Quote :

"This isn't your grandmother's antiquing. Pickers like Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz are on a mission to recycle America, even if it means diving into countless piles of grimy junk or getting chased off a gun-wielding homeowner's land. Hitting back roads from coast to coast, the two men earn a living by restoring forgotten treasures to their former glory, transforming one person's trash into another's treasure. American Pickers follows them as they scour the country for hidden gems in junkyards, basements, garages and barns, meeting quirky characters and hearing their amazing stories. If you think the antique business is all about upscale boutiques and buttoned-up dealers, this show may change your mind--and teach you a thing or two about American history along the way."

http://www.history.com/content/american-pickers

Promo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjIfXVFgkG0

I like it. The chemistry among the two guys and the girl who works in the shop/office is a little off, but it's still okay.

They find some really cool stuff. It's sort of like Pawn Stars, but the buyers go to the sellers in American Pickers.

1/26/2010 6:28:53 AM

i find the fat guy pretty annoying, and i feel like they're just screwing over these poor, old, less informed people.

1/28/2010 3:27:50 PM

^i haven't watched it, but that's the opinion I have based on the commercials.

1/28/2010 4:45:31 PM

I dig this show. It's very relaxing for some reason.

8/2/2010 9:52:38 PM

^^ haha

8/2/2010 9:54:49 PM

I watch it....entertaining. Nothing special, but it's a good prequel to watching Pawn Stars. I'm incredibly addicted to that show

8/2/2010 9:58:05 PM

Quote :

"i find the fat guy pretty annoying, and i feel like they're just screwing over these poor, old, less informed people."

Frank does get on my nerves. And yes they have to lowball people, they have to resell whatever items they buy. BUT. Ive seen over and over and they are giving fair prices considering they are knocking on someones door offering cash for something thats been in a barn for 30 years and the people have no idea what it was or that they even had it. You have to remember they are out in the field digging up stuff and doing the work. Their time is money. If someone offered you $$ for something you thought was worthless and didn't have the contacts they do to sell it to you'd take it. They are fair with their prices. The Pawn Star guys on the other hand are ripping people off. Yeah I get it that they are in a similar boat. But when an "expert" comes in the store and says an item is worth 5 grand and they offer the guy 1500 they are ripping the guy off, but he doesnt care, he just wants some cash.

Ultimately an item is worth whatever someone is willing to take cash for it.

8/2/2010 10:11:30 PM

The American Picker guys often ask "What's your price on this item". If the people say something ridiculously low, I've seen them say "Naw....$10 is crazy, I'd be a buyer at $50" just to keep from ripping the people off badly. I've also seen them tell the people what they're planning on selling it for later.

They seem to be pretty honest guys...I don't think any of thier "pickees" expect them to pay retail.


[Edited on August 2, 2010 at 10:31 PM. Reason : ]

8/2/2010 10:23:32 PM

Was just about to post that.

8/2/2010 10:23:59 PM

Quote :

"But when an "expert" comes in the store and says an item is worth 5 grand and they offer the guy 1500 they are ripping the guy off"

I kind of disagree. The "experts" are generally quoting what collectors will pay for something they find at auction. Sure, a 1850's manual coffee grinder might be worth $1,000 to an avid coffee grinder collector, but how many people come into a pawn store looking for antique coffee grinders that cost $1,000? The people who buy it from thier shop likely aren't collectors and would just buy it for an interesting mantlepiece

I mean they rip people off, but I think it's based on "price point sellability vs. customer base" moreso than just wanting to gouge their customers. No item does them any good sitting on the shelf for 3 years as inventory....they just want to flip things for profit


[Edited on August 2, 2010 at 10:33 PM. Reason : ]

8/2/2010 10:28:24 PM

Guess you missed this gem.

Quote :

"Ultimately an item is worth whatever someone is willing to take cash for it."

8/2/2010 10:45:45 PM

Quote :

"The Pawn Star guys on the other hand are ripping people off. Yeah I get it that they are in a similar boat. But when an "expert" comes in the store and says an item is worth 5 grand and they offer the guy 1500 they are ripping the guy off, but he doesnt care, he just wants some cash. Ultimately an item is worth whatever someone is willing to take cash for it."

So how is someone getting ripped off when 1) they have a good idea of the value of their item and 2) they voluntarily decide to sell it to the pawn shop? Even if the pawn shop is offering a lower amount than what they will eventually sell it for it's still a win win for both people involved because the pawn shop can make some money, and the original seller is able to sell his item without having to do all the work of finding someone to buy it for the retail price. Maybe you should read the last line of your own quote.

In fact you could probably say nearly everything about Pawn Stars that you said about American Pickers just before what I quoted.

8/3/2010 10:07:01 AM

No one is getting ripped off.

8/3/2010 11:18:39 AM

Quote :

" The Pawn Star guys on the other hand are ripping people off."

This is one of the dumbest things i've heard this year.

8/3/2010 11:28:05 AM

The sexual tension between Mike and Frank adds a whole new dimension to the show.

