Mar 19, 2015
Hoarders. Collectors. People who just likethings. Got a barn full of perceived junk inherited from a late relative? “American Pickers” Frank and Mike want to take a look and, maybe, make a deal. The two men are expected to travel to New York in May to pick (buy) some items they deem worthy enough to pick. “We’re putting feelers out and if we come across a really good lead, Mike and Frank will go there,” said Jodi Friedman, a producer with the popular History Channel show. “We’re looking for private collections from people with character.” Not necessarily character as defined as people with strong moral fiber. No. Character as in someone who will be interesting on television. “A” character. “We’re looking for leads throughout the state,” said Randi Rosenthal, associate producer for the show. “Specifically, interesting characters and interesting folks with large, private collections.” Anyone who has watched the show, and about 3.5 million do, knows what that means. “We’re looking for people who don’t have a brand-new truck,” co-host Frank Fritz told The New York Times in a 2010 article during the show’s debut season. “People who don’t have a satellite dish.” In other words, mostly rural, personable, sometimes odd people who will leave a rusty bike in a junk pile in a hedgerow. Know anyone like that? Producer Friedman wants to hear all about it. She and others will choose a few in New York and, if all goes according to plan, Mike and Frank will spent the first two weeks in May searching for values. Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming, and much of upstate New York, is rural. It’s also agriculture-oriented. But don’t go there. “We’re not looking for farm tools or machinery or country primitive things,” Friedman said. Pickers Fritz and Mike Wolfe, longtime friends, instead focus on what they crave. For Fritz, it’s antique toys, oil cans and Honda. Wolfe has a penchant for antique motorcycles, Volkswagens and old bicycles. The two also like old advertising signs, gas pumps and other remnants from rural America. Most of the items they buy are for resale at Wolfe and Fritz’s collectibles businesses in Nashville and Savanna, Ill. Some are for their own personal collections or for clients. Among the pair’s best finds: A stash of Indian motorcycles from the 1930s and 1940s in Massachusetts, a 1947 Harley Knucklehead and a automotive license plate from 1908. What the men aren’t looking for are refurbished collectibles. “I’m not just looking for antiques,” Wolfe said in the Times article. “I’m looking for the rusty stuff. I’m looking for the dirty stuff, the sun-baked stuff. I’m looking for the unusual and impossible.” Hopes are they find enough in New York to make it worth the trip. The show has been to New York before and it is a favorite place for Wolfe and Fritz, Friedman said. “They are really excited about coming back,” she said. “New York is ripe for picking so we’re looking for people to spread the word. Our good leads come from word-of-mouth.” Anyone who knows a good lead can contact the show at americanpickers@cineflix.com or by calling 1-855-653-7878. Article from The Daily News and taken from http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/entertainment/article_e96269f4-cdb0-11e4-b058-bfbb7ef9b653.html
