AMERICAN PICKERS - Thoughts about the show nowdays ?

ARC

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Aug 19, 2014
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They pass / walk by way more than they find.

Always has frustrated me watching this show... when they are walking around I am like "right there" ! "look"... "oh man".

Then will pay 500 to make 550.

To me its not even worth the time or effort.... and then they gotta lug and clean it.

Its a good thing they make 16k per episode cuz the biz / shop aint making no money lol
 

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Wasnt aware they still made it
You can only watch garage sales so many times
 

Unfortunately, it is all staged (honestly though, what reality show isn't staged these days.) You can read all about it by doing a google search. I haven't read anything on it in awhile, but if I remember correctly the production crew go to these places ahead of time and also pay for any items ahead of time. From what I read the two main guys never drive all around the country together as shown in the show either, just for parts needed on film. Still...it is interesting to see what items they find. I haven't watched it in awhile and lost a lot of interest in it when I read those things, but still interesting to see the finds and especially some of the properties and people they come across.
 

Well if your into bikes, motorcycles, signs, oil and gas, or toys and tire patch kits... and large funky stuff... then the show is good for those.

When you walk past a marbles safety hatchet or a civil war sword... then you bore me. heh
 

I find it interesting into looking at what is out there and I do learn some things on there. I also agree it is staged but I still would watch it for the entertainment purposes...it beats the news.
 

I know of two people here in Ohio would not let them come over
 

Even though It’s staged I enjoy it and always have as far as stuff on the History channel. That channel really went to crap the last However many years ago. They went from awesome war and history documentaries all the time to pretty much 24/7 crappy “reality” shows. And “Ancient Aliens” might be the worst show of all time. Completely full of pseudo-Science BS and the furthest thing from history that they show.
 

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I still watch it as well as all the others from time to time... Pawn Stars... Auction Kings... Storage Wars... Oak ISland... Gold Rush... And the other one in Nome... etc etc.
Oh yes... Roadshow especially.

IF nothing else better is on I always tune in... still learn a least a little something each time.
 

I'm just happy to see people holding on to americana at farms around the country. Hopefully that part is real.
 

Hard to watch anymore but their tour bus destination souvenir shop in Nashville is nice. $20 coffee cups, hats, and T-Shirts. The highlight was a 1950's Harmony arch top guitar with a collapsed top and broken bridge for $800. Case included. Truth is, the show was better before I knew better. Except for the Gold shows.
 

I noticed early on that sometimes when they walk up to a house when they are "free wheeling"
that when the "stranger" comes out and says "can I help you?"
- you can see their mike pack on their back - so its staged
AARC is right that they pass up a lot of "goodies" - I tag saled an did estate sales
with my father every week when I was a kid in the 70s and 80s and have a lot of
knowledge on antiques - my father collected beer signs and collectibles and was an expert on bottle
collecting as well as all kinds of advertising and other old items - I learned a lot and can
predict the values most of the time on items being bought by them - I also tell my Gf
about all kinds of items they pass up in the back ground - now they might have made an offer on some
and got denied and they cut it... but they have passed up (or cut out) a lot of valuable items
100s in fact...there been times that they let real good items go because they could not get for their
50% off price- not knowing item was worth way more...I do watch it though - it is entertaining and hones my skills on old items out there
 

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I noticed early on that sometimes when they walk up to a house when they are "free wheeling"
that when the "stranger" comes out and says "can I help you?"
- you can see their mike pack on their back - so its staged
AARC is right that they pass up a lot of "goodies" - I tag saled an did estate sales
with my father every week when I was a kid in the 70s and 80s and have a lot of
knowledge on antiques - my father collected beer signs and collectibles and was an expert on bottle
collecting as well as all kinds of advertising and other old items - I learned a lot and can
predict the values most of the time on items being bought by them - I also tell my Gf
about all kinds of items they pass up in the back ground - now they might have made an offer on some
and got denied and they cut it... but they have passed up (or cut out) a lot of valuable items
100s in fact...there been times that they let real good items go because they could not get for their
50% off price- not knowing item was worth way more...I do watch it though - it is entertaining and hones my skills on old items out there

I still watch as well... I still always see tons of stuff I have never seem before and learn every episode... so that's enough for me.

Oh... was gonna add...

On some of these picks I would be there for days... heh
 

Meh. Like you said earlier, if you like road signs, car parts, stupid french mini scooters or Texaco stuff, that's your show. Surely, America must be better than that though. Where's the bottles? Where's the Civil War relics? Where's some actual COOL stuff? I find it extremely annoying when I walk into an antique shop, and I see stupid things like say... French mini scooters. It's someones kettle of tea, but whos? Not mine. Too faked, too staged, too boring.
 

I collected and restored old bicycles for many years. I'd buy them from farmers out of their barns for reasonable prices, or wherever I could get them. After the Picker show started, many people with old bikes suddenly thought they were worth thousands of dollars. The Pickers show pretty much ruined my fun! I don't collect old bikes anymore, but still have several. The Pickers won't be getting any of these. Gary
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I stream now and only get the older shows for free but on the financial side of this show, there's no way you drive 800 miles buy a candy dish for 10 bucks and resale it for $12 bucks and make a living. It ain't happin these days. They have to be paid a royalties or by the show itself. I was told by a friend in the picking business that they have a crew that comes by in advance of them to look for stuff to buy. All the pricing is already set when they arrive. I still watch.
It beats Ellen Disfunkunal. :laughing7:
 

I know its staged, but I still watch it to see the places that they go, and what other people have in their homes/barns etc. I just like the "old" in the items they buy.
 

I stream now and only get the older shows for free but on the financial side of this show, there's no way you drive 800 miles buy a candy dish for 10 bucks and resale it for $12 bucks and make a living. It ain't happin these days. They have to be paid a royalties or by the show itself. I was told by a friend in the picking business that they have a crew that comes by in advance of them to look for stuff to buy. All the pricing is already set when they arrive. I still watch.
It beats Ellen Disfunkunal. :laughing7:

Yes,.. all reality T.V. show casts get a paycheck.
 

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They pass / walk by way more than they find.

Always has frustrated me watching this show... when they are walking around I am like "right there" ! "look"... "oh man".

Then will pay 500 to make 550.

To me its not even worth the time or effort.... and then they gotta lug and clean it.

Its a good thing they make 16k per episode cuz the biz / shop aint making no money lol

Its not different than the "gold rush" show. Its making $$$ to pretend to hunt for those forgotten "treasures". They came through my area last year. There were notices everywhere months ahead of time. They wanted people with unique collections they could use for the show, and people wanting to sell items. Its all scripted and fake.
 

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