Feed: Storage Unit Auction News & Info - AggScore: 52.5

When Firearms Are Found at Storage Auctions

With the introduction of several reality-based television shows on the subject, storage auctions have become a popular source of income for many Americans. Firearms are often found among the contents of storage units sold at auction and are highly sought after by bidders for their high value and easy resale.

“Everyone wants to find guns in a storage unit. They represent a profitable discovery that’s easily converted into cash,” said Adam Meyer, a veteran storage auction buyer from Virginia. “There are also a lot of misconceptions among bidders concerning taking ownership of a firearm through an auction,” added Meyer.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/storage/auctions/prweb9087734.htm

Storage Wars: Texas Makes History and Mainstream Storage Auctions

Note: The following was submitted to us as our first guest blog post by Lisa from Houston, Texas.

Two days ago, the first episode of Storage Wars: Texas premiered on A&E, and over 4.1 million Americans watched. This premier became the most-watched in A&E’s history. Although the cable television network has increased in popularity over the last few years due to the success of hit reality shows like Intervention and Obsessed, the network hit a goldmine with Storage Wars. The show was one of the most popular on cable television during its first season and is only increasing in popularity as it ventures into unchartered storage territory in Texas. As a result of the show’s popularity, an increasing number of people are attending storage auctions, from Boston storage auctions to Kansas City storage auctions.

As a storage auction enthusiast, I love watching Storage Wars. However, I am a little concerned about the attention being paid to storage auctions. I’ve been going to storage auctions for several years, and most people didn’t used to know what storage auctions were. Those of us who did know about them often felt as though we belonged to a fun kind of secret society. Our hobby was esoteric, like using Ham radios. Now that the majority of Americans are aware of storage auctions, I fear that an extremely large number of people will begin to attend them.

More people at the auctions could mean more competition. And more competition might mean that it will be more difficult for middle class storage auction enthusiasts (like myself) to place the highest bid on items at auctions. I’ve seen quite a few new faces at the storage auctions I’ve attended in the past few months. And, as previously mentioned, there have already been reports of an increased number of people attending storage auctions across the country. The effects of the increased popularity of storage auctions are still unclear, but many of us are hoping that storage auctions don’t become too crowded.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ll be one of the millions of Americans tuning in to Storage Wars: Texas every week. The show never fails to entertain me. I just hope it doesn’t change the way I can participate in the storage auctions I love.

Update on $500k Gold Find at Auction

Last week we reported on a huge $500k gold coin discovery in storage locker that sold at auction in Concord, California. As expected, more details have surfaced concerning a possible former-owner of that storage unit.

After reading about the find on StorageAuctionCentral.com, a man named Curtis P. contacted the news outlet to detail what he knew of the coins’ history. Curtis identified the owner of the gold as Daniel David Rigmaiden, a man who is currently awaiting trial in the United States District Court of Arizona (No. CR-08-814-PHX-DGC) on federal charges of fraud and identity theft. Rigmaiden, a self-described “hacker,” is accused of running a complex identity theft ring that stole more than $4 million from the U.S. government through the filing of fraudulent tax returns.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/11/prweb8981475.htm

Dave Hester Sues Over Use of “YUUUP!”

Dave Hester, cast member of Storage Wars, has been reported to have filed a lawsuit against musician Trey Songz that seeks to prevent the rapper from interfering with his use of the word “YUUUP!”

This comes after attorneys for Songz served Hester with a “cease-and-desist” order demanding he stop using the phrase on television. Songz argued that the term has been his “signature phrase” since 2009, however, Hester successfull registered a trademark for the sound earlier this year.

