American Pickers....
 

I already thought there was a thread on American Pickers, but maybe it was taken down.

Anyway, just wanted to make mention that they made their first tube tv purchase a few nights back. They were in a barn, and found a 17" Predicta on a shelf. It was in complete, but dusty shape. I have always dreaded a moment like this, as I could easily see future sellers of this kind of stuff saying "well, the skinny obnoxious picker paid $$$$ for that dirty Predicta, mine must be worth thousands". Well, they paid $200 for it, making mention that these things go for about $600 in mint condition. Fair enough, I guess.

Still haven't bought any radios-though I did see them throw a pile of trash on top of a Radiola 18 while they were digging....

I loved how they instructed the buyer, in all seriousness, NOT to power the set up because of all the original TRANSISTORS in the set that need to be replaced.

I wants me one of them there now Transisterized CT-One Hunnerts when they "Pick" it...

You'd think they would go after more radio/tv stuff, given that is an item they are sure to come across scads of in these hoarder's paradises. I'm guessing they got burned too many times in the past to have any interest in them. There was one other episode where a guy pulled out a Radiola III to show them, and they didn't even bother to make an offer.

Maybe it could become a running gag on the show-they could plug in every set they find and watch it flame out-they have to have a gimmick to keep those ratings up, after all.

They ran a promo showing this run-down Studebaker they were trying to sell. THey showed the tatoo girl phoning potential buyers, and she tells one "2500 - I don't think so" or something a bit snide like that. Whoever offered them that much for that jalopy was being generous. That and a couple of other things I've seen have killed my interest in watching the show. If they didn't present themselves as "experts" I might feel different, but I think these guys are full of it.

i like this show.i do question some of these finds and the pricing,but it is still enjoyable to watch.the predicta wasnt that great of a deal.i wouldnt have paid 200 dollars for it.maybe 50-75.00.i personally dont care for those sets but they have their fans.the studebaker was worth 3000.00.it was fairly good shape and will make a nice resto project.i think the only problem with the show is the pickers themselves.just not very likable.cant quite put my finger on it,but i dont find likable.business only.danielle does have a nice,big,behind,so that makes her likable to me.mike has a strange way about him.his word phrasing and body language is a tip off.frank is the more acceptable of the two.he has some strange quirks also.i would do business with them,but never socialize.i would socialize with danielle though!

Well, they aren't any worse than any other antique dealers I have come across-they are all pretty obnoxious, and about as honest as they'll get is to tell you that they are in the business to turn around and sell what they bought from you for at least double.

As for Danielle-I think she's ghastly-and this is coming from someone who has dated heavily tattooed/staple-faced women! I have no idea why you would put yourself through such hell by looking like that in central Iowa, and work for those guys....

They must be in a college town - I've traveled extensively through Iowa and honestly wouldn't peg any of them as natives.

one mans steak.........i agree,most antique dealers are less than honorable.i have found in my vast experience with people,(30 plus years in sales),if someone tells you they are honest-they are not!if my dog likes them,thats a good sign.danielle is a nice looking woman but i dont care for the tattoos.mike has a menacing looking face and frank seems to oafish.like i said before,i understand the business.you have to leave room for them to make a profit.if you give them a deal,they will be back.sell to them a little cheaper but it is sold now!if they were here,i would get in their pockets for all they have!

I've caught glimpses-here & there- of radios & TVs that I would "Sell my Soul" for that they don't even look at....Well, not REALLY, but...Danielle is just this side of skanky, Mike looks like one of the "Wasp-People" aliens of a few bad 1940s-50s creature-feature flicks, & Frank is his bulldog enforcer. WHERE do they get the do-re-mi to afford the Mercedes van & all the stuff they buy ?

I read somewhere they get paid something like 25,000 per episode. If that is true, and it probably is (I would think a flat 25k for all your "talent" on a 1 hour show would be pretty cheap) then they have already made their money, and they can just plunk along and buy rusted out bike frames.

I just saw another one where they were in a house that had a massive radio collection, but as that seller clearly had most of his stuff "off limits" I imagine the radio gear was as well.

Probably the most comprehensive inside look at the 'pickers:


http://www.rcreader.com/news/american-pickers-feature/



I'm a huge fan - they get to do what I can only dream about!

Cheers,

I'm also a big fan of the show. I guess I just like seeing the old stuff being pulled out of the sheds and barns rather than just sitting and rotting. Sometimes I'm surprised at which stuff their interested in when I see them walk right by stuff I'd LOVE to have. They have passed up quite a few old radios from what I've seen and not even made mention of them. I've seen every episode so far and plan to continue watching.

There's a lot worse stuff on tv these days.

I've watched the show on a pretty regular basis, usually watching it right after Pawn Stars. My dad seems to like watching all those shows, too... even the peculiar ghost hunting shows. This "style" of television more or less stems from the "reality show" trend, which at first was just a bunch of supposedly "real" drama between a bunch of mismatched contestants on shows with absolutely asinine, irritating premises. I'm glad that this trend has given way to something more like "COPS" in which we're just along for the ride, watching people run their businesses. Shows like "Pawn Stars" and "American Pickers" have a real appeal with people who are into modern day "treasure hunting." They also highlight a lot of the problems with the businesses themselves. It's nice to have an ongoing showcase of unusual and valuable items, but at the same time it's a bittersweet experience for me because you're actually seeing it through the eyes of the kind of guys you usually like to avoid buying from...

Whether you're running a pawn shop or you're out to buy and sell antiques, the bottom line is that you profit at the expense of someone else's ignorance, misfortune, or otherwise lack of interest. It comes off as immoral, but it's just the nature of business. These guys may pick something that's sitting around unappreciated, and sell it to a home where it will be appreciated. They may also be selling to a collector who will put it on static display, and never think about it again. Either way, it's making them money. But, when you think about it, anyone could do what they do. It's just a matter of having an eye for things of value and potential. The harder part is having connections... having a consistent audience of buyers. Ebay seems to have established a fairly simple way to accomplish that for many people, but on a smaller scale perhaps.

On the whole, I enjoy the show... but I don't praise these two guys as any kind of heroes, "telling the history of America, one piece at a time." In my view, the people who lived through that history deserve the credit, and many of those old timers are well within their rights for not wanting to give up there treasures to these two relatively young, business-minded opportunists. But unfortunately, one day all these fine folks will be gone and these things will come up for sale anyway... and likely at the hands of people who don't know what to do with it all. Hopefully, shows like this will serve to stir up just enough interest to keep the younger generations interested enough to respect and handle their family heirlooms with care. Perhaps they'll just latch onto it for the potential to make money, but i guess that's just human nature.

What I find more important is that the story of these antiques is told. I think that hearing the history from the people who lived it is more important than finding out the monetary value of an item in a pricing guide. The items themselves may live on, but the people won't. The reason that young people often don't care about history is because it's taught to them in a boring fashion. They can't relate to something that they can't see or touch. If the closest they ever get to some of these things is by looking at it in a museum, or peeking at it through a glass case in an antique store, the only thing they're going to appreciate... is the price.