trimacar Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 American Pickers, dba Antique Archeology, van and crew spotted at Sunnyside Plaza in Winchester Virginia...wonder who they're picking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 They were here Lansford, PA last week. People stood around all day watching their empty van (and motor home and crew vehicles) while they did their thing inside. Then they were gone. yeah well.............that's show biz.................Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted March 24, 2013 Author Share Posted March 24, 2013 Mentioned that the van was here to a friend, he told me of one recent show, the show contacted the fellow and said they wanted to "pick" his shop. He told them well, you're welcome to visit but nothing is for sale. Ah, c'mon, they told him, you have to have SOMETHING you'd sell. Absolutely not, NOTHING for sale. Well, said the Picker crew, that's OK, we'll just bring things we can pretend to buy.......And I have it on good authority that they don't drive the van across country, they have a crew doing it then they just fly in and do the show.I used to really enjoy the show when it seemed to be more or less real, but now watching it you can almost see the set-ups.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 And I have it on good authority that they don't drive the van across country, they have a crew doing it then they just fly in and do the show.I hate to break this to you, but Santa Claus isn't real, either (nor are any "reality" shows). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Reality TV is really just Improv with amateur actors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted March 24, 2013 Author Share Posted March 24, 2013 What's this about Santa? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beltfed Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 I wouldn't let those guys 'pick' my garbage can! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 My daughter and her friends took a road trip for spring break last week and landed at the Antique Archaeology shop in Le Claire, Iowa. It's much smaller than it appears on TV, with primarily biker memorabilia, and she was kind of disappointed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 You could give "Frankie" something for free and he'ld still want a discount.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Skyking Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Those guys destroyed yard sales................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john2dameron Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I don't think anything on TV is factual. My wife is watching "The Bible" on the History Channel and it is so full of untruths it is pitiful. It's evident if they ever read any of the Bible, they forgot what it said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter J.Heizmann Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 On occasion Pickers shows vehicles at least 25 years old with the average going back to the 1930 - 40 era that I recall. They certainly would fit into the purpose of this website of which is to discuss the old vehicle hobby versus the reality of TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 It would not surprise me to see them pull up in front of the house someday. My wife has been threatening to call them as well as the producers of "Hoarders" for the last two years. OK, to get this back in line....what kind and what year of car is that in front of their shop in LeClaire Iowa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 (edited) Mr. Earl,It looks like a 1950 Nash Statesman 2-door on first recollection, but I'd have to go back for another look to be certain. The '50 had a flap over the gas fill neck, but on the '49 I think it stuck out through the left rear quarter panel. Then for 1951, Nash raised the rear fender, almost into a fin, but still keeping the "inverted bathtub" styling, and moved the taillights from the rear edge of the trunklid up to the new raised fenders with a vertical oval shape.Dad had a '50 Statesman 4-door up until a lady in a '50 Chevy convertible broadsided it at DeWitt Terrace and Edgewood Road in Linden, NJ back around 1956. He kept it until he was able to buy a brand spankin' new '57 Plymouth Savoy 4-door with the 301ci V-8, Powerflyte 2-speed automatic, radio, big heater, cigar lighter, black- with white roof and white sportone (lower body extra trim feature - made it even better looking than the Belvedere-in my opinion). I tried and tried, but he just would not go for the new gold '57 Sport Fury 2-door Hardtop, even when I said he could have my 2 newspapre route profits!Guess I got off topic, but seing that Nash does bring back memories. Edited March 25, 2013 by Marty Roth (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Guy Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 There is Antique Archaeology (the store/business) and there is American Pickers (the TV show). I'll be the first to say that the SHOW really blurs the line, but they are two distinctly different things. Antique Archaeology existed before the show came to be. I stopped in there a few times before anyone had heard of these guys and before American Pickers existed and before they opened a Nashville shop. LeClaire, Iowa was great, but the town was dead...nobody really had any reason to stop there and most kept zooming past on I-80. They specialized in motorcycle and transportation items (ie right up my alley) and the motorcycles, bicycles, and transportation memorabilia they had in the place was unbelievable. You just don't see that stuff very often. The retail store sold their "picks" to collectors and decorators. Then there is American Pickers. I'll be up front and say right off the bat that I like the show. I've seen every episode and will keep watching it until they quit airing it. However, one should not forget it is a TV program and what is shown on TV is, at times, not even close to what's actually going on:-With the popularity of the show, they have leads coming to them all the time. People want to show off their stuff, be on TV and maybe make a few bucks. This cuts down tremendously on the nobody-wants-to-see-on-TV element: sitting around at home doing the homework and getting a route together. Danielle definitely isn't coming up with the leads. She might place a token phone call to the location, but she isn't working over the property owners. -They have MANY producers and location scouts. The producers and location scouts go out to the filming sites to scope things out WAY before Mike & Frank get involved. They need to make sure the location in conducive to filming and get all of the legal paperwork and such in order. It isn't all fake though, and they do want to make sure there are some things there that will indeed be for sale.