Storage units are used by millions to help keep personal belongings safe and free up precious floor space in homes and offices up and down the country.
All these are very common uses of storage units; take a peek inside any of ours here at The Storage Team, and you’re guaranteed to find at least one of the above, among other mundane, everyday items.
However, there have been much weirder, and way more wonderful things found in storage units over the years.
If you’re an avid watcher of Storage Wars, then you’ll know the kinds of things we’re talking about, but join our experts at The Storage Team as we share some of the most bizarre, fantastic storage unit finds in this post!
The weird…
We won’t keep you waiting any longer, here are some of the weirdest things people have discovered hiding in abandoned, auctioned-off storage units.
Severed legs
Nope, you’re not seeing things.
Back in 2007, a severed leg was discovered hiding in and amongst other items at a storage facility in North Carolina, USA.
The tale is much less sinister than you may be imagining; the original storage unit owner had to have their leg amputated, but decided to put it into storage so that he could later be buried with it.
The contents of the unit were, eventually, auctioned off, and the new owner was met with this unwelcome, strange surprise – which was later returned to its rightful owner!
Live hand grenades
Over to Michigan, USA now, where one buyer came across a live hand grenade in a storage unit they’d won at auction.
Fortunately, nobody was harmed during this discovery, and police and Bomb Disposal Units were contacted promptly to safely dispose of the device.
A fully operational World War II tank
Closer to home, a fully functioning tank from the Second World War was discovered hiding in a storage unit in London.
Upon closer inspection, storage facility staff were astonished to find this vintage military vehicle had been meticulously maintained, and was still in full working order.
… And the wonderful
From valuable clothing and rare classic cars, let’s delve deeper into some of the best things people have found in their storage units.
MJ’s unreleased records
A real thriller of a find, one lucky buyer dropped on when they got the keys to the abandoned San Fernando Valley storage unit.
The unit, which once belonged to Bryan Loren, a music producer who worked closely with the ‘Billie Jean’ singer, contained over 250 (!) cassettes and DAT tapes from The King of Pop himself.
Upon further inspection, it was discovered that these tapes were recorded when Jackson was between contracts, meaning no label could claim the copyright and leaving the former California Highway Patrol Officer turned stay-at-home dad with quite the treasure trove on his hands.
Vintage sports cars
This isn’t an uncommon occurrence, and many storage hunters have been fortunate enough to find rare vintage sports cars inside their abandoned self-storage units.
Though not technically found in a storage unit, one lucky individual discovered the extremely rare 1937 Bugatti 57S Atalante in their uncle’s garage, which was being used as a storage space, in Newcastle upon Tyne.
The car originally belonged to racing enthusiast, Earl Howe, and was eventually bought by Dr Carr in 1955 for just £895 (which is over £15,000 today).
Fast forward 50 years, and the car sold for over £3 million at auction.
Million dollar comics
Think back to the year 2000, when news broke that actor Nicholas Cage’s home had been burgled.
One of the items missing was his million-dollar copy of Action Comics #1, which later turned up in an abandoned self-storage unit in California.
Fortunately for the Face/Off actor, the buyer of the unit contacted the same comic book expert who sold it to Cage in the first place, who has now, reportedly, been reunited with his beloved comic book.
There’s nothing quite like a happy ending!
Looking for self storage near you?
So long as the items you’re storing are legal, we promise not to judge what you keep in your unit.
No matter if you’re looking for a safe place to keep valuable family heirlooms or your collection of classic books, we’ve got the ideal solution for your storage needs.
Contact our team today to find out more about our self storage services, or get your price online!
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