American Pickers

This is a program I'll watch and find interesting should I stumble across it. It's the ad break, I don't know what channel I'm on. - oh! Dave. Ok. It's showing several episodes back to back. The first seemed to have a tin toy theme, then the were somewhere buying signs. Next episodes, a couple of visits, the theme seems to be signs. Is it just that most of the collectors have collected signs. Maybe I need to watch more episodes, maybe they don't have themes?

Being in the UK we've grown up with antique programs ranging from high end discoveries on Antique Road Show to accessible objects on Bargain Hunt. Far from giving me insights into what will make money, I'm usually amazed when something makes money and baffled by what makes a loss. With this program I am amazed at how much they pay for items. Considering the glut of signs there appears to be in the US I don't get the prices the pickers are paying. I would rather know how much they actually sell items for but on the whole they just give a valuation which is always higher than they paid. The one item the reported has selling at auction made a massive loss which is what I suspect happens with most of the stuff, if it ever sells. ..... enjoying it, fascinated, intrigued as the numbers don't add up.

The British often think that 100 miles is a long way. Americans usually think that 100 years is a long time ago.

Mike and Frank seem to think nothing of driving a few hundred miles and often pick items that are a hundred or more years old.

This series is very popular with many of my friends here in the UK.

From reading other reviews here, there seems to be a trend to judge the show not on it's merits, but rather because of the History Channel affiliation. We don't have that problem in Australia. This shows on normal free TV, just like all other shows. I hadn't even realised it was a History Channel show.

I should say in advance that I enjoy shows like Bargain Hunt (UK)and I really enjoy American Pickers.

So, to the show. Obviously these are setups. But the people who appear seem to be real people, and Mike and Frank put them at ease as much as possible. The boys are funny, entertaining and the show is educational. It is an interesting look at different parts of America and the real people who live there. Usually all we see here in Oz are the cities, and often it's not a very flattering view.

I don't think of this as "reality TV" - I think of it as a fun way of learning a bit more about America, it's people and it's history.

We don't watch much TV, but I do turn it on for this one.

Would have been 10/10 until they dropped Frank in the recent season. Replacements are going to cut it Mike.

I always enjoyed the Frank and Mike days. They always seemed like lifetime buddies who enjoyed working together. Of course, I understood that wasn't exactly true. There were always 'scandal sheet stories' of Franks alcoholism and Mikes womanizing. But the last season, I watched about half the season and couldn't watch anymore. Frank had hurt his back and needed time off for surgery and rehabilitation and Mike used the 'alcoholism' angle that had never been a problem before to fire him. And then Mike left his wife and child for some 'adult' actress. And Danielle 'fell in line' also making public statements downing Frank because she got his 'on the road picking' job. I used to love seeing her on the show. Now I can't stand either of them. She has no loyalty.