A bunch of Mark Wahlberg's old and seemingly forgotten stuff has been found in abandoned storage units, and now ... a lot of it's hitting the auction block.
"Storage Wars" star Rene Nezhoda tells TMZ ... his friend Kevin went to a storage facility in the San Fernando Valley a few weeks back and bought 3 small lockers for $3k, which turned out to contain the actor's gear from years ago.
We're told the units contained some personal items -- family photos, kids' handprints and a dog's ashes -- but fortunately, Kevin was able to track down Mark's management and return them as a good deed ... free of charge.
All the other stuff is up for grabs, though ... with Wahlberg's blessing. As you can see in the pics, it includes old trophies and awards, golf photos, mementos from his "Boogie Nights" days, and yes ... Marky Mark memorabilia. There's also some furniture.
As for why Wahlberg lost ownership of the lockers -- Rene suspects someone on Mark's team simply forgot to pay the rent, and after 3 months of not paying, the lockers can go up for sale.
Kevin swooped and it's looking like a solid move. The items go up for auction Saturday.