- Joined
- Jun 4, 2013
- Messages
- 9,029
I have always watched those shows off and on because I dig treasure hunts, a bargain, an adventure, and my ego always demands that I could do that "if I wanted to".
Yesterday, my father calls and says he has a list of auctions and would I drive him. He just had eye surgery.
He just wanted to experience what they were like.
So, this morning, I shove my cash stash of $500 in my pocket in case my dad needs it. (Don't tell my wife I have a $500 cash stash. Seriously. I'll kill you.)
I figure he's good for it since he's half blind and 80. I think I can take him. Not swearing by it, but probably.
We get to the auction and all goes as planned. We watch what we think is a very cool locker go for $350. No way I'm dropping $350 on an afternoon out with pops. It did look promising though. Lots of neatly stored stuff and big hints of hunter/fisherman.
The next two lockers were complete sh1t. Just crap. My pops was starting to nudge because they were going cheap and had a few promising possibilities. I'm telling him, no way, people don't stash cool stuff amongst completely worthless trash. Even if the Aluminum case screams high end equipment, it's not high end equipment if it's stored with complete trash.
It wasn't. It was actually trash. That idiot cleaned the locker for those people and paid them $65 for the privilege.
Then the last locker.
I'm looking between boxes, one named "Stan's Porn", I sh1t you not, and I see a pinball machine. An old pinball machine. Like, made of wood. Like, 1930's to 40's I'm guessing. I also see consistency. Everything is boxed or tubbed. Things match. Things are old. There is more space than required so he doesn't want to stack things.
I'm thinking: Collector
To me, that's the holy grail of storage wars. I love collections. Usually, collectors know a lot more about what they are collecting than I possibly could.
I go back to meet my dad who has looked on his own and he says, "did you see that?" So I say, "what, Stan's porn?"
I'm kidding, I say "the pinball machine?" He say's "NO, the 50's looking bumper pool table."
I say, "no, you mean pinball machine." He says, "no, bumper pool." I scratch his denial up to age and eye surgery.
So, even though I had sworn to myself I would not bid against experts at my first auction and that I only brought cash to support pops in a pinch, I say to pops, "I would go $800 if you'll split it." He agrees. We think this locker is going for $1,500 plus. It's neat. Clean. There is nothing in sight that isn't either interesting, valuable, or in lidded tubs.
The bidding starts. Lots of bidders. It jumps to $600 where many bidders fall off. I jump in. I know we are going to $800 so every bid, I just raise my finger instantly so they think I'm not quitting.
The last bidder, with a look that could kill, lets me have it at $675. $675. What?
What did we get for $675?
1 - 1956 Wilson pinball machine and all parts and manuals to restore it.
1 - 1936 Bumper pool table that is coin operated (2 dimes) and has lighted bumpers.
About 30 antique cameras.
A pipe collection of 20 plus nice pipes that includes a set of hand carved, one of a kind, ivory pipes, in their own case.
A Star Trek and Star Wars collectables collection. Including a life sized R2D2 drink cooler and a miniature R2D2 cooler.
A 1911 cast iron adding machine in excellent working condition.
Art from STL artists and other artists that are all signed and numbered.
A 1930's typewriter.
A 1950's sewing machine.
It goes on.
I have no idea what it's all worth, but any two lines above are worth more than $675 and we haven't even been able to open all the boxes.
Stan's porn? All regular mainstream VHS movies. Diehard and sh1t. WTF!
Now for the bad news: Not only was Stan's Porn not porn, my 80 year old pops with the bad eyesight decided he was bringing his truck on the return trip to clear the locker.
We loaded the pinball machine. It was heavy. I expertly tied it all down. He decided he would drive 80 MPH. I called and warned him. He's old and certain he will do what he wants. The top of the pinball machine, with the 1950's glass face, broke and fell to the roadway less than a mile from home after a 50+ mile drive. All the value is in the original glass.
So, is anyone up to killing him for me? I'll give you half a pinball machine.
I'm telling you though, as soon as I spent 30 seconds trying to get a view under some big assed and beautiful, but pissed, black chicks armpit, I knew this was the locker. Never thought we'd get it.
That was a good and fun day.
