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AMERICAN PICKER EPISODE: MUSEUM MAN


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Trooper B.A.R

 

That is a very small part of what they do. Most of what you see them buy on the show was picked by their staff, according the various accounts. The production staff visits a site before the shooting day and decides what will be picked by Frank and Mike. They also agree with the seller on a price, so that when the show is filmed the outcome of the pick and the "negotiations" is predetermined. Again they have a TV show in which they play pickers and if something comes along that is right for one of Mike's "clients" they will often work that into the show. They've worked celebrities such as NASCAR drivers and William Shatner into the show by finding something they wanted. I liken the show to Storage Wars: what they spend for storage lockers and what they get for the contents is inconsequential when you consider that at one point, at least, Dave Hester had a contract that would pay him up to $750,000 for one season. I'm sure Mike and Frank make a lot more than that, espcially Mike who is credited as the creator, executive producer and co-host of the series: he has a level of control (and profit-sharing) that no one on Pawn Stars or Storage Wars has.

+1 on your evaluation of these type shows. Been involved with several History Channel shows and what you wrote is 110% correct. Staged and pre-scripted. Also "Storage War" is bad, some of the lockers are not the ones bid on, but rather staged for the show.

Pawn Stars is pre-scripted, and even rehearsed for final editting. A shame that so many think these are "reality shows" and pushed as same by the stations. I no longer watch these shows.

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WHY! I just want to jump into the screen and grab that. What a shame. Do they know oil cans where mass produced? And MP helmets are not? It looks like a WWII one too. :(

 

-Dave

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WHY! I just want to jump into the screen and grab that. What a shame. Do they know oil cans where mass produced? And MP helmets are not? It looks like a WWII one too. :(

 

-Dave

Dave, it did look like an older one. Worth a lot more than that oil can that's for sure. They piss me off a lot lol.

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Yeah, Me too. The oil can is worth $100 probably according to them. That helmet is worth $250 Very least. Very sad

 

-Dave

I personally think its a good thing they don't mess with too much militaria- JMHO

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USMC-RECON0321

Actually, I think he was yelling; "Hey Mike, look what I find behind this can, its an old helmet with the guys initials painted on the front"!

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While much of the show pains me, I do enjoy seeing some of the places they go, and looking at all the cool stuff that is sitting in the background. I mean, if someone just walked around those places with a camera and said "hey, look at this!" and "this is neat" I'd watch it just the same.

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While much of the show pains me, I do enjoy seeing some of the places they go, and looking at all the cool stuff that is sitting in the background. I mean, if someone just walked around those places with a camera and said "hey, look at this!" and "this is neat" I'd watch it just the same.

 

I know it is staged and all , but I too watch to see the stuff in the back ground.

 

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When I watch it and they go to those places where men (and sometimes women) have acres of buildings (many about ready to fall down) and grounds filled with rusting, aging, neglected things they won't sell, all I can think of is, "Oh look, another mentally ill hoarder."

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suwanneetrader

Ditto to "be glad they don't seek out and OVERPRICE military items". Pawn Stars etc have already made it difficult to buy anything 50 + years old. The Indiana Dealer the subject of this post -- If it is the same Stewart or Steward (his store front was in one brief shot) that came to Florida Gun Collectors shows in the 70's - 80's he had alot of very good items. Richard

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I have to get into reality mode watching those shows. Its all staged. Do you remember the old vet he bought the samurai from but left the arisaki rifle. if we had what they get we would have one heck of a shop too. Free new Ford van to drive around in. Just the sponsors alone. Free gas. And guess what most people would say. Man I can't believe they left that old bicycle & bought that krault helmet. One man's junk is another one's treasure. I'm glad they leave it for us. My friend tells me let the guys who wont buy reference books buy the crap and we will get the good stuff. He has a point. I love helping the novice, but after 10 years & he has not bought one reference book! But think about this.....how much of it would you resell? LOL David

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Pawn Stars etc have already made it difficult to buy anything 50 + years old.

 

I buy mostly from families who have responded to my newspaper ads and I have found that Pawn Stars make it easier on me: many of the sellers say something like "I watch Pawn Stars so I know you have overhead and have to make a profit..." and when I tell them what I hope to sell something for they understand why I offered what I did.

 

The ones who are hard to deal with are the ones who don't watch Pawn Stars but did find some asking prices online for items similar to what they have. I then explain to them that in order to ask those prices they need to start their own business or get an ebay store or put it on craigslist and try to sell it that way.

