BOLIVAR − It looks like a typical house from the outside but buried among the clutter inside are vintage treasures like pinball machines, jukeboxes, military mementoes and a signed photo of Marilyn Monroe.
The home at 241 Canal St. SE, next to Towpath Tavern, will be featured in the second season of the HBO Max and Discovery+ series, “Filthy Fortunes.”
Tuscarawas County native Jamie Strayer reached out to “Filthy Fortunes,” seeking help cleaning up her uncle Harry T. Graef’s home and selling the collectibles unearthed inside. She said her uncle was an inventor and accumulated a range of unique items. Her grandmother also ran an antiques store at the same property, which includes attached buildings.
As part of the reality show, the public is invited to an estate sale 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 10 and 11, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 12.
Money made from the sale will be used to cover Graef’s elder care expenses, said Strayer, who lives in Washington state.
The “Filthy Fortunes” crew will travel to Bolivar to film the cleaning of the property and estate sale. Matt Paxton, a decluttering expert and treasure hunter, hosts the show, and Corey Bobker is executive producer.
The Bolivar home will be featured on the TV show in December or early 2026, Bobker said.
“Filthy Fortunes” describes itself as a “modern-day treasure hunt (and) search for riches in nasty hoards,” where Paxton “gambles that he can find big-ticket items buried inside dangerous, out-of-control clutter.”
Bolivar estate sale will feature rare jukeboxes, pinball machines
Strayer, 50, first got to know Paxton through the television series “Opportunity Knock$,” which she created and executive produces independently for PBS. Strayer said she’s also partnered with Paxton on a nonprofit foundation, The Opportunity Initiative.
“His work is completely dedicated to helping people,” she said. Paxton also was an extreme cleaner on “Hoarders” for 15 seasons and was featured on the PBS show, “Legacy List.”
Strayer said her uncle has many patents, including those relating to ATM machines, pneumatic tubes used in hospitals, bank and credit union drive-thrus, gas pumps and self-checkout machines at grocery stores. He was a senior global engineer at Diebold Nixdorf.
“He built a computer for me and my brother before Macs existed,” she said. “He paid his way through college by buying the salvage rights to historic buildings.
“He was just a beautiful human being who invested in me as a younger person,” Strayer added. “And he helped shape my worldview. I really owe so much to him, and that’s part of stepping up and making sure he’s taken care of. We didn’t catch his cognitive decline soon enough and he lost all his money.”
Strayer said Graef also suffered a traumatic brain injury and has serious heart issues. He requires 24-hour care.
“I have to sell the stuff so he can be taken care of because he doesn’t have the money,” she said.
Getting rare items and collectibles in the hands of those who will appreciate them is a way to honor Graef’s legacy, Strayer said.
She said her uncle was featured in Vogue magazine in 1980 for his jukebox collection, including a prized Wurlitzer 1015. Some collectibles will be refurbished as part of the show, she noted. Rare items also include an original “Star Wars” pinball machine.
“The things in the house are absolutely remarkable,” Strayer said. “There’s also a lot of antiques (from her grandmother’s store). So we’re talking Stark County and Tuscarawas County, and our history with antiques goes back really far.”
Memorabilia from World War II and old world fairs
Collectibles also include items from old world fairs, as well as mementoes from World War I and II from her relatives.
Bobker said “Filthy Fortunes” incorporates elements of “American Pickers” and “Hoarders.”
“We pick these houses that aren’t just hoards, but if we can uncover a layer of value, those are the houses we pick,” he said. “There’s always got to be something in these houses that Matt and his team find interesting and turn it into value — it’s a treasure hunt.”
“It’s basically impossible to clean by themselves,” Bobker said of the property owners. “It would take multiple years. We tackle the property, and we end up with an empty space. Our show is twofold. It’s cleaning and selling.”
Thrill of the hunt
Most enjoyable is the hunt.
“We went to a house that had 10,000 salt and pepper shakers,” Bobker recalled. “Then once we were there, we uncovered a marble collection … and found one marble that was worth multiple thousands of dollars, and we were able to sell the collection for $100,000.
“But we don’t force anyone to sell anything. We are there to advise and guide. They can accept the offer or not. We’re not there selling things arbitrarily.”
Other episodes have featured guns and ammo, vintage motorcycles, classic guitars, barbecue smokers, rare liquor, and rare plane parts and jewels.
Strayer encourages the public to come to the estate sale.
“If anyone wants anything more interesting than what they can buy in a store for Christmas, they should absolutely come here,” she said.
Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com. Follow on Instagram ed_balint and TikTok @edwardbalint.
How to watch
“Filthy Fortunes” can be viewed on Discovery+ and HBO Max, which are both owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The show also can be viewed on Hulu, YouTube TV, Philo and other streaming services.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Hunting for treasures. HBO Max TV show, ‘Filthy Fortunes’ filming in Bolivar
Reporting by Ed Balint, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