That's why the Rams will take Clowney or Wilkins. Even if sh1t gets screwed up, it will be good and fun days.
Yesterday, my father calls and says he has a list of auctions and would I drive him. He just had eye surgery.
He just wanted to experience what they were like.
So, this morning, I shove my cash stash of $500 in my pocket in case my dad needs it. (Don't tell my wife I have a $500 cash stash. Seriously. I'll kill you.)
I figure he's good for it since he's half blind and 80. I think I can take him. Not swearing by it, but probably.
We get to the auction and all goes as planned. We watch what we think is a very cool locker go for $350. No way I'm dropping $350 on an afternoon out with pops. It did look promising though. Lots of neatly stored stuff and big hints of hunter/fisherman.
The next two lockers were complete sh1t. Just crap. My pops was starting to nudge because they were going cheap and had a few promising possibilities. I'm telling him, no way, people don't stash cool stuff amongst completely worthless trash. Even if the Aluminum case screams high end equipment, it's not high end equipment if it's stored with complete trash.
It wasn't. It was actually trash. That idiot cleaned the locker for those people and paid them $65 for the privilege.
Then the last locker.
I'm looking between boxes, one named "Stan's Porn", I sh1t you not, and I see a pinball machine. An old pinball machine. Like, made of wood. Like, 1930's to 40's I'm guessing. I also see consistency. Everything is boxed or tubbed. Things match. Things are old. There is more space than required so he doesn't want to stack things.
I'm thinking: Collector
To me, that's the holy grail of storage wars. I love collections. Usually, collectors know a lot more about what they are collecting than I possibly could.
I go back to meet my dad who has looked on his own and he says, "did you see that?" So I say, "what, Stan's porn?"
I'm kidding, I say "the pinball machine?" He say's "NO, the 50's looking bumper pool table."
I say, "no, you mean pinball machine." He says, "no, bumper pool." I scratch his denial up to age and eye surgery.
So, even though I had sworn to myself I would not bid against experts at my first auction and that I only brought cash to support pops in a pinch, I say to pops, "I would go $800 if you'll split it." He agrees. We think this locker is going for $1,500 plus. It's neat. Clean. There is nothing in sight that isn't either interesting, valuable, or in lidded tubs.
The bidding starts. Lots of bidders. It jumps to $600 where many bidders fall off. I jump in. I know we are going to $800 so every bid, I just raise my finger instantly so they think I'm not quitting.
The last bidder, with a look that could kill, lets me have it at $675. $675. What?
What did we get for $675?
1 - 1956 Wilson pinball machine and all parts and manuals to restore it.
1 - 1936 Bumper pool table that is coin operated (2 dimes) and has lighted bumpers.
About 30 antique cameras.
A pipe collection of 20 plus nice pipes that includes a set of hand carved, one of a kind, ivory pipes, in their own case.
A Star Trek and Star Wars collectables collection. Including a life sized R2D2 drink cooler and a miniature R2D2 cooler.
A 1911 cast iron adding machine in excellent working condition.
Art from STL artists and other artists that are all signed and numbered.
A 1930's typewriter.
A 1950's sewing machine.
It goes on.
I have no idea what it's all worth, but any two lines above are worth more than $675 and we haven't even been able to open all the boxes.
Stan's porn? All regular mainstream VHS movies. Diehard and sh1t. WTF!
Now for the bad news: Not only was Stan's Porn not porn, my 80 year old pops with the bad eyesight decided he was bringing his truck on the return trip to clear the locker.
We loaded the pinball machine. It was heavy. I expertly tied it all down. He decided he would drive 80 MPH. I called and warned him. He's old and certain he will do what he wants. The top of the pinball machine, with the 1950's glass face, broke and fell to the roadway less than a mile from home after a 50+ mile drive. All the value is in the original glass.
So, is anyone up to killing him for me? I'll give you half a pinball machine.
I'm telling you though, as soon as I spent 30 seconds trying to get a view under some big assed and beautiful, but pissed, black chicks armpit, I knew this was the locker. Never thought we'd get it.
That was a good and fun day.
That's why the Rams will take Clowney or Wilkins. Even if sh1t gets screwed up, it will be good and fun days.
Last edited:
