American Pickers

I am hooked on the show, American Pickers.  It's a show about two guys, Mike and Frank that drive around America looking for junk.  At least junk that they can sell and make a profit on, since they sell the things they come across at their shop, Antique Archaeology.  At first I thought it was a little sad that they were taking things from older people for a profit, but the purpose of it is to bring the item back to life.  Most of the items they find are in homes where the owners have been collecting things and letting them rust away.  The owners have a choice weather or not they want to sell their things and sometimes, they choose not to sell.

I love old rusty things.  I can understand how people can get attached to "stuff" if it's been in the family for years or there is an emotional attachment to an item.  We live in a society attached to things.  If we didn't, there wouldn't be a show about buying and selling old items because the fact is, someone somewhere will want to have it. Aside from the things they find, I am even more fascinated with the people who own the rusty items that Mike and Frank want to buy.

As I drive around the USA, I've come across many homes that would be a target of the show by the looks of the personal "treasures" scattered around the yard.  My instinct is to stop and meet the person that owns the collection but sometimes, you never know what you will encounter.  I've done it a few times when I felt an instinct to stop but more often then not, I pass on the chance for reasons of safety.

Even though I've done it, it's a little odd that a woman driving with her little dog comes up to you to say (in the case of Andy and his yard ship), "Hi, that's a big ship in your yard...could I take your portrait?" For the most part, the people with the collections are proud owners and will gladly talk to you about their yard art.

I would love to travel alongside these two while they do their thing to talk to the owner and learn more about their story.  The real history is the story behind the item and the only person that knows the story would be the one who owns the treasure.