Plot Synopsis

With his team of experts from Heritage Auctions, Ty Pennington, best known as host of EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION, travels the country scouring flea markets, cellars & attics, yard sales and back alleys to find one-of-a-kind items whose owners have no idea of their real value. The best items -- collectibles ranging from a first-edition classic comic book to a pristine and extremely rare Abraham Lincoln $500 bill from the late 19th century -- are tagged and brought to "The Great Big American Auction," where a room full of potential buyers outbid each other in a suspenseful standoff. Random objects originally bought for mere dollars go for hundreds of thousands, as their lucky owners' lives are forever changed. ABC aired this program's pilot as a special on Thursday, December 8, 2011 at 10pm ET/PT.