American Pickers


American Pickers is an American reality television series that premiered on January 18, 2010 on History, produced by A&E Television Networks in collaboration with Cineflix Media.

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 Le Claire, Iowa, and more recently at a second location in Nashville, Tennessee. They originally traveled in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van and now in a Ford Transit. Fritz sells his acquisitions at his own shop, and previously on his now-defunct 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 "free-styling" - 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, 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 Volkswagens, 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 posters, a rare 15-gallon visible gasoline pump, and a Piaggio Ape 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Pickers revealed that Antique Archaeology had leased part of a former 1914 car factory in Nashville, Tennessee, which originally made the Marathon automobile, for a second business location to decrease the distance required to haul their finds from the southern states.
Mike Wolfe made a cameo as himself on Season 15, Episode 17 of NCIS on March 13, 2018 titled "One Man's Trash".

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 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. In 2013 An Australian version of the show called Aussie Pickers premiered on 7mate. The series ran until 2014 lasting 2 seasons. In 2019 Road to Riches was launched on A&E Australia

Episodes

Home media

American Pickers is distributed on DVD by Beyond Home Entertainment in Australia.
DVD nameFormatEp #DiscsRegion 1 Region 4
American Pickers DVDSeason 01, Episode 01-12031 June 20106 April 2011
American Pickers DVDSeason 02, Episodes 01-08021 February 2012
American Pickers DVDSeason 02, Episodes 09-13
Season 03, Episodes 01-03		025 September 2012
American Pickers DVDSeason 03, Episodes 04-11029 January 2013
American Pickers DVDSeason 03, Episodes 12-13
Season 04, Episodes 01-11		043 July 2013
American Pickers DVDSeason 05, Episodes 01-13
Season 06, Episodes 01		034 December 2013
American Pickers DVDSeason 06, Episode 02-10
Season 07, Episodes 01-04		035 March 2014
American Pickers DVDSeason 07, Episodes 06-12
Season 08, Episodes 01-04		034 June 2014
American Pickers DVDSeason 08, Episodes 05-09
Season 09, Episodes 01-07		031 October 2014
American Pickers: Picking It Forward DVDSeason 09, Episode 08-12
Season 10, Episodes 01-04
Season 10, Episodes 06-08 & 11		032 March 2015
American Pickers: Pick or Treat DVDSeason 10, Episode 05
Season 10, Episodes 09-10
Season 10, Episode 12-13
Season 11, Episodes 01-08		036 July 2015
American Pickers: Big Boy Toys DVDSeason 11, Episodes 09-15
Season 12, Episodes 01-07		039 September 2015
American Pickers: Museum Men DVDSeason 12, Episodes 08-11
Season 12, Episodes 13-14
Season 13, Episodes 01-09		042 March 2016
American Pickers: On The Hunt DVD041 July 2016
American Pickers: Oddities & Commodities DVDSeason 14, Episode 01-05
Season 14, Episodes 10-19		031 September 2016
American Pickers: Planes, Frames and Automobiles DVDSeason 15, Episode 01-10035 July 2017
American Pickers: Divide & Conquer DVDSeason 15, Episode 12
Season 16, Episodes 01-17
Season 17, Episode 06		044 October 2017
American Pickers: Tunnels & Treasures DVDSeason 17, Episodes 01-05
Season 17, Episodes 07-11		0328 March 2018
American Pickers: The Mother Load DVDSeason 18, Episodes 01-06
Season 18, Episode 08
Season 18, Episodes 10,13		034 July 2018
American Pickers: Junkyard Wizard DVDSeason 18, Episodes 07,09-10
Season 19, Episodes 01-08		036 February 2019
American Pickers: Pickers Like It Hot DVDSeason 19, Episodes 09-23045 June 2019
American Pickers: Raiders Of The Lost Pick DVDSeason 20, Episodes 01-12035 February 2020
American Pickers: California Picking DVDSeason 20, Episodes 13-24034 March 2020
American Pickers: Mega CollectionDVDBox set containing:
Planes, Frames & Automobiles
Divide & Conquer
Tunnels & Treasures
The Mother Load
Junkyard Wizard
Pickers Like It Hot		6 November 2019