Self-storage facilities are a convenient way to store your belongings, whether you’re part of a family moving to a new home, a businessperson who needs extra space for documents or just an average Joe with a surplus of bric-a-brac that you can’t bear to throw away. However, sometimes storage units are abandoned. Modern-day treasure hunters may turn to these storage units to unearth some surprising finds. Here’s a list of some of the more unusual finds.
KITT
KITT, or the “Knight Industries Two Thousand”, was the famous vehicle manned by Michael Knight, provider of pugilistic justice in the 1980s TV series Knight Rider. A storage unit owner in the United Kingdom rolled up to his unit in a KITT replica, which, remarkably, he couldn’t find space for in his life and decided to put away for a while. Maybe he’ll have a kid one day, with an awesome – albeit dated – first car.
Aretha Franklin’s clothing
After a fire damaged her home and most of her belongings, soul-sister Aretha Franklin used a storage unit in Michigan to keep her clothing and hats safe while repairs were underway. When she eventually stopped paying rent for the unit, her fabulous wardrobe was auctioned off to a lucky bidder.
Gran’s body
Many storage-unit hunters have found urns containing the cremated remains of deceased family members. A Florida family took this practice one step further and put the body of a deceased grandmother in a storage unit because at the time, they couldn’t afford a funeral.
Unreleased Michael Jackson tracks
The “King of Pop” had many unreleased tracks put away in storage under the care of his father, Joe Jackson. The tracks were recorded in between record deals, and so were never officially released. Some of them featured other recording greats, like Tina Turner.
Dinosaur bones
In West Fargo, a burglar broke into a storage unit and stole two jawbones of a prehistoric marine reptile, along with various dinosaur models. Each of the bones, which are millions of years old, was valued at an estimated $20,000.
Nicholas Cage’s prized comic book
Nicholas Cage was mortified when, in 2000, his prized copy of “Action Comics #1” was stolen from his home in LA. Over a decade later, an abandoned storage unit was auctioned off, and the new owner of the unit discovered the comic. After contacting a comic book dealer, who turned out to be the same dealer who sold Cage the comic book in the first place, the owner discovered the value of the comic and its source. Cage and his comic are now happily reunited.
A burglar
One burglar was so bad at his “profession” that he managed to get himself locked into a self-storage unit. When a passing guard saw that the door to the unit was open, he simply closed it, none the wiser. When he heard noises from inside, he called the police, who enjoyed what must have been a relatively easy catch.
Burt Reynolds’ stuff
Burt Reynold’s storage unit contained so much odd stuff that it was enough to stock a kitsch museum in Florida. Among his bric-a-brac were a horse carriage built by Dolly Parton, the canoe from the film Deliverance, and a framed letter from his doctor about a spleen operation performed on him in 1955.
Live grenade
Guns and ammunition may not be the most uncommon of finds, but a new storage unit owner was taken aback to discover a live hand grenade in the unit. The owner called the police, soon after which the bomb squad arrived to detonate the grenade.
Treasure in tupperware
When a man in San Jose bid on a self-storage unit up for auction, he never imagined it would contain over half a million dollars’ worth of rare coins, as well as gold and silver ingots, stored in a blue plastic container. The winning bid on the unit was for only $1,110.
Featured images:
- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
A guest post by Jeff who has yet to find any treasures in storage. Chances are he will though someday, as he writes for storage company XtraSpace.co.za who have storage facilities all across South Africa.
