Storage Wars buyer scored one of the most expensive finds in show's history worth $300,000

Storage Wars’ star Darrell Sheets once snapped up a locker for less than $4,000 that turned out to be stuffed full of artwork worth $300,000. Not bad for a day’s work, right?

For those unfamiliar with the show, Storage Wars is a reality show where folks bid on abandoned storage units.

You can see Sheets' discovery here:

However, there’s a bit of a catch because before bidding the bargain hunters are given just five-minutes to look at the unit and they’re not allowed to enter the locker or touch any of the items - meaning they could end up shelling out for a load of junk or making a very healthy profit.

And one of the show’s biggest ever wins saw Sheets drop $3,600 on a locker, but once he took a look around at what was inside, he was left reeling.

Speaking on the show after his purchase, Sheets said: "It's time to look at my art locker. I'm hoping this one's the masterpiece.”

After his son Brandon unearthed a painting from the locker, a stunned Sheets said: “Oh my God, that's so beautiful.

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"If this is a real Frank Gutierrez, this thing could be worth thousands.

"It's a heart at the top with a woman's arms holding two babies over blue birds in a nest."

And - you guessed it - the locker was indeed filled with original art by Frank Guttierez.

Kathy Gallegos of Avenue 50 Studio Inc, who valued the paintings, said Guittierez was a ‘very important artist of a piece of Chicano history’. Despite some small areas of damage, they were still set to fetch a hefty price.

Gallegos valued the collection at a staggering $300,000 - the highest payout in Storage Wars history.

Gutierrez is a Mexican impressionist and modern painter, whose work often features dreamscapes and other fantastical elements.

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After the show, Sheets did some digging and in a post on Twitter in December 2012, he revealed that he’d been in touch with Guttierez and had confirmed that the locker had once belonged to him.

Sheets was even kind enough to post back some personal items to the artist - although, I imagine he wanted to hold on to most of the expensive artwork.

In the post, Sheets said: “Best part is I got to speak to Frank G and I'm giving him back a lot of his personal items. He is a very wonderful man.”

Topics: Film and TV, Money, Art, Good News, Entertainment

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at UNILAD who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats.