Storage Wars Season 13 is currently airing over on A&E, with fans of the cable staple tuning in each week to see if the bidders take home rags or riches. Having been on the air for more than a decade, the beloved reality series has had plenty of impressive finds, though the mystery of what is inside a storage locker can also lead to some wild discoveries.
Initially premiering on A&E in 2010, Storage Wars is described by the network as “modern-day pirates blindly bid on abandoned storage units that may contain junk or treasure.” The series features Brandi Passante, Jarrod Schultz, Darrell Sheets, Dan and Laura Dotson, Kenny Crossley, Rene Nezhoda, Casey Nezhoda, and Ivy Calvin, all of whom returned for Season 13. The currently airing season debuted in late April after having been off air since early 2019, with those California storage units going for some hefty prices.
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Throughout its history, the bidders have paid some high prices for mystery items. With some units containing jewels, treasure troves of rare and high-priced items, and even lump sums of money, the bidders are occasionally faced with a locker full of weird and strange items, ranging anywhere from living creatures to mysterious objects with potentially dark pasts. Keep scrolling to see some of the strangest Storage Wars finds.
Wooden Head
Barry Weiss’ $1,525 storage unit turned up something peculiar. Hidden in a box in a corner behind large furniture, Weiss discovered a large wooden head, the ‘noggin boasting real glass eyes, real dentures, and a small window pane in the back that peered into a scene going on in the man’s head. After consulting an expert, Weiss learned that the strange find was a piece of art by California-based wood sculptor and painter Mike Medow. The piece turned out to be valued at $6,000.
Snake Nest
Not a fan of snakes? Then this locker purchased by Sheets isn’t for you. Upon placing his winning bed, Sheets, an original Storage Wars cast member, saw his riches turned into slippery, slithering creatures when further inspection of the unit revealed albino Burmese pythons in transparent boxes. It turns out that the storage unit had secretly been used by its previous owner as a snake breeding facility, with the pythons being sold as exotic pets. So much for snakes on a plane, this was snakes in a self-storage facility.
Newspaper Gold
Dave Hester struck big when his bid on a unit saw him cashing in a collection worth tens of thousands of dollars. The find happened back in Season 1 when one unit in particular caught Hester’s eye. After winning the auction and diving into the unit, Hester discovered 6,000 newspapers from the day Elvis Presley died. The find resulted in Hester accumulating a massive $90,000 profit from that unit alone.
Faceless Cash
It’s every Storage Wars bidder’s dream – place your bid and discover a locker full of not items, but cash. Unfortunately for one bidder in 2011, their $400 storage unit purchase transformed into a literal trunk full of money, containing a grand total of $24,000. The faces of every single bill, however, was either cut or torn out. TMZ reported at the time that it was unclear why the person who had previously owned the locker defaced the money. Thankfully, due to intact serial numbers, the money was deemed legal tender.
Roadkill
Not every unit can be a great find, and Sheets was quick to discover that when a locker he won at auction contained one very stinky item: roadkill. The find went down in Season 11, Episode 11, “Buyerina.” After placing a $500 winning bid on a unit, Sheets and his granddaughter Zoie began looking through their win, only to discover that whoever previously owned the unit had stored away some road kill. The two found several animal skeletons, which Zoie said “smell really bad.” Those skeletons unfortunately couldn’t turn a profit. When Sheets went to The Bone Room for appraisal, who was told the bones were illegal to sell because they were roadkill.
Mine Sweeper
Calvin discovered an old World War II relic after placing the highest bid on a storage unit in Season 9, Episode 9’s “The Lion of Lancaster.” After shelling out the $1,500 on the unit, Calvin and his crew got to work unpacking it, with Calvin coming across what he dubbed an “old army suitcase.” He took his “old war thing” to The WWII Store, where he learned it was actually a 1944 model of the mine sweeper, which was used “to pick up German mines that have been planted in the ground.” The find added an additional $400 to his already impressive profit from the unit.
Dealt a Bad Hand
One bidder, Jesse McClure, got a few extra sets of helping hands when they opened the door of their newly-bought locker. Hidden away in the unit was a large sculpture of a hand. Behind that giant hand were more hands, including small doll hands, a clock with a picture of a hand, a number of posters featuring hands on them, and even a jar containing what seemed to be a real human hand in formaldehyde. Thankfully, the hand turned out to be fake.
Voodoo Magic
Another creepy find, Storage Wars bidder Passante purchased a storage unit for $900, and after pulling out a tool chest with roughly $100 worth of tools, a heater worth $80, and a number of other odds an end, she pulled out a single box containing a slew of strange items. The “voodoo stuff” found included a deer skull, human hair, chicken bones, statues, and various items made from animals parts. The “bad juju voodoo” locker ended up paying off, with Passante making a decent profit.
Mysterious Coffin
In one of the creepier storage locker finds, Malcolm McDowell and Gary Busey found themselves starring in their own horror movie. Hidden away in their winning bid locker was a single coffin, which, by some scary coincidence, was padlocked. Any questions that were raised by the find weren’t answered when the coffin was eventually opened, revealing an empty suit and an empty urn.
Brony Locker
Another one of Passante’s winning bid lockers may have previously belonged to a Brony. In Season 6, Passante and Schultz place a winning bid of $50 for a mystery unit. That price saw them strike not gold, but rather My Little Pony paradise. Stored away in the unit was a treasure trove of the My Little Pony memorabilia, including a box full of figurines and toys and a giant pink My Little Pony plushie.
