American Pickers – It’s Better Than Nothing
If you haven’t heard…The History Channel has a new antiques oriented show on Monday evenings at 9 PM EST. It is called American Pickers. The show is a reality based video documentary style program that follows two pickers, Mike Wolf and Frank Fritz, on their treks through the countryside looking for antiques. If you’re looking for another Antiques Roadshow type program, this isn’t it – too light on info. If you’re looking for another Bargain Hunt or Cash in the Attic type program, this isn’t it – too light on info and way too light on personality. Still the show is worth at least checking out. The History Channel website for the show has clips that you can watch (if you’re worried about wasting an entire hour).
Recently a couple of our pickers stopped in with a load of antiques to the Black Market Antiques office and the show was one topic of conversation during the visit. Everyone seemed to give the show lukewarm reviews, which is considerably better than many of the posts on the History Channel forum for the show. One picker was amazed at the relative ease at which Mike Wolfe got one of the sellers to part with merchandise for ridiculously low prices. Which is one of my main issues with the show.
I have a saying “All auctioneers are going to hell.” I told one auctioneer that and he replied “…and all antique dealers are going there too.” After seeing the first three episodes of this series, I believe Mike & Frank will be there for sure, if not for ripping off old people and just being plain annoying, then for revealing secrets of the trade.
Maybe it’s just the way the show is edited, but I find it hard to believe those guys actually make a living as pickers. Their “shop” (which is a pole building) looks brand new, as does their van and all the decals. Perhaps those were History Channel incentives. Mike and Frank’s Antique Archeology website is basically an advertisement for the show and was obviously made after the series was taped. Mike’s grimacing at the price of the Vespa Ape and reaction to the price of the one seller’s carriages suggests that perhaps he isn’t the world renowned picker that the History Channel describes on their website.
All that said though, American Pickers was relatively entertaining and the consensus here is that everyone will keep watching it, even though everyone likes Pawn Stars better. Future reviews may even be done on a per episode basis…possibly by the employee that is most annoyed with each episode.
I enjoyed your post. We started as antique dealers just six months ago and have space in a large shop with 70 vendors.
I disagree that they are “ripping off” old people. If they were lying to them and trying to make them think their things were worth much less than they are, that would be different, but sometimes they even offer a little more than the asking price on a good find. Of course, dealers can’t pay retail or how would they make any profit? I think most people understand that dealers must pay a lower price, but the profit is eanred by knowing what to look for and the amount of time it takes to go all over the place looking for these things. Unless we are being deceptive, I don’t think we are all hell bound:)
I do agree that they don’t seem as expert as described. I am amazed at some of the exorbitant prices they have offered for things when they really don’t know what the value is….and they don’t even take a dolly in the van with them to move things?? No wonder their backs hurt! They are funny guys, though, and it makes for an amusing show.