Auction Hunters: Season 1, Episode 6: “Weapons of Past Destruction.”
Allen and Ton drove to Hollywood. In Allen’s own words, “They’ll go anywhere where they can smell a deal.” Keep in mind how long some storage units sit before auction. Smell is the operative word.
Without a lot of competition and room without foreseeable value; Allen and Ton won all three units up for auction.
Box and Table Unit
Haff-Ton team big $5. The box was full of books about screenwriting. Maybe they can write a script about how two men got suckered into buying piss-poor locker. Don’t think it would be a big box office draw.
Table inside they estimated was worth around $60.
Mysterious Box Unit
Another box! Along with a few more item. Duo won the locker at $40. They walked inside and found two hidden treasures.
Allen found a World War II Japanese Samurai Sword. It had a 1060 steel blade and was extremely sharp.
Fact: 1060 steel is one of the toughest metals available.
Ton figured to test the blade so he made chop suey out of a watermelon.
Results: Ton – 1, Watermelon – 0.
Fact: In feudal Japan, blades were tested on the bodies of convicted criminals.
An antique sword dealer paid $275 for the sword. Allen threw in the slaughtered watermelon for free.
The second cool treasure was a polygraph machine from the 70’s. They had an expert hook Ton up to see if it worked. Allen had a very important question for him: “Did you eat my sandwich?”
Fact: Lying is believed to trigger involuntary physical responses.
The expert valued the machine at $350 and agreed to buy it for $200.
Fact: Until the 1980’s, it was common to take a polygraph test in a job interview.
Vintage Furniture Unit
They bid $250 on a unit full of vintage furniture and found some interesting pieces inside; including a vintage couch. Altogether the furniture valued at $800.
Fact: Claw and Ball designs date back to the Victorian era (1837 – 1901).
Furniture did not excite Ton, but the pair of black powder guns from the 1800’s made him giggle like girl.
Fact: Black powder was invented by the Chinese 2000 years ago.
Haff-Ton team took the guns down to the shooting range. If they fired, the higher the value.
Ton did not flinch when the antique gun expert, Blaze, warned him that black powder was very dangerous. If it exploded, it meant no money and no Ton!
Both guns fired! Negotiations fired with the gun expert.
The first gun was from the 1830’s and was a European double barrel. They sold it for $160. The second gun was from the 1840’s and was a single barrel. They sold it for $140.
Ton had fun with swords and guns. A good day!
Auction Total:
Paid $295
Sold: $1635
Profit: $1340
Would you like to slice a watermelon with a samurai sword?
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