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I have to get into reality mode watching those shows. Its all staged. Do you remember the old vet he bought the samurai from but left the arisaki rifle. if we had what they get we would have one heck of a shop too. Free new Ford van to drive around in. Just the sponsors alone. Free gas. And guess what most people would say. Man I can't believe they left that old bicycle & bought that krault helmet. One man's junk is another one's treasure. I'm glad they leave it for us. My friend tells me let the guys who wont buy reference books buy the crap and we will get the good stuff. He has a point. I love helping the novice, but after 10 years & he has not bought one reference book! But think about this.....how much of it would you resell? LOL David

yes a lot of it is staged and I have seen times where they have walked by different things on the shelves in these places that normally anybody would buy that has any sense of what the market is for various collectibles. They always talk about taking a chance on something but you see them walk by items. We really don't know what they buy when the cameras are not rolling and I can't believe some of the things they get as cheap as they show as most people that I know would not sell things for 10 and 15 dollars for some smaller item. I have also heard their crew does a lot of picking after the cameras are not rolling and I'm not sure a lot of stuff is even left there when they are done that we may see in the picture during filming. I'm not even sure how much driving they really do anymore as I have heard the van is basically flown in or delivered to the area and they get in it and just roll down the road.I take it for what it is and you do get to see some interesting things but there is times when you just kinda have that WTH moment and say why did they bypass that?

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yes a lot of it is staged

 

It is all staged. Those of us who have done the various other unreal reality shows inspired by American Pickers and Pawn Stars know that even seemingly casual conversation may involved multiple takes as the producer says, "That sound great, but let's do it one more time and say this instead of that." I've even had to tell the "expert" what I had so that when we were on camera he could tell me what I had. Prices are negotiated before filming and they don't need to have much similarity to real world prices because the purpose of the whole deal is to make an entertaining TV show and, as I said above, the producers and hosts don't worry about making a living off the items they "pick." If you made a million or more a year pretending to buy old stuff why not play with stuff you actually know, such as oil cans, instead of old Army helmets?

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Sorry...lot is a general term I use to often to include all of the shows are staged.

 

Just like pawn stars where the gatling gun wasnt even for sale.It was staged and they "always have to shoot" an older weapon as its "worth more if it shoots".I wonder how this line of thinking trickling down to the glue gobbling

masses will work when someone fires there old rifle or pistol and it blows up in their face.

 

I dont buy into the philosophy of an item being" worth more because it shoots"

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The show is often faked. I don't believe anything I see on it.

The guy I bought my WW2 Jepe from in 1999 had them come to his place to mull over his military vehicle collection. They filmed showing up three times, the producers told him how to act, what to say, and to refuse any offers they made for anything.

They didn't use him after all because they'd wanted him to be a gruff old jerk, but he's a very happy-go-lcuky guy who's usually smiling and couldn't be the guy they wanted him to be.

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It is all staged. Those of us who have done the various other unreal reality shows inspired by American Pickers and Pawn Stars know that even seemingly casual conversation may involved multiple takes as the producer says, "That sound great, but let's do it one more time and say this instead of that." I've even had to tell the "expert" what I had so that when we were on camera he could tell me what I had. Prices are negotiated before filming and they don't need to have much similarity to real world prices because the purpose of the whole deal is to make an entertaining TV show and, as I said above, the producers and hosts don't worry about making a living off the items they "pick." If you made a million or more a year pretending to buy old stuff why not play with stuff you actually know, such as oil cans, instead of old Army helmets?

 

I wouldn't be surprised if they bought any of the stuff they "bought" at all. From my very limited experience in the unreal TV business in a similar genre, prices were negotiated, deals struck...and then the original owners returned home with the stuff they brought - but the whole buying/selling transaction looked GREAT on TV! :D

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BigDogMilitaria

I enjoy the show still. When they attempt to make little "skits" or when they go on "hired picks" is when they lose my interest. I just enjoy seeing all these different places, and it gives me hope that there is so much left undiscovered. As far as passing up military stuff, i can understand. A lot of hardcore pickers I know pass on military all the time. Its easy for a lot of us to spot a good WW2 M1 helmet, or WWII uniform and know its a good buy. But, as we all know there are so many nuances to these things, its easy to make a costly mistake and buy something and pay too much. I did that quite a bit when i was first starting out. Conversely, I go to a ton of yard sales, estate sales, etc. I have a working knowledge on a lot of other subjects, toys, sports, etc. But, im sure I pass up tons of things all the time. I would be happy to make money on other stuff to fund my militaria addiction, but you just cant know everything.

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