''American Pickers'' is an American

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

series that premiered on January 18, 2010 on

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

, produced by A&E Television Networks in collaboration with Cineflix Media. In the series, the hosts travel across America in search of rare Americana artifacts and national treasures that they can buy from the collectors to add to their personal collections or sell in their antique shops.

Overview

The show follows antique and collectible pickers Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, who travel around the United States to buy (or "pick") various items for resale, for clients, or for their personal collections. Danielle Colby runs the office of Wolfe's business, Antique Archaeology, from their home base in LeClaire, Iowa, and more recently at a second location in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

. They originally traveled in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...

and now in a

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. Fritz sells his acquisitions at his own shop, and on his website, Frank Fritz Finds, upriver in Savanna, Illinois. The men go on the road, not only following up leads that Colby has generated but also "freestyling" – stopping at places that look like they might hold items worth buying. They also pick some places more than once. The series introduction is narrated by Wolfe and Fritz. The first three seasons used a lengthy introduction, but beginning with Season 4, a shortened version began to be used: Mike and Frank explore people's homes, barns, sheds, outbuildings, and other places where they have stored antiques and collectibles. They call upon amateur and serious collectors,

hoarders Hoarding is the gathering and storing of goods. Hoarding may also refer to: Animal and human behavior * Hoarding (animal behaviour), an animal behaviour related to storing surplus goods for later use * Hoarding (economics), the practice of ob ...

, and also people who have inherited overwhelming collections of items that they don't know what to do with. Wolfe, who has been picking since age four, has a particular interest in antique motorcycles, air-cooled

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post ...

s (pronounced “votes-wagon” by Wolfe), old bicycles and penny-farthings, while Fritz has a fondness for antique toys, oil cans, and old Hondas, with a special love for peanut-related items. They have purchased old advertisements and commercial signage,

film poster A film poster is a poster used to promote and advertise a film primarily to persuade paying customers into a theater to see it. Studios often print several posters that vary in size and content for various domestic and international markets. The ...

s, a rare 15-gallon visible gasoline pump, and a Piaggio Ape (pronounced: ''ah-pay'') that one of their friends told them is probably the only one of its kind in North America. In December 2011, ''American Pickers'' revealed that Antique Archaeology had leased part of a former 1914 car factory in

, which originally made the ''

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair di ...

'' automobile, for a second business location to decrease the distance required to haul their finds from the

southern states Southern States may refer to: *The independent states of the Southern hemisphere United States * Southern United States, or the American South * Southern States Cooperative, an American farmer-owned agricultural supply cooperative * Southern Stat ...

. On March 13, 2018, Mike Wolfe made a cameo as himself on Season 15, Episode 17, of ''

NCIS NCIS or N.C.I.S. may refer to: Law enforcement * National Criminal Intelligence Service, the predecessor to the Serious Organised Crime Agency of the United Kingdom * Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a United States law enforcement and intelli ...

'', titled "One Man's Trash". On July 21, 2021, The History Channel announced that Frank Fritz would be departing from the cast of ''American Pickers''. On July 21, 2022, various news outlets reported that Fritz was hospitalized with a stroke after Wolfe posted about it on social media.

Reception

The series debuted on January 18, 2010. The premiere episode of ''American Pickers'' had 3.1 million viewers, making it the highest rated History channel debut since ''

Ice Road Truckers ''Ice Road Truckers'' (commercially abbreviated ''IRT'') is a reality television series that premiered on History Channel, on June 17, 2007. It features the activities of drivers who operate trucks on seasonal routes crossing frozen lakes an ...

'' in 2007. The September 8, 2010, episode "Laurel & Hardy" garnered Nielsen ratings as high as 5.3 million viewers in the 25–54 age group. As of that episode, the show retained the title of #1 new non-fiction series of 2010 among all viewers and adults 25–54.

Australia

American Pickers has also been a hit in Australia, where it can be viewed on Channel ''

7mate 7mate is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010. The channel contains sport and regular programs aimed primarily to a male audience, with programming drawn from a ...

''. In 2013 An Australian version of the show called '' Aussie Pickers'' premiered on 7mate. The series ran until 2014, lasting two seasons. In 2019, Road to Riches was launched on A&E Australia

Episodes

Home media

In other media

*In the ''

'' episode, "One Man's Trash", Gibbs and Ducky watch ''American Pickers'' and see an antique war stick from a 16-year-old cold case. Mike Wolfe guest stars as himself in the episode.

References

External links

*
History's "Meet the Pickers" cast bios

Official Antique Archaeology website

Official Frank Fritz Finds website
*
"American Pickers": The Inside Story of the History Channel’s Surprise Hit
Jeff Ignatius, '' River Cities' Reader'', 17 March 2010 {{Authority control 2010 American television series debuts 2010s American reality television series 2020s American reality television series Antiques television series English-language television shows History (American TV channel) original programming Television shows set in Iowa Television series by Cineflix