-Picks don't just take 20-30 minutes. They are sometimes on site for days and days. They look at EVERYTHING. The show is (obviously) edited down so that they can fit 3-4 picks into a one hour show.-They buy WAY more than you see on TV. There are multiple support vehicles that are never shown. They put a few token items in the van for TV, but most gets packed and trucked around by the production crew. Ever notice how nothing is every really packed and that they just lay things down in the back of the van? That's because they don't really transport it that way. Also notice how on the early episodes the in-car camera would show the cargo area of the van...well, now they have a drape up behind the driver's seat so that you can't see anything. -Most of the items they buy are essentially pre-sold to clients they are shopping for. Not much of their stuff ends up back in the shops. Episodes air 4-6 months after filming, so if you call when you see something you like, it's probably long since been sold. -It's a TV production...a big one. All of those shots of the van driving through the backroads...it's all done by helicopter. It's not just two guys driving the van around with a video camera. Lots of money is pumped into this show. -Do they fly the stars out to the locations. I don't know, but would say "probably." These guys have grown past the days of driving cross-country and sleeping in the back of the van. -Mike, Frank & Danielle aren't the only people that work for Antique Archaeology. There is a whole staff of people that work there that are never shown on TV. The store is closed for TV filming and the bring in Mike, Frank & Danielle for those dates only. -Frank actually has his own business (Frank Fritz Finds). What he buys on the show is his stuff; only sometimes does he go in with Mike on a deal. -The store in LeClaire is very small (one car service bay and attached small office) and functions mostly as a souvenir shop. They sell tons of t-shirts, hats, stickers, etc. You don't see that on TV. -The stuff in the store is "officially" not for sale. It's a TV set, afterall. They need that stuff to create the right "look" for the show. The things that are for sale are so expensive that most people pass unless they are hardcore collectors. -The experts they bring in on the show usually really know their stuff. Their motorcycle expert runs the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, IA, for example. All of that said, I did buy a scooter from them last July, or what was left of it. It was picked out of the scrapyard in Lewiston, Idaho (not shown in the episode). I was able to deal directly with Mike on it (turns out they call him when you keep bugging them about buying something other than a t-shirt) and he was realistic with the price, so we did the deal. It's a neat place to go visit, but gets VERY crowded and there isn't much to actually buy. It was the first time I'd been back through LeClaire since the show aired and the place was BOOMING. New shops and restaurants everywhere and there were lines at the gas pumps, etc. If nothing else, the show had had a tremendous economic impact on the small Iowa town. Personally, I don't think these guys are vultures or that they're taking advantage of people. They're pickers. The whole point is they buy low and sell high. If the sellers all expect to get top dollar for their stuff (in many cases they don't even know they have), they really should sell it on their own and not to a picker. If prices paid actually are the prices shown on TV, I'd say the guys are paying pretty fair prices for their stuff. In some cases I'd even say they pay too much. And I wouldn't call the show "fake." It is "produced," and the task at hand is to make a TV show. Things are sometimes done for TV that aren't how things really would have happened, but that doesn't mean it's fake. They really are buying stuff. I like to see the sorts of things they encounter and the places they get to pick through. I don't really care if they leave without buying anything.The only honest to goodness fallout from the show has been that it's driven prices up on some pretty rough stuff, especially in the motorcycle/scooter realm. Many people seem to think they're sitting on a gold mine and that condition is irrelevant...certainly not the case in my book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I like the show. We get to see a lot of interesting items as well as interesting people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 The year before the first show aired Mike was set up in the Red Field at Hershey across from our spaces with the Antique Archaeology van. One of his buddies now sets up every year in the same spaces selling similar finds. Most years Mike phones his buddy to see how things are going at Hershey. Nice people. It is what it is. Nothing wrong with suspending disbelief now and then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I used to really enjoy the show when it seemed to be more or less real, but now watching it you can almost see the set-ups....Me too. For me the show jumped the shark when Frank spent a good part of an entire show talking Mike into going to Subway for lunch for their "healthy" food. It'd be difficult to conceive of a more obvious product placement on TV.BTW, after 5 years don't you think that eventually they'd someday "freestyle" their way into a "pick" of someone who's seen the show and knows who these guys are? It's only one of the top 5 or 10 rated shows on cable TV, and it's in their same area of interest.:confused::confused::confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 BTW, after 5 years don't you think that eventually they'd someday "freestyle" their way into a "pick" of someone who's seen the show and knows who these guys are? It's only one of the top 5 or 10 rated shows on cable TV, and it's in their same area of