Storage units are excellent spaces to house bulkier items while decluttering your house or moving and are even used by businesses to keep stock safe and secure before being shipped.
However, over the years storage units all over the world have been opened up and inside the strangest of items have been discovered. This usually occurs when payments aren’t kept up on the unit and so its contents are sold to make room for another tenant.
From first edition comic books worth millions to actual people, here’s a quick round-up of five of the strangest things found inside storage lockers.
Nicolas Cage’s stolen Superman comic
Actor Nicolas Cage is best known for his iconic movie roles, not so much his passion for buying first edition comic books. However, in 1995, Cage purchased Action Comics No.1 which featured the first Superman comic ever printed.
It was later stolen and hidden in a storage unit. When payments weren’t kept up on the unit its contents were purchased by collectables expert Mark Balelo who discovered the comic which was then reunited with its famous owner.
A burglar
In 2011, Ronald Dennis entered a storage unit with the intent to burgle it. Later, he found himself locked inside after a guard noticed the door of the unit was open and locked him in. The police were called when the guard later heard Ronald trying to escape the unit and they opened it to find the wannabe burglar inside.
An amputated foot
For many of us, if we found an amputated foot in a grill we bought at auction we’d want to find its owner and be rid of it. But Shannon Whisnant, of Maiden North Carolina, saw an opportunity for fame. Shannon bought a BBQ smoker at an auction that was selling off possessions from storage units that had not been paid for.
He opened the grill later to find the foot and called the police. They tracked down the owner but instead of returning the amputated foot, Shannon began charging people to come and take a look at the severed limb and encouraging media attention.
The foot’s owner, John Wood, wanted his body part back but Shannon stated that it was now his property. A legal battle ensued which was captured in the documentary Finders Keepers in 2015 that told the story of the strange discovery.
Pirate loot
A storage unit containing $500,000 worth of Spanish pirate gold from the 16th Century was uncovered by Storage Wars team Dan and Laura. The gold was so heavy that it required three people to move the loot out of storage!
A submarine car
This storage unit find sent waves through the community of James Bond fans. Under piles of old blankets and sheets, a man found the Lotus submarine car that featured in the James Bond film ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’. The new owner of the vehicle had purchased the storage unit’s contents for just $100 and the car was then bought by none other than Tesla CEO Elon Musk for just under $1 million.
