The words “treasure” and “self storage” have been paired together in recent years largely due to the popularity of reality television shows like Storage Wars and Auction Hunters. The idea of being able to spend a few hundred dollars at a self storage auction and have it turn into thousands (or more) when rare collectibles are found or even gold has many people willing to take that chance.
Most people do not realize that there is a much easier way to possibly strike it rich when it comes to the self storage industry, and all you have to do is rent a self storage unit and use it.
When it comes to the treasures that auction hunters have discovered an important thing to realize is that all the stuff that is in the self storage unit was once inside someone’s home. One day the previous owner decided that he/she wanted to de-clutter the house some or maybe they had to move, but for one reason or another they had to put their belongings—treasure included—in a self storage unit.
While the treasure was found in the self storage unit, it originated from someone’s home. Imagine how happy they would have been if in the process of de-cluttering their home they discovered they had something of great value hidden away?
Simply by de-cluttering your home, there is a chance that you could find something valuable as well!
Over the years there have been a number of occasions that have caught the public eye; people cleaning out their attics, closets, etc. and in the process uncovered treasure that they did not even know they had.
In some cases it has been a literal treasure—just in a unique format. There is a family that found a box of false teeth in their attic that had belonged to a long-departed relative (a dentist). Back in the relative’s day, false teeth were often made out of platinum since it was cheap at the time. Since platinum is no longer considered cheap, when they sold the teeth they made a cool $8000.
Another family was clearing space in the attic one day and came across some boxes from the dad’s childhood. Inside were many of the original collectibles that came out when Star Wars was released in 1977. He took them to a local comic shop and walked away with $10,000.
If small change like that does not make you want to clear out your attic or get all the boxes out of the spare room this will. After playing a board game a man became curious about a painting he had stashed away in his attic. He sold it to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston for $1.25 million.
Another family found a coin collection in the belongings of a deceased relative. As luck would have it, one of the pieces was a 1913 nickel with a liberty head; only five were ever made. They eventually sold it for $2 million.
This is not to say that if you clean up your home and/or empty your attic that you will find something worth thousands or millions of dollars. The same is true when it comes to buying a self storage unit at auction either. However, when you rent a self storage unit in order to de-clutter your home you will find at least one treasure. It may not sell for much at auction, but you’ll undoubtedly find it pretty valuable.
Space.
Sources Used:
“Hidden Treasures: What could you find hidden in your Attic?” Big Yellow Self Storage; 27 January 2012.
“Self Storage Reality Shows Inspiring More Storage Wars.” Self Storage Industry News; 10 January 2012.