American Pickers

On the History channel. Anyone else watch it? 2 guys driving around the midwest (mostly) to buy junk. Can't not get stuck watching it. Picer'-a-thon today-all day. Gotta Go Watch

I've been watching that lately. I dig it. It could quickly turn sour as popularity goes through the roof, though. Have you seen the skinny guy's VW bus-pickup? Miles of win.

It's interesting, but contrast that show with the hoarders thread here on off topic.... Makes you think.

I watched a little, and it got me really thinking of 1) it's amazing what people hold onto and 2) it's even more amazing that someone will PAY for that stuff to collect. I guess I understand, somewhat, collecting cars. But some of the other stuff, I dunno.

Just makes you think that we are just a consumer society. buy, and buy some more...

E-

no matter how many cars any of us collect i dont think it can compare to that guy that collects buildings

I have been watching off and on. I like it but it is a little scary looking at what people hang onto.

I still want to find that 82 year old woman with the Metropolitan!

I thought you were happily married? Well, married, anyways.

I've been hooked as well. The early shows spent alot of time here in the midwest (WI, IL, IN,& IA.). I live near Chicago. Since their Iowa based that makes sense. The visit to the big multi story building in Rockford was interesting as I go through there quite often. Next time through I will have to look for that building.

Meh. On the one hand I like to see what they find, but on the other hand I don't care for the way they wrap it up with the perceived "value" of the picks. I would be much MUCH more interested in a version of this show that focuses on finding the people, convincing them to let the guys in and then getting some of the STORIES behind the people and their stuff, rather than focusing on the profit at the end of the day. I especially enjoyed the episode with the Ape.

I just want to mention that for someone who has never seen the show, this is a very entertaining discussion. Building collections? A Metropolitan? An ape? All at once?

I've been watching it hit & miss all day....the guy with the trains and gen-u-wine White Castle restaurant that was moved to his farm is coolness.

JFX001 wrote: I've been watching it hit & miss all day....the guy with the trains and gen-u-wine White Castle restaurant that was moved to his farm is coolness.

I haven't seen that episode, but there's a guy in my neighborhood who has an original White Castle building - it's building #8, originally built in 1936. One of the local White Castles decided to put up an all new building, so they took the old building and moved it to another location. He makes custom jewelry and also repairs accordions out of the building now. He's actually a pretty cool guy, I sold him a '65 Ford 3/4 ton truck some years ago.

If you look at the White Castle wikipedia page there's a picture of his building right at the top: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Castle_(restaurant)

The first thing I noticed when I watched the show was the VW singlecab bus. I love the hurst bumpers it has. It used to belong to someone on thesamba before that dud bought it, and if I remember right it has or had original logos for some mining company on the side gates.

I like that show a lot; it brings back fond memories from 25-30 years ago. After the Mod Seventies, it became vogue to decorate with old rustic items, adverising memorabilia and certain previously overlooked antiques like primtive pine and "folk" art. About 1980, I partnered with a couple of childhood friends (brothers) to buy a 3 story house built in the 1890's for restoration, They were known in the flea market community as the Cash Brothers, and neither of them had ever had a "real" job, or paid taxes (i.e. the IRS didn't know they existed).

Anyway, these guys made a living as pickers (often known as bloodhounds in the junk world). During the week, they would go out in an old Dodge van and ride the backroads of Georgia, looking in barns, attics, crawl spaces, etc. for fresh junk. They would bring it home, repair flaws, and on weekends would go to huge flea markets to sell. Much like the TV guys, they had a "nose" for what would move on the circuit.

Although I rarely went on the actual hunts with them (I had a regular job), I did help with the repair and restoration of a lot of it. I also got first pick on buying certain things that caught my eye. By the time we'd been in the house a year, it was completely furnished with period antiques; coming home every night was like going into a time machine.

I've done a bit of amateur scavenging since those days, and so I can really identify with the feeling that comes with opening the doors to a major pick. Some of the stuff shown on American Pickers is totally off the chain! I hope the show stays on a long time; I just love it!

I caught an episode just now, missed the ones earlier. Looks like it can be interesting, I live in an area where I bet you could really find a ton of good stuff as there are some places around here that look like the people that live there have been hoarding for 100+ years.

JFX001 wrote: White Castle

American pickets and archer, our two favorite most shows

Joey

Cool story, NYG. I like it a lot. Probably too much. Often goes to show, you don't find good deals on unobtanium E36 M3 on Craigslist, you find them by talking to people, and being the guy with the truck and the cash.

There is also a lot to learn from these dudes if you're not the negotiating type. Be cool. Don't try to bully people. Don't waste people's time. Keep a smile on. Never be the first to throw a number out unless you're forced to. Have a number in your head, and be willing to walk away.

I am FARKING amazed at how many cars they look right past to get to a berkeleying license plate or some E36 M3. That dude got burned on the business coupe, which was the only car I've seen them buy.

I didn't see the new episode last night, but I did catch one yesterday where the skinny dude was leaning over a Corvair Van trying to dig up some damned hinges or something.

Great....I just about had my Dad convinced to clean out most of the crap at his house and then this shows up. Now he thinks everything is priceless and he's bringing more crap home! - see the discussion here on old people accumulating "stuff"

I found a new addiction

Keith wrote: I just want to mention that for someone who has never seen the show, this is a very entertaining discussion. Building collections? A Metropolitan? An ape? All at once?

Not all at once, I think they were all in different episodes.

I have been watching the show since it started and love it. The only problem for me is the fact that I am old enough to have thrown a lot of the type of things they want in the trash. Especially when helping clean out the residences of several deceased relatives when I was a teenager.

During the episode with the Ape I actual thought of EastCoastMojo. I figured she would know more about it than any of the rest of us.

Hal wrote: During the episode with the Ape I actual thought of EastCoastMojo. I figured she would know more about it than any of the rest of us.

Ya know, taken out of context that makes me sound really weird. Unless you know which Ape we're talking about.

Yeah, the little squiggly thing over the e makes all the difference in the world....

I'm afraid that this show will ruin the cool junk market like the auction shows have ruined the old car market - "everything's worth top dollar"

I imagine old non-running oddball cars have a much smaller market and are harder to turn around than a $35 license plate. I do see a ton of cars I'd jump on, but they're looking to make a quick buck, not carry on a rusty love affair with forgotten automobilia. That's our job.

I'm curious as to how they can actually make a living. That Merc van they're using and expenses involved keeping up that thing with the miles they put on can't be cheap. I've seen episodes when they're far to the east and south of they're home base in Iowa. Then, at the end of the show, the delta between the 'bought' and 'value' usually isn't enough to pay for several meals, let alone the whole trip. Unless they bought lots of stuff not shown on the show, and actually sell it.

They have the advantage of having their girl Friday running the home base while they're out picking. She likely brings in more dough at the shop than they pull down in the course of a show. If they have been in the game as long as they say, I supect she makes a pretty fair turnover there. I especially like how she'll take leads over the phone and relays them so the guys spend less time searching blind.