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Storage Wars was at the forefront of the storage craze that swept our televisions in the early 2010s. In the 10 seasons the show ran, bidders saw a lot of memorable items. We’ve put together a list of the most unforgettable Storage Wars finds to highlight the show’s unique treasures. In the state of California, if storage owners do not pay their rent for three consecutive months, their belongings can be sold in a cash-only auction. Bidders are not allowed to enter the storage unit or touch any items before bidding; instead, they have five minutes to look on from the doorway and make a decision. The possibilities are endless — bidders could spend $1,000 on a container only to find mothballs, or they could unearth a hoard of Picasso paintings. 1. Elvis Presley Papers In a 2010 episode of Storage Wars, hunters found a unit containing thousands of authentic newspapers reporting Elvis Presley’s death on the day he died, August 16, 1977. The papers were in terrific condition, and Dave Hester turned a $750 gamble into a $90,000 appraisal. Flickr/Mig_R 2. The $6,000 Head Weiss spent $1,525 on a storage unit housing what seemed to be a wooden head. His suspicions turned out to be correct, and the wooden head turned out to be valued at $6,000. A&E/Storage Wars 3. Hidden Treasures One of the more surprising finds occurred when bidding star Barry Weiss dropped $275 on a storage container seemingly filled with salon supplies. Hidden among the rubble was a 1928 Marshall and Wendell miniature salesman’s piano valued between $10,000 and $12,000. Flickr/eflon 4. Video Game Jackpot The first episode of the 10th season provided one of the most acclaimed finds in Storage Wars history. Storage bidder Rene Nezhoda struck gold on his $1,500 investment when he discovered more than 3,000 classic video games decaying in the container. There were unopened games for consoles including Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, and many others. Flickr/Thomas Schrantz 5. Big Gamble for Collectibles Darrell Sheets was perhaps one of the biggest stars on Storage Wars, known by viewers as “the gambler.” Risky ventures are nothing new to the bidding champion, but his $13,500 bet on a seemingly hopeless container shocked audiences. Well, until he discovered an outrageous $40,275 worth of collectibles ranging from sports memorabilia to World War II artifacts. Flickr/bballchico 6. Comic Book Heaven Sheets struck gold yet again when he uncovered a storage unit stuffed to the brim with mint-condition comic book memorabilia. The locker was valued at around $91,000. A&E/Storage Wars 7. Rita Ackermann Paintings Sheets definitely has a knack for sniffing out worthwhile containers. His favorite catch on the show came from the storage container of a famous model. Dozens of paintings by Rita Ackermann will be returned to their rightful spot in a gallery instead of collecting dust in a storage unit. A&E/Storage Wars 8. Pirate's Treasure The biggest payout on the show never actually aired, as the owner of the literal treasure did not want to publicize his hoard. The buyer spent $1,000 on the storage unit and found a box too large for two people to move. Upon further inspection, they discovered Spanish dollars dating back to the 16th century inside. The riches were valued at $500,000. Flickr/Javier Aldana 9. The Toy Trove Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz were definitely the underdogs of the show — they were the hard-working rookies who didn’t employ manipulative tactics like the other bidders. So viewers rejoiced when storage shark Dave Hester tried — and failed — to sabotage the duo, who won a unit for $1,700 and found around $13,000 worth of classic toys inside. Wikimedia Commons/Mingle MediaTV 10. Garbage Pail Kids Ivy Calvin found a small, collectible treasure inside what he thought was a box of knick-knacks. Hundreds of mint condition Garbage Pail Kids cards and stickers were discovered, turning his $250 gamble into an almost $1,000 profit. A&E/Storage Wars 11. A Bunch of Nothing At some point on the show, Barry Weiss literally took a blowtorch to a safe that he couldn’t open. When that didn’t work, he called in a professional to unlock the daunting safe, only to find nothing inside. What a nice reminder that not everything is the treasure in Storage Wars. A&E/Storage Wars 12. A Pocket Spittoon Too Good to Pass Up Sometimes the bidders aren’t all about the profit. Weiss often is called “the collector,” and that’s not for naught. On one episode, he found a pocket spittoon from the 19th century that even the experts couldn’t put a number on. He liked it so much he kept it. A&E/Storage Wars 13. A Museum in a Locker In one of the most wealth-abundant episodes to air, bidders Rene and Casey Nezhoda found what looked like a whole museum in their locker. From beautiful paintings to ornate pottery, the Nezhodas came across a collection of artwork worth around $50,000. Not bad for an afternoon of spring cleaning. A&E/Storage Wars 14. A Surprising Profit One of the most shockingly valuable items discovered on the show was Mary Padian’s antique candle maker, which was valued at $1,400. Her partner wanted to sell it for $50 before the appraisal. A&E/Storage Wars 15. Biggest Payout Ever Sheets is the owner of the most valuable storage unit to actually air on television. He invested a hefty $3,600 on a locker filled with artwork, only to find out that around $300,000 worth of Frank Guttierez paintings existed inside. Sheets later found out that the unit actually belonged to Guttierez. Flickr/lwpkommunikacio Credits: definition.org Share this story on Facebook with your friends.