A rural Marshall County man is a couple thousand dollars richer after a recent visit from Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz from the popular History Channel show “American Pickers.” They stopped in on *him last month and spent the day going through his treasures.
Maximum Impact Sunday Show Interview
They include everything from automobiles and memorabilia to collections of hula girls and mannequins. The Marshall County Chamber of Commerce gave the show’s producers his name. Before Mike and Frank showed up to pick, he says the producers did extensive research that started with asking him to submit photos of his collection. After reviewing them, a representative from the show came out for a visit and shot film, which the team reviewed.
“It ain’t just something they just drive down the road like the film says and drive in, you know and pound the door and start in. They had this all cut and dried, see. They’d done a lot of legwork for it to happen.”
Once Mike and Frank showed up with a crew of between 10 and 12 people in tow, they spent a full day picking and visiting. He says they are as down-to-earth as they appear to be on the show because they are just a couple of common guys. He adds the entire process ran very smoothly.
“It’s just like buying something and paying for it at the cash register and writing a check, see, so to speak. When it all come down she had it itemized. This went here, that went here, this went to Iowa, that went to Tennessee. This is what Frank bought, this is what Mike bought himself. It went on through the course of the day, and when it went on it was all tallied up. The workers loaded, and they was the last out of here because Frank and Mike had to be in Indianapolis at a certain time. Frank and Mike drove off, and away they went.”
Frank and Mike did leave with a few treasurers.
“I had my mind made up on what they was going to offer, and I knew what I would take for some certain articles. So when they’d give me an idea of what they would pay, I just said ‘you just bought it.’ It was just that quick. Mike wanted a pair of my motorcycle boots that was wore out. He said ‘would you sell ‘em?’ I said ‘what’ll you give me? He said $50. I said sold.’
Many items in his collection date back to his childhood during the Great Depression.
“I didn’t get much when I was a child, and when I’d get something I’d more or less be real sacred on keeping it. If anybody like a cousin would come, I was often real protective. I didn’t want them to tear it up, see, so I guess that’s how I got started. That’s the only way I can tell you, because I didn’t have much, but when I got it, I kept it.”
The Marshall County segment will air on “American Pickers” in the next few months. As was the case with their visit, this story barely scratches the surface of our lengthy conversation. Mark your calendar for Sunday, Oct. 25 at noon EDT to hear more of our interview on MAX 98.3 FM’s Maximum Impact public affairs show.
*Editor’s note: The family requested we not use the man’s name or address for the sake of his safety, and we happily obliged.
