVs. Ton hates loading and unloading old TVs. But Allen had a hunch that there might be something good behind the televisions. His hunch paid off when they found a vintage AMI jukebox.

Fact: AMI introduced the first milti-record jukebox in 1927.

Duo also discovered an old DAD-1000 CD player, which is often put inside jukeboxes after the jukeboxes don’t play anymore.

Fact: Made in the early 1980’s, the DAD-1000 is a 1st generation CD player.

Haff-Ton team took the jukebox to Chris, a vintage music equipment expert. Couple of cracks on the jukebox and the back has been repainted. If it was inoperable, the valued at $700 and Chris offered $400.

Fact: Some models are now valued at over $100,000.

Ton plugged the machine and PRESTO! It worked! Chris bought it for $750.

Allen also found some baseball cards from the 60’s. Haff-Ton had them appraised but were disappointed to hear that some of them were worth as little as 1/10 of a cent. But things took a turn for the better when a Willie Mays card was valued at $400-$450. They sold the whole lot for $200.

Fact: Willie Mays is considered the best all-around baseball player who ever lived.

Old Furniture Unit

They bid $400 to win a unit packed full of old furniture which was valued at $150.

Ton was happy when they found an old copper still and moonshine jug.

Fact: Moonshine gained its name by being smuggled by the light the moon.

Duo took the still and jug to Brandon, a whiskey expert who ran a bar full of vintage items. He showed them how the still worked and dated it to the prohibition era.

Fact: Prohibition lasted 14 years: 1920 to 1933.

Allen joked that if they lived during the prohibition, Brandon’s job would be illegal and he’d be running speakeasy bar.

Fact: Speakeasy gets its name because one had to whisper a code to be allowed in.

Brandon noticed there was still some liquor in the jug. They all decided to taste it. Ton took a sip, while Allen wanted to see if it would burn. Boy, did it!

Fact: Moonshine is also referred to as hooch, white lightning, and mountain dew.

After a bit of negotiating with Brandon, they sold the still and jug to for $850.

Fact: When Prohibition ended, FDR declared, “What America needs now is a drink.”

Duo also retrieved a china set from the unit valued at $200. Ton found twenty-five limited edition Barbie dolls valued at $1000.

Moonshine and Barbies, that’s a pretty eclectic unit.

It was a successful day, but Ton still had those old TVs to unload.

Auction Total:

Paid $525
Sold: $2800
Profit: $2275

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

Auction Hunters: Hack and Slash

December 7, 2010

Auction Hunters: Season 1, Episode 6: “Weapons of Past Destruction.”

Allen and Ton drove to Hollywood. In Allen’s own words, “They’ll go anywhere where they can smell a deal.” Keep in mind how long some storage units sit before auction. Smell is the operative word.

Without a lot of competition and room without foreseeable value; Allen and Ton won all three units up for auction.

Box and Table Unit
Haff-Ton team big $5. The box was full of books about screenwriting. Maybe they can write a script about how two men got suckered into buying piss-poor locker. Don’t think it would be a big box office draw.

Table inside they estimated was worth around $60.

Mysterious Box Unit

Another box! Along with a few more item. Duo won the locker at $40. They walked inside and found two hidden treasures.

Allen found a World War II Japanese Samurai Sword. It had a 1060 steel blade and was extremely sharp.

Fact: 1060 steel is one of the toughest metals available.

Ton figured to test the blade so he made chop suey out of a watermelon.

Results: Ton – 1, Watermelon – 0.

Fact: In feudal Japan, blades were tested on the bodies of convicted criminals.

An antique sword dealer paid $275 for the sword. Allen threw in the slaughtered watermelon for free.

The second cool treasure was a polygraph machine from the 70’s. They had an expert hook Ton up to see if it worked. Allen had a very important question for him: “Did you eat my sandwich?”

Fact: Lying is believed to trigger involuntary physical responses.

The expert valued the machine at $350 and agreed to buy it for $200.

Fact: Until the 1980’s, it was common to take a polygraph test in a job interview.

Vintage Furniture Unit

They bid $250 on a unit full of vintage furniture and found some interesting pieces inside; including a vintage couch. Altogether the furniture valued at $800.

Fact: Claw and Ball designs date back to the Victorian era (1837 – 1901).

Furniture did not excite Ton, but the pair of black powder guns from the 1800’s made him giggle like girl.

Fact: Black powder was invented by the Chinese 2000 years ago.

Haff-Ton team took the guns down to the shooting range. If they fired, the higher the value.

Ton did not flinch when the antique gun expert, Blaze, warned him that black powder was very dangerous. If it exploded, it meant no money and no Ton!

Both guns fired! Negotiations fired with the gun expert.

The first gun was from the 1830’s and was a European double barrel. They sold it for $160. The second gun was from the 1840’s and was a single barrel. They sold it for $140.

Ton had fun with swords and guns. A good day!

Auction Total:

Paid $295
Sold: $1635
Profit: $1340

Would you like to slice a watermelon with a samurai sword?

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

Auction Hunters: Dude, Where’s My Truck?

November 30, 2010