American Pickers

Thousands of miles from home, the guys are scouring the back roads of Texas desperate to find the big-ticket item that will make the long trip worthwhile. Just like his late father, Aardean is a funeral director who never throws anything away. And with everything from neon crucifixes to an embalming table with an incredible history, the guys are dying to dive in! On a mission to preserve the history of the telephone, Don’s jaw-dropping personal museum includes over 200,000 rare items. Featuring room after room of vintage signs, toys and mantiques, Susan’s suburban home is packed to the rafters with Americana. The good news is she’s downsizing and everything is for sale, but the bad news is the guys still haven’t found that big-ticket item. After touring Cecil’s awesome vintage car collection, the guys get access to his “toy box.” Making a series of great deals, Mike leaves Frank in the dust. That is, until the “bearded charmer” spots a rare scooter and makes his move.

The guys head to the Lone Star State, hoping to uncover a Texas-size honey hole. Once there, Mike and Frank dig through a huge outbuilding filled with dead coin-operated games (in the dark because the electricity was out). While they make an offer on a few rare gems, the owner struggles to let go of his grandpa’s merchandise and all the memories that go with them. He steers the boys to a hangar-sized warehouse down the street where the guys discover the mother-lode of pop culture pinball machines. They end up at John’s jaw-dropping collection of rare motorcycles, bikes and even rarer parts. At first the guys go into overdrive, but when they realize nothing is for sale, Mike switches gears and comes up with a plan!

Mike and Frank are picking their way through Florida when they get a lead on a potential gold mine — a five-acre property that’s an automotive graveyard. The guys also visit an off-the-grid hangar-sized geodesic dome home where they discover two gems: a very rare piece of rock ‘n’ roll history and an unusual motorcycle sidecar. Mike’s hunger for seafood lands them a chance pick through slot machines, vintage advertising, sci-fi movie props and taxidermy bears.

Mike and Frank are cruising around Daytona Beach, and while the sun is shining outside, the van reeks and the hunt is on to find out why. The guys stumble onto a street lined with abandoned businesses and fall head over heels for a girly neon bar sign. Barbara’s bayou property is a pickers’ paradise. Plus, Randy’s suburban home is packed to the rafters with rare collectibles. But when the guys get a load of his prices, it’s time to pull out all the stops.

On their first-ever trip through Arizona, the guys tap into their spirit animals to track down a lifetime picker whose property is packed with killer stuff. A real-deal cowboy with a serious poker face, Fargo’s Wild West ranch is like stepping back in time. And, while picking behind a remote strip mall, a bizarre totem pole catches Mike’s eye but it’s an original Airstream trailer that renders him speechless.

In Florida, Mike and Frank visit a hangar-sized barn full of treasures, owned by a couple of junkyard junkies who’ve been picking since 1948. An awesome circus property turned animal preserve features lions, tigers and bears among circus paraphernalia and a mysterious locked trunk. And while freestyling, the guys come to a screeching halt after spotting a zebra-striped vintage motorbike in a yard. The collection is an Indian’s dream. A major score leads to an unlikely reunion at a vintage motorbike museum.

The guys are on an assignment that’s 150 years in the making. The Gettysburg Museum asks Mike and Frank to help expand its collection by hunting down some hard to find Civil War items. It’s a daunting task made even harder with a limited budget. Danielle gets things rolling when she sends them to a previous customer who’s a Civil War buff. Frank scores a Spencer Carbine. They next visit a collector, Keith, who doesn’t want to sell, but they convince him to loan a rare Dog River Confederate sword to the museum. They also buy a Springfield musket and canteen. But their picking skills are put to the test when they spot a Union frock coat. It’s at the top of the museum’s wish list, but can they negotiate a sale and keep within the museum’s tight budget? In addition, the guys experience a Civil War adventure when they sign up with a local re-enactment group. As Captains on opposite sides they go into battle, leading their respective troops.