| Yard sales are an American tradition — especially along U.S. Route 127. It's there that you can find the famous 127 Yard Sale, an annual event on the first Thursday through Sunday in August featuring thousands of vendors on front lawns and in church parking lots in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan. All in all, the "world's longest yard sale" covers 690 miles, starting near Addison, Michigan, and ending in Gadsen, Alabama. The inaugural event took place in 1987, when a Tennessee county executive named Mike Walker conceived of the idea to encourage travelers to bypass the big interstate highways in favor of experiencing life in more rural communities. Yard sales aren't just a great way for vendors to declutter, though — they can also be a literal treasure trove. In 2013, a seemingly nondescript ceramic bowl that had been purchased at a garage sale for $3 in 2007 sold at Sotheby's for $2.2 million; it turned out to be a 1,000-year-old piece of pottery from the Northern Song dynasty. Even the Declaration of Independence has found its way to the bargain bin — a first printing was purchased at a flea market in 1991 because the buyer wanted the picture frame. It later went on to sell at auction for $2,420,000. | 
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