A Scottsdale man says he found a trove of historical artifacts after paying $20 for an abandoned storage unit.

Don Smith says he almost passed up bidding on the contents of the unit because of how it looked.

“Just a bunch of files and Christmas decorations,” Smith said.

But after he won the bid and looked inside, he found a load of antiques.

Smith had stumbled onto almost 200 historical signed letters, documents, watches, cufflinks, and currency that once belonged to U.S. Congressman Henry Ellsworth Barbour of California.

Notable pieces also include two signed letters from Herbert Hoover and an invitation to the groundbreaking ceremonies at the Golden Gate Bridge. There’s also a large collection of Civil War currency.

Erik Hoyer, owner of EJ’s Auction and Consignment in Glendale, says the artifacts could be worth more than $10,000.

The pieces will go up for auction at EJ’s Auction and Consignmentat 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 19. Interested parties can place bids in person or online.

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