Storage Unit Auctions

Storage unit auctions are getting very popular. Mainly due to a new show called "Storage Wars". Only showing the success stories, this show shares what four guys have won after they bid thousands of dollars.
Well,  here's the rest of the story. Most of what you bid on is junk. Things like clothes, toys and housewares.
Also, you are bidding and purchasing other peoples hardships. So, what I may think is junk or dumpster worthy items, it's really someones memories or something they value on a personal level. If you find things like photos or documents it's only fair that you return them to the storage unit facility. Sometimes the things you bid on from these units are everything the person owned. and don't be surprised if the owner of the stuff is one of the bidders.

The thing that bothers me about these auctions are the companies hosting have been seen stealing before and during the auction. They will tell you some story about looking for personal items but watch closely... they are really looking for jewelry and coins. Oh well, they cant see everything in those boxes!

 Anyway, I have been to a few auctions and must admit it is a rush! My daughter Kimberly and I spent a couple hours bidding on a unit in west Fresno  and YEP  we came away with some cool stuff! Fishing tackle, vintage glass, quilts, housewares... So far, I've made a little money back with selling the stuff on eBay.


Kimberly enjoying some time with her ol' Dad


Kimi really cracked me up! She jumps right in there to get a closer look then looks back at me and either gives me a nod or shakes her head. She was right every time!


My pick-up loaded with junk


You usually do not get much time to look before the bidding begins. Here are a few tips for bidding on storage bins -

Location - look for facilities in money towns or nice neighborhoods.

Packing - How did the owner pack. Tubs tell you the owner cared enuff to spend a little to store their belongings. Are items wrapped in paper and bubble wrap or just thrown in a cardboard box?

Organization/ Neatness - How well did the owner stack their boxes and  keep their property organized?

Look for hints of what is in the tubs and boxes. Kimi spotted a box that had GLASS written on it. She also noticed smaller print that said Grandmas. That told us the glass may be vintage (she gave me a nod).

Have fun-Take a chair and some snacks... The bidding process takes a while.

Joe

Junker Quotes

Yep even junk and vintage collectors have famous quotes - Some are mine and some ain't.

• When my parents took me to antique stores they would show me things from their past and childhood - I thought it was cool. Now when I see things in antique stores from MY past and childhood - I think it sucks!
• I feel "Junk Drunk"
• I love everything that's old, - old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine”
• One mans junk is another man's treasure
• What most people see as junk, we see as dollar signs
• One mans junk is another mans junk
• When you wear vintage -  it's a person, it's a place, it's a time, its something that lived a life before me
• A sign posted at an Antique store - Dead People's Things For Sale
  
• At a flea market I always head for the junk jewelry table first. Ethel Merman


• Remember that the most valuable antiques are dear old friends


• It's not junk it's our national treasure 


• I'm looking for the "WOW FACTOR"!


• Sometimes I buy stories...


• Time to raise your sights


• I have no friends at auctions


• The older the violin, the sweeter the music


• NO! I'm not that guy from Storage Wars!

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a memorable Christmas and looking forward to a great New Year! I didn't waste any time getting out and pickin'... New Years morning at 8 am my son Mike,  his girlfriend Janet and I were up to our knees in junk! We found an Estate in SE Fresno that was unbelievable! This home belonged to a hoarder and if you spent a week there you couldn't find everything... A real mess!

The Hoarders dining room




Mike and Janet having a great time

 With about 30 people already there we didn't waste anytime jumping in and getting dirty. I started in the garage and the kids went in the house. After spending about an hour hunting for treasures we were ready to check out. We found some amazing things and I look forward to posting them on eBay so I can start making some money.
After the estate sale we found a vintage garage sale and bought more collector items. Mike bought an old "Sun" music mixer for his guitar amps. The guy wanted 30.00 and Mike started haggling and said I'll give you 20 bucks.The guy was set on selling it for 30 but Mike eventually popped on it for 20.00. He's a chip off the ol' block.
I had a great time with the kids and I think they enjoyed junkin' with the old man.

Anyway, have a great year finding cool stuff and get dirty!

Joe

Vintage Schwinn Bicycle



Vintage Tank Schwinn

 

The Vintage Schwinn bicycle is the most fashionable bicycle in the world. In case you don't believe me, simply do a examine on the Net and contemplate the many results return. Let's dig into the archives a bit to come up with elsewhere what makes the Schwinn so festive to so many of us.
Schwinn, was founded in 1895 by Ignaz Schwinn and became the dominant manufacturer of American bicycles during the whole of the rest of the 20th century. The bicycle mania that originated in Chicago, Illinois saw 30 factories producing over 1,000 units per day! However, the with the advent of the automobile, approval of the bicycle waned - product dropped 25%. What followed were frequent turbulent years brought on by Schwinn's insistence that their distributors put up for sale and function just Schwinn bicycles. This led to many battles that ultimately resulted in Schwinn losing a Supreme Court outcome in 1967. This did not change the demand of the "vintage Schwinn" and its legacy lives on today. All the more although the fame Schwinn still remains strong today, the term "vintage Schwinn Bicycles" may live emerge much more popular!

Torpedo Head light

 

Joe's Restoration "Giving old things new life"

There is something very rewarding with finding old treasures and giving them a new life. Rusty gold, old lanterns, fishing tackle, art, furniture, photos, toys, bicycles and the list goes on and on! A few weeks ago I found some old photos taken in 1943 at a  elegant restaurant in San Francisco. Interesting folks sitting around a table dining and having the time of their life. These awesome treasures of California history were going to waste in an old cardboard box. They are now being proudly displayed at the San Francisco Visitors Center.

This lawn chair was rescued from an estate sale of the home of long time Fresno resident Kermit Koontz. I saw it behind a shed and asked to buy it. I proudly gave 15 bucks for what most people call junk! I estimated the date around 1945...Over 60 years old! The arm rest were obviously rotten, been painted about 12 times and starting to show rust. No dents or damage to the frame work. Now days, try to find patio furniture this structurally  stable.

I sandblasted the chair and powder coated it with a popular 1950's color. After  reassembled the base to the chair it looks fantastic! I still need to custom make the arm- rest and the project will be completed. The "lawn chair" will last another 60 years.The only problem is it's hard to get people to believe it's old!

I'll buy and re-store many things from our past  - Soda Machines, gas pumps, vintage fishing rods & reels, lawn furniture, bicycles, motorcycles, lamps, chandeliers, cameras and old Coleman lanterns (pre- 1961). These kind of items are true craftsmanship made in the good ol' USA. It's important that we find these things and get 'em back into circulation. Quality is in the past.

Happy Holidays!

Joe

More Picks.....

WW2 military items are big collector items and it seems to be getting more popular. I usually avoid buying these things from WW2 because it makes me think of my Father and what he had to go through during the battle of Iwo Jima. He told me one time, when ever you see a Marine at a restaurant always buy his meal and thank him for the freedom you have. I proudly honored his request. Enough said about that.
          Paid: 3.00
          Value: 25.00  SOLD 86.00 

Sony Car TV Antenna  Model # VCA-1 Made in the 1960's and a HOT item all over the world!
Picked: 1 buck
Value: 150.00   SOLD: 134.08

1919 oil heater stove -  beautiful glass center, ash try under the feet and it's in amazing condition.  Purchased from an artist in Squaw Valley CA. very rare piece.
Paid: 30.00
Value: 75.00 SOLD: 45.00
Kickin' myself in the butt... Should have kept it!




Schwinn Spitfire w/tank and torpedo head light - purchased from Craigslist.

Purchased: 100.00
Value: 300.00

Coleman single mantel lantern. Big collectors item worldwide. Model # 200A made 1959

Picked: 6 bucks
Value: 40.00    SOLD: 74.00 (shipped to Japan)

                                      



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Really Nice Pepsi ice chest cooler. Probably 1960's
Picked: 40.00  For Sale: 65.00  SOLD

                                                                                    

I found this case of MUG Rootbeer bottles in a storage unit. I was the highest bidder at 15 bucks. Graphics and condition is perfect. Dated: early 70's.

Picked: 15.00
value: ?
SOLD: 30.00

Sunnyside Swap Meet

  The Big Sunnyside Swap Meet was located on the corner of Clovis and Olive in Fresno CA. Started around 1972 and probably ended around mid 90's. Hundreds of sellers and thousands of people shopping for bargains.

  Yesterday I was driving down Clovis Ave. and saw where the old Sunnyside Drive-in theater used to be. The only thing left is an old sign and an empty field. At night it was a drive-in  and on weekends it was the Sunnyside Swap Meet. Hundreds of folks would clean-out their sheds, barns garages and bring their junk here. The first time I sold at the swap meet I was 15. My dad drove the truck and set the prices. He made a little money but did more talking than selling. The next week I drove the truck myself and dad showed up later to check on me. Anyway, I was sold-out by 9am with a pocket full of  money. You see, I ain't much of a talker. I watched the people...Saw what they were buying and figured out what I needed to sell.

The other dealers called me the kid... some stole my stuff and others watched out for me. I sold anything I thought I could make a buck on -Tools, lawnmowers, furniture, jewelry and antiques, After a few years I even shared a pony picture business. Anyway, eventually people realized they could stay home put up a few signs and have a "Garage Sale"  so the flea market thing started slowing down. After a fight with a vendor over a doll I bought for my daughter Andrea, my swap meet days were over. I guess that was around 1984.
Joe