In the complaint, Hester claims that Songz’s sound “resembles an animal-like or non-human squeal which begins with a distinct ‘yeeee’ sound before finishing with a squeal-like ‘uuuup’ sound,” which differentiates it from Hester’s “distinct and different from Hester’s more monosyllabic sounding guttural auction bidding phrase … which is meant to convey the meaning of ‘yes.’ “

$500,000 in Gold Found at Storage Auction

[Updated on 11/15/2011 at 19:40 EST]

Dan and Laura Dotson, the famed auctioneer team from the hit show “Storage Wars”, tweeted that a Bay Area auction attendee paid $1,100 for an abandoned unit and then found treasure inside consisting of approximately $500,000 in gold doubloons.

Click the image to view Laura Dotson's twitter page.

Several articles have been posted on this and details on the score vary:

http://www.tmz.com/2011/11/13/storage-wars-half-million-dollars-worth-pirates-gold-found/

http://www.tmz.com/2011/11/13/storage-wars-half-million-dollars-worth-pirates-gold-found/

http://www.tmz.com/2011/11/13/storage-wars-half-million-dollars-worth-pirates-gold-found/

Some outlets reported that the gold coins were found in an authentic 200-year-old chest; ABC News interviewed the Dotson’s and reported that the coins were found in a plastic rubbermaid container. It was also reported that a few gold and silver bars were found.

Commenters all across the web have been calling BS on this find, some saying that it’s a possible ploy by the producers of Storage Wars to generate publicity, but I wouldn’t be too quick to judge. Large finds like this do happen at storage auctions. They are extremely rare, but people find contents valued in the hundreds of thousands every year. It’s quite likely the owner died and had no family who were aware of the unit, or is perhaps in prison and had no means to maintain management of the lease.

With this much money on the line, I expect more twists to the story as time progresses. Storage Auction Central is watching this one closely and will post follow-ups as information becomes available. It’s unfortunate that this find took place at an auction that was not being filmed for their television show.

For now, join the discussion on our storage auction forum.

Woman Loses $60k in Storage Snafu

I resolved long ago to never keep anything important in storage. This is not the first time I’ve heard of such an ocurrence, however, it is the most damaging I’ve read about:

Consumer Watch: Storage nightmare is the result of a temporary assignment, an unexpected extension and a lifetime of possessions lost

While Navy Cmdr. Wilma Roberts was stationed in Okinawa, she was comforted by the knowledge that her china and cabinets, her daughter’s ballerina outfit, her photos and all of her other prized possessions were safely stored in a climate-controlled unit under the military’s personal property system.

But her property wasn’t safe at all, she found, when she returned to Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill., this past summer.

Unbeknownst to Roberts, the personal property office had converted the storage bill to her expense, and when the bill went unpaid, the storage company sold everything she owned.

A local man paid $2,101 at auction for all of her possessions — items she values at more than $60,000 — and sold almost all of it.

Read the entire article at the link below:

http://www.airforcetimes.com/money/financial_advice/offduty-consumer-watch-storage-nightmare-lifetime-of-possessions-lost-102411w/

Body found in storage unit.

Glad this one didn’t go to auction…

Detectives believed a 29-year-old woman was the victim of foul play after she  was reported missing in 1983, and they interviewed her boyfriend at least twice.  But the case made little headway until last week, when human remains believed to  be hers were discovered inside a freezer in a rental storage unit.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/10/24/national/a122129D19.DTL

Jackpot! Guns found in old safe.

No, not me. Though I’m dying for a find like the one experienced by Movieman, a member of our storage auction forum. He purchased a large, packed unit recently and found a sizable safe inside. After having a locksmith open it for him…he had a nice find. Read more at the link below; the good stuff starts on page 4.

http://storageauctionforums.com/index.php?topic=1611.0

Spotted, Cast of Storage Wars: Dallas

Travis at Storage Auction Blog recently ran into the cast and crew for the new reality spin-off known as Storage Wars: Dallas. He managed to get some pictures which are posted along with his write-up. Some of the comments on his blog are interesting too.

I wonder how many storage auction reality shows the market can support…sigh.

Storage Wars Dallas – Cast & Crew Revealed