interest.:confused::confused::confused:Not everyone has cable. If you think about it, most of the folks that they pick are off in the woods or some town with a population of 1200. Not much in the way of a place Verizon will lay fiber optics. Probably half of the households in this town will purchase the service let alone watch Pickers if and when they get it. "Days of our Lives" has been popular for decades. I still do not watch it. I can not say the same for my wife. I can say she does not watch Pickers. Or Rick's Restorations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Not everyone has cable. If you think about it, most of the folks that they pick are off in the woods or some town with a population of 1200. Not much in the way of a place Verizon will lay fiber optics....Yes, but DirectTV touches us all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Yaros Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Then there is American Pickers. I'll be up front and say right off the bat that I like the show. -The experts they bring in on the show usually really know their stuff. Their motorcycle expert runs the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, IA, for example. I did buy a scooter from them last JulyAs you seem to be quite knowledgeable re: Pickers, perhaps you can answer a question I have? On this show, as well as Pawn Stars, Storage Wars and the others, in the "real world," do appraisers routinely offer their services gratis? I think not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 As you seem to be quite knowledgeable re: Pickers, perhaps you can answer a question I have? On this show, as well as Pawn Stars, Storage Wars and the others, in the "real world," do appraisers routinely offer their services gratis? I think not?Would not offering services gratis keep you interest in watching? I sure would be bored watching Chum-lee simply say "I'll buy it" and hand money to the customer. I can do that at Walmart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impala Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 How do you assume it's gratis? Several years back on Pawn Stars in its infancy there was mention by one of the experts about a $50 fee every time he was called in.I'm thinking it's a whole lot more now.impala Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter J.Heizmann Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 (Just a quick departure from the critiquing of TV shows. Thought I would interject this observation.) Though not too many however I do recall seeing a few vehicles on Pawn Stars, too. They were candidates for the AACA this AACA Forum that is dedicated to vehicles 25 years old minimum and older. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted March 26, 2013 Author Share Posted March 26, 2013 It's a tv show that focuses on the acquisition of bicycles, motorcycles, auotomobile memorabilia, petrol collectibles....so don't feel a discussion of the show is out of place here. If a moderator feels it's out of place delete the thread.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Yaros Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 How do you assume it's gratis? Several years back on Pawn Stars in its infancy there was mention by one of the experts about a $50 fee every time he was called in.I'm thinking it's a whole lot more now.impalaNever saw that show, and never, ever see them factor in appraisal expense as part of costs when determining profit from sale. It just seems that appraisers cannot continue in business if they give away their expertise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Guy Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 As you seem to be quite knowledgeable re: Pickers, perhaps you can answer a question I have? On this show, as well as Pawn Stars, Storage Wars and the others, in the "real world," do appraisers routinely offer their services gratis? I think not?I do not know for certain what the situation is presently, but strongly suspect that the "experts" do receive some sort of compensation and/or an appearance fee for being on the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 I would be shocked if anything less than 90% of the "finds" were staged. That doesn't mean that the show cannot be entertaining, but it should not be considered educational. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 A few years ago I went with a customer to look at a '59 Cadillac. Turned out the owner's business was next door to Orange County Choppers in Middletown, NY so we toured their place. I was surprised to see that most of the "tribute" and "special order" bikes they built on the show were actually sitting for sale in their showroom. It's TV, in most cases any relationship to reality is coincidental. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huptoy Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 About 4 years ago the pickers arrived at my brother's body shop, 200 miles west onI-80. <o:p></o:p>They asked togo out to his home as they had been told he may have things. <o:p></o:p>He declined ashe attends auto swap meets as a vendor. <o:p></o:p>His comment was"Why should sell to them at wholesale when he can sell atretail?" <o:p></o:p>They justshowed up without any advance crew asked and were very polite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarFreak Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Actually I did get mod'ed a few years ago when discussing this same topic until I reminded them about the parts, petroliana, cars, motorcycles on the show.In early 2011 there was an article in the news about Pickers coming to the area and looking for places to pick. Contacted them about a friend's home & shop. Since he (the friend) doesn't have a computer and no cable at the time, he never saw the show and didn't know anything about them. I was asked to complete a pretty extensive questionnaire about what types of items, photos of 'everything' inside and also pics of the exterior, etc. NOBODY came out ahead of time but did have several conversations and provided personal info once they got serious. Friend barely had a cell phone but he could barely here so we did a phone interview at my house. Day of filming, the crew showed up, walked in, introduced themselves and then called Mike & Frank and gave them the ok. There was no set up for our 'pick' other than they saw pictures of many items