On A&E’s “Storage Wars,” modern-day treasure hunters bid on abandoned storage units for a shot at finding hidden loot among the empty boxes and forgotten furniture that fill the lockers. It might not sound like glamorous work, but according the men who take on the task each week, sometimes it really pays off.
NBC News correspondent Kerry Sanders spoke to some of the “Wars” regulars for TODAY and learned about their top hauls.
For Darrell Sheets, otherwise known as “The Gambler” on the show, a surprise stash of comic books proved to be his most memorable find, as an investment of $2,700 yielded him an extensive and extremely valuable collection.
“It was seven pick-up truck loads of comic books,” Sheets recalled. “Today, if I still had them, they’d be worth $5.4 million.”
And while Dave "The Mogul" Hester can’t boast a similar score, he’s happy with his own favorite find.
“I once paid $750 for a unit,” Hester said. “It turned out it had a painting. It was titled 'The Golden Pool,' and I sold it for $155,000.”
With tales like those, it’s no wonder some viewers want to follow in their footsteps.
“Right now the economy’s bad — a lot of people are out of work,” Sheets said. “People are sitting back watching the show and looking at what’s going on saying, ‘You know what? I think I can go do this.’”
But as Sanders learned when he snagged a locker for $1,300 that turned out to contain just $700 worth of odds and ends, it’s buyer beware at the auctions.
"Storage Wars" airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on A&E.
Have you tuned in to “Storage Wars”? Would you ever consider bidding on a trash-to-treasure opportunity? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
Also in The Clicker: