THREE TEAMS OF AUCTION EXPERTS BACK ON THE HUNT FOR BIGGER PROFITS WITH HIGHER STAKES
Let’s get ready to rumble! Auction specialists Billy “The Dealer” Leroy,” Mark “The Hustler” Meyer, and Laurence & Sally Martin – “The Wild Cards,” are back for a new season of Travel Channel’s original series “Baggage Battles” premiering with back-to-back episodes on Tuesday, October 15 at 9:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. In season three, the popular weekly half-hour series continues to give viewers a glimpse into the very profitable business of bidding, buying and reselling of unclaimed items from auctions around the world including airport, freight and shipping, estate, police and seizure, and specialty auctions. The stakes are higher for the expert teams of savvy buyers who still don’t know if it’s junk or jackpot until they win the bid.
Cast of Travel Channel’s “Baggage Battles” (from l-r) Mark “The Hustler” Meyer, Billy “The Dealer” Leroy, and Sally & Laurence Martin, “The Wild Cards”
Guns A-Blazin’ Ep. – Billy “The Dealer” Leroy checks out the antique card holdout device he won during the cowboy auction
“This new season of ‘Baggage Battles’ features our experts attending a greater variety of auctions than ever — here and abroad,” said Andy Singer, General Manager, Travel Channel. “From iconic historic cowboy articles to important pop culture memorabilia, the competition and the stakes have never been higher for Billy, Mark, Sally and Laurence.”
In the first half-hour episode of the back-to-back premieres, the auction specialists saddle-up to attend a Cowboy Auction in Livermore, California. The items up for grabs come from all over the northern part of the state. From authentic Western wear, cowboy hats and spurs, to art, lassos and leather trunks, this Wild West auction holds a variety of goldmines the buyers are prospecting to find. Leroy, Meyer and the Martins have traveled for their own personal gold rushes, but they have some stiff competition from another auction specialist Traci Lombardo, who drops in on several auctions featured this season.
In the second episode, the experts travel into the southern heat for an auction in Jacksonville, Florida. One of the biggest cities in the country, Jacksonville is home to a diverse estate auction that features everything from Americana and tools to pop culture collectibles and sealed boxes. Leroy, Meyer and the Martins must separate trash from treasure as they do battle under the Florida sun.
,” Mark “The Hustler” Meyer
Mark Meyer may be in his twenties and still living at home with his parents and older brother, but his age is no reflection of the auction professional he has become. With skill sets that match, and often trump, his competitors, the Long Island native with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the State University of New York, is a young entrepreneur in the auctioning industry. Meyer is a hard worker with a cunning knack for business and has a proven track record for selling anything. Meyer wears a baseball hat, t-shirt and jeans, but can stand toe-to-toe with any businessman in a $5,000 dollar suit on the auction floor. In order to be taken seriously in an industry that is dominated by an older crowd, Meyer lays everything out on the line to earn the respect of his peers. He demonstrates this risky business tactic and his innate skill for auctioning in Travel Channel’s “Baggage Battles.”
Laurence & Sally Martin – “The Wild Cards”
Laurence Martin became an avid collector at a very young age beginning with antique ephemera, postcards, stamps and anything with a postal history. He even had his own museum when he was just a school boy. Together with his wife of 22 years, Sally, Laurence continues to collect and buy to this day. The couple has co-owned Studio Antiques in El Segundo, CA since 1987. Laurence’s specialty in the antique business is his keen skill in spotting a unique or rare item that others tend to overlook. He is known in the industry as being slightly eccentric and an “Andy Warhol type.” Before owning Studio Antiques, Laurence spent 20 years in the aerospace industry as a scientific engineer and designer. He studied at Bournemouth College in Bournemouth, England, and has always been an avid traveler spending time in countries including China, Australia and Mexico. As a part of making his avocation his vocation, Laurence spent over 10 years importing containers of antiques from across the globe for Studio Antiques.
Sally Martin is the co-owner of Studio Antiques, an old-fashioned antique store in El Segundo, CA. She and her husband, Laurence, have owned the business for over 25 years. Sally oversees the customer service and communications for Studio Antiques – both in the shop and with online customers around the world. Prior to being in the antique business, Sally worked in the cable television industry for 15 years for such companies as The Disney Channel, Media One and Continental Cablevision. While at Continental Cablevision, Sally earned a Cable Television Advertising and Marketing Award for print communications. She holds an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California and an undergraduate degree in fine arts from California State University – Long Beach, where she graduated with honors.
Billy “The Dealer” Leroy
Billy Leroy owns the iconic Billy’s Antiques and Props, one of the last eclectic props and antique stores. Known for its large, 10,000-foot green tent, this antique landmark was closed in 2012 for renovations and will reopen in the near future. Leroy has owned the shop, which was located in The Bowery neighborhood of New York City and originally called Lot 76, since 2002 after working there for four years as a manager. While Leroy’s first professional foray was in advertising with a degree from the Art Institute of Boston, he was drawn to the world of auctions at the age of 25 when he bought a $200 painting and sold it for an astonishing $18,000 dollars. From that moment on, he knew that his livelihood should be buying and selling goods.
Charismatic, well-known and well-respected in his field, Leroy is a staple in the antique and auction world. In order to keep his extensive collection fresh, Leroy attends auctions across the United States. He is passionate about the theatrics involved in negotiation and is always ready to make a deal. Leroy knows how to decipher the best from the rest and phony from real in a blink of an eye.
“BAGGAGE BATTLES” EPISODIC DESCRIPTIONS
New Episodes Every Tuesday at 9:00 P.M. ET
GUNS A-BLAZIN’ Season Premiere (airs October 15, 2013 at 9:00 p.m. ET): Saddle up your horses – it’s a present day Wild West at this cowboy auction in Livermore, California. There’s authentic Western wear, cowboy hats, spurs, art, lassos, sealed trunks and a variety of hidden gems to be found. Mark Meyer, Billy Leroy and Sally & Laurence Martin duel over items dating back to legendary Buffalo Bill and the Barnum & Bailey circuses. Auction specialist Traci Lombardo joins in on the bidding.
Guns A-Blazin’ Ep. – Laurence and Sally Martin – “The WIld Cards,” display the Barnum & Bailey poster they discovered among their cowboy auction winnings
MIKE TYSON’S PUNCH OUT Season Premiere (airs October 15, 2013 at 9:30 p.m. ET): Palm trees, oranges, golf and sunshine are what you’d expect to find in Jacksonville, Florida. But at this diverse estate auction, pop culture collectibles and sealed boxes are up for bid. The auction specialists enter the bidding ring and face off to win some knockout items in this sunshine state city.
Mike Tyson’s Punch Out Ep. – Mark “The Hustler” Meyer revs up Sally and Laurence Martin’s – “The WIld Cards” – interest in a motorcycle at the Jacksonville auction
BUNNY MONEY (airs October 22, 2013 at 9:00 p.m. ET): Sixty miles north of Denver is one of the largest and most diverse monthly auctions in Colorado, selling over 500 lots packed with valuable personal property and unusual collectibles. At this auction, most of these items come from unpaid storage facilities across the state providing the experts a chance to bid on some eclectic items including a vintage Playboy Bunny costume, a Lone Ranger radio and a rare zebra-skin rug.
BLOW UP (airs October 29, 2013 at 9:00 p.m. ET): While braving the desert heat in Tucson, Arizona, the experts attend an unclaimed crate auction that poses an opportunity to make big bucks on forgotten property. Coming across items from the U.S. Air Force and a vintage Pepsi advertisement, things really heat up when one of the experts tests a vintage bomb detonator using real explosives in hopes to blow his worthless auction winnings sky high.
BLOW UP (airs October 29, 2013 at 9:00 p.m. ET): While braving the desert heat in Tucson, Arizona, the experts attend an unclaimed crate auction that poses an opportunity to make big bucks on forgotten property. Coming across items from the U.S. Air Force and a vintage Pepsi advertisement, things really heat up when one of the experts tests a vintage bomb detonator using real explosives in hopes to blow his worthless auction winnings sky high.
SIN CITY WIN (airs November 5, 2013 at 9:00 p.m. ET): Traversing “The Strip,” visiting Fremont Street or going all-in at the casinos, there is a lot of money flying around “Sin City.” The experts take a gamble in hopes of hitting the jackpot at the estate and consignment auction, where two of the buyers make an unholy alliance to win a big-name item.
PLATINUM HITS (airs November 12, 2013 at 9:00 p.m. ET): Michael Jackson, Madonna, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, the Partridge Family…these are just some of the dozens of rock n’ roll legends whose personal property will be auctioned off at this one-time only sale at the Hard Rock Café in New York City. The buyers come across such items as a signed Woodstock Album, a guitar linked to Jimmy Hendrix and a suit worn by James Brown.
TWO-FACED (airs November 19, 2013 at 9:00 p.m. ET): Sirens and car chases won’t be found at this police auction in Stockton, California. It’s junk or jackpot as the experts attempt to walk away with some good old-fashioned American gold. Laurence and Sally Martin may have home-field advantage, but one of the auction specialists discover a mask mold of a famous Hollywood icon leading to a hefty profit.
WORLD WAR SCORE (airs November 26, 2013 at 9:00 p.m. ET): A once-in-a-lifetime auction of rare, valuable and extremely collectible World War II items recovered from the D-Day invasion in Normandy 1944 will be sold about 150 miles west of Paris, in the town of Caen, France. The collection of American, British, Japanese and German items is worth about $1 million and includes authentic and battle-used guns, rifles, field medical kits, hand axes, boat compasses, bayonets, and much more. One of the buyers finds a gun holster worn by Hitler’s Secret Service (The SS), and the French-born Billy Leroy returns to his childhood manor home in Normandy, where he consults with his father on some intriguing items he wins.
NASHVILLE AUCTION (wt) (airs December 3, 2013 at 9:00 p.m. ET): As the largest regularly held auction in Nashville, this monthly event features about 150 people vying for over 300 “Americana” items from estates, collections, liquidations, and consignment. These items are not just “music-related,” but everything from antique toys to sports memorabilia to celebrity-owned items.
WHAT A DUMMY (airs December 10, 2013 at 9:00 p.m. ET): At this bi-monthly police auction in Stockton, California, a warehouse filled with valuable goods left behind, stolen or seized by local authorities, will surely cause a bidding standoff. Billy Leroy, Mark Meyer and Sally & Laurence Martin prove they aren’t dummies as they bid on valuable mannequins and gamble big on a vintage slot machine.
BAD BLOOD (airs December 17, 2013 at 9:00 p.m. ET): Red Hook, New York – an affluent and beautiful historic town – is home to a local estate sale where auction attendees are sure to score a piece of history. Among the valuable items, Billy Leroy banks on a World War II treasure and Mark Meyer hopes to fly high with a remote control helicopter while Sally and Laurence Martin fight to sail away with the profits.
LADY LUCK (airs January 7, 2014 at 9:00 p.m. ET): Twin-city St. Paul is playing host to an esteemed estate sale. Billy Leroy, Mark Meyer, and Sally & Laurence Martin face stiff competition in Minnesota’s state capital when another auction specialist Traci Lombardo joins them. Their bids are challenged on items ranging from automotive parts and a rare doll to a hockey mascot costume.
SPACE CASE (airs January 14, 2014 at 9:00 p.m. ET): The sky’s the limit on what’s up for bid at a government auction in Sacramento, California. The auction specialists wage war on the west coast with hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of items. Mark Meyer cuts into the Martin’s profit by bidding high on a box of knives, and Billy Leroy’s profits skyrocket when he makes an astronomical find.
“Baggage Battles” is produced by MY Tupelo Entertainment for Travel Channel. For MY Tupelo, executive producers are Michael Yudin and Joe Townley. For Travel Channel, executive producer is Daniel A. Schwartz.
TRAVEL CHANNEL (http://www.TravelChannel.com) is a multiplatform travel lifestyle brand with the core mission of providing inspiring and compelling programming that takes viewers beyond their everyday destinations, making the unfamiliar familiar, whether it’s around the world or around the block. A dual feed network that is also available in HD, Travel Channel is the world’s leading travel media brand, and is available in over 94 million U.S. cable homes. Owned and operated by Scripps Networks Interactive, Travel Channel has offices in Chevy Chase, MD, and New York, NY. Scripps Networks Interactive also owns and operates HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel and Great American Country.
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