ahead of time. The building was jam packed; they crawled on top of 10' piles (you could literally touch the ceiling), up in the shaky loft, through the overgrown yard, climbed over parts and piles to get into unlit semi trailers full of everything - it was a mess!!! As someone else mentioned, they bought a lot on camera but a lot more when the filming stopped. Even the crew was buying. And no, they weren't low-balling - I'd have to say most all the prices they paid were very fair. Paid CA$H. You see that blue windbreaker Mike wears in many of the shows? I can tell you were he got it. Once the show aired they provided a DVD of the show mailed to our friend. He got his couple hours of fame; friends, family, the local cops, grocery store owner, lots of people he didn't know recognize him and thought it was cool being on tv. The one thing we're pretty disappointed about is Frank started talking to the neighbors and gave away all their pictures. My friend and other half ended up with none. MANY calls and emails over the past two years have yet to have anything materialize. As for Mike & Frank; they were absolutely GREAT. Only met them that day but felt like you knew them forever. Frank is absolutely down to earth, a sincere nice guy. Mike was funny but a little more serious. There was no attitude, no stuffiness, no airs. A funny thing happened during the day - one of the girls in charge asked if we wanted Panera for lunch? Sure! A little while later got the sandwiches we requested but they neglected to ask Mike & Frank who were busy filming. They ended up with pizza - which sure didn't look as good. They showed up about 9:30 am and a limo came to take them to the airport about 5:30 pm. They spent all day filming the two locations. It was a Saturday, their last day here and they were heading home after I think three weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 The highlight, and reason to watch the show is seeing all the collections people have spent a lifetime collecting. Far to many items of interest to me are passed by to highlight another rotted Vespa, but it's TV. The one flaw that has always bugged me was the total lack of packing items before placing them in the van. It wouldn't hurt to pretend you cared for the stuff you just bought from someone that stored it for 40-50 years. Pickers and Barrett-Jackson haven't hurt my buying anything, anything that helps keep the ecomomy moving is a GOOD thing IMO. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bofusmosby Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 As far as the show goes (Pickers), I like watching a show that educates me. I know that a lot (or at least some of it) is fake. That's OK. Now the show "Storage wars" is a different matter. For the most part, that is all a set-up. I wonder how many people have watched that show, and then went out and bought a storage shed at auction, and lost the shirt off their back. I also can't stand Pawn shops. That being said, I like the show because the experts they bring in can educate me on things I do not know. As long as one doesn't loose themselves, and believe that it is all true, then you can be entertained and educated at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pomeroy41144 Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I wouldn't let those guys 'pick' my garbage can!Why not? That is where reality TV producers get their material. Reality TV is garbage. I guess it don't take much to entertain your average American. I am a university trained historian and published history author. I was an undergrad when the History Channel first broadcast in the mid 90s and it was my dream to appear on the history channel or to be part of a team that put together a few history documentaries. But since the former "History Channel" changed it's name and stopped showing history programming, you could not pay me enough to allow my degree and reputation to be soiled by a channel that purveys such excrement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 What's this about Santa? I have proof he does exist. Taken this last Christmas at 12 noon. He just has a little different sleigh than I expected See there is proof! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted March 29, 2013 Author Share Posted March 29, 2013 I never doubted! What a great Christmas present, you must have been very, very good last year......you need to be bad this year to even out the karma in the universe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I never doubted! What a great Christmas present, you must have been very, very good last year......you need to be bad this year to even out the karma in the universe!My wife says I'm bad all the time. But we won't go there. I'll try harder this year. I'm running out of room. If I'm too good then Santa will probably bring that Auburn I wanted next Christmas and I'll have no place to put it:) Then I'll have out clean out the Garage. That's a task she won't help me with anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Mellor NJ Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 The owners of the storage lockers must love reeling in the suckers after they seeded a few lockers for the cameras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted March 30, 2013 Author Share Posted March 30, 2013 My favorite was the time one of the guys turned a picture over that they found in a locker, and taped to the back were hundred dollar bills....so obviously staged...They've also bought lockers with vehicles, just to keep the thread on track about cars. I believe there are separate rules about vehicles, though, bet the paperwork on getting a title is interesting.The one purchase that the Pickers made, if it was real, that was interesting, was the entire wall full of automobile emblems and memorabilia. Hundreds of items, including hood ornaments, badges, all sorts of stuff. Think he paid $5000 or so, which was probably a bargain, would have made a nice Hershey spot display!Back to cars, next thing you know we'll be talking about Mr. Ed, and no one can talk to a horse of course unless the horse is the famous Mr. Ed...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Friend of mine has been buying lockers locally for about 2 years. He has yet to break even. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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