8/3/2010 11:28:26 AM

Quote :

" The Pawn Star guys on the other hand are ripping people off"

retard

8/3/2010 11:45:25 AM

i just hate the fat guy's obession with oil cans

8/3/2010 11:49:01 AM

I like this show. Frank is annoying, but I like the stuff they find and it's better than watching some of the other shit on TV.

8/3/2010 1:16:02 PM

^^^^ LOL!

8/3/2010 1:23:23 PM

I like the show, it's pretty entertaining. The guys are pretty annoying in general, they both say the same shit every episode, so you can pretty much predict what will happen at every "site". Some of the stuff they find is pretty awesome though, and they're actually searching for it (in NC too!).

I'm starting to like it more than Pawn Stars, only because Pawn Stars has two of the most dumbfuck annoying people on television, who are probably amping up their idiocy because it's their assume role on the show.

8/3/2010 11:28:28 PM

Little shiny things!

8/4/2010 3:41:23 AM

wife and i went to the pawn shop yesterday and the line to get in stretched around the corner. it's actually a lot smaller on the inside than you would think. we did see some stuff from tv, like the giant mortar and the flag that had been on the moon. also got a picture with chum

it was kinda funny that the actual inventory wasn't that impressive, but a lot of it consisted of pawn stars merchandise, and chum has signed every single thing in there with his name on it. i think rick and big hoss were hiding in the back, because you could send shirts and stuff back and get them autographed. the museum guy dana was there too, and after being there about 30 minutes the huge black guy (who was carrying a gun ) kicked everyone out so they could film.

the prices on stuff was also outrageous, but you could haggle on a lot of it. and that giant van morrison print is STILL hanging there

8/4/2010 12:41:14 PM

The show is interesting, guys are okay...

but the thing that really annoys me is that they list absolutely ridiculous values for the shit they recovered. Like I saw something that was like

"Porcelain sign
Picked: 150
Valued: 2500"

I mean, really? Put some proof to that.

8/4/2010 12:50:51 PM

Quote :

"van morrison "

Jim Morrison, you mean?

If it was Van Morrison, that would explain why no one was buying it

8/4/2010 1:06:09 PM

Quote :

"The sexual tension between Mike and Frank adds a whole new dimension to the show."

Lol. I have noticed that they have some conversation about women on nearly every show as if they're trying to trick us into thinking they're not gay lovers.

I think they generally pay a pretty fair price. It's more than these people would ever see if they just held a yard sale. I think it's usually more than they would see at auction too. It seems that they can sell their goods for more up north than a lot of it would go for down here, so they might be paying top dollar in one region and making their money by taking it to a region where it is more valuable.

Keep in mind that they always plug the highest possible price at the end of the show when they show the things they picked. If an appraiser says it's worth $1500-$2500 they always say it's worth $2500 at the end of the show. You can't always get $2500 without sitting on the item for a long time. These guys make money by selling things and moving on to the next item and I wouldn't be surprised if their selling price is often below the lowest end of the appraisal. As long as they make a good profit margin it's in their interest to get the cash and move on to the next items.

On the most recent episode...Did anybody notice the teal colored Herman Miller fiberglass shell chair they passed by right after he offered $70 on the Coca Cola clock that the guy said he'd sell for $10? I woulda been all over that. Similar to this: http://cgi.ebay.com/YELLOW-herman-miller-SHELL-chair-EAMES-fiberglass-RETRO-/160458557662?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item255c1348de

[Edited on August 4, 2010 at 1:55 PM. Reason : l]

8/4/2010 1:43:24 PM

Quote :

"Lol. I have noticed that they have some conversation about women on nearly every show as if they're trying to trick us into thinking they're not gay lovers."

Haha Mike either says "she was easy on the eyes" or "he is lucky to have her in his life". He definitely comes across as gay. I could care less.

8/4/2010 2:01:26 PM

yeah dur jim morrison, lol

8/4/2010 2:48:46 PM

^^ Or that fat dude talks about spending time with his "lady friend". Who talks like that?

8/4/2010 4:00:32 PM

i'm gonna go with middle aged midwesterners for $1000

8/4/2010 5:29:19 PM

van morrison >>>> jim morrison

8/4/2010 5:38:11 PM

I agree that these two act like closet homosexuals. There is no telling what goes on in the back of that van when the cameras are turned off.

8/4/2010 6:18:47 PM

Naturally, there had to be a discussion about whether they're gay... They just seem like nerds with a conservative midwestern upbringing to me.

8/4/2010 7:44:49 PM

Google it and you'll see we are not the only ones debating the subject.

8/4/2010 11:48:33 PM

Jesus Christ. I'm at the beach and this has been on the tv ALL DAMN MORNING.

5/26/2013 12:27:31 PM

Oh thank god. We're on to golf. This might be the most exciting day of tv watching of my life.

5/26/2013 1:10:44 PM

went to their nashville store a few weeks ago and it's turned out way more commercialized than i hoped for - good live music though

5/26/2013 1:11:44 PM

I too watch tv instead of enjoying the beach.

5/26/2013 2:02:16 PM

Laying in sand is fun.

5/26/2013 2:33:35 PM

^^^the city or the store? im assuming you mean the city.
how was the store?

[Edited on May 28, 2013 at 12:09 PM. Reason : sdfg]

5/28/2013 12:09:38 PM