The BEST episodes of American Pickers
Every episode of American Pickers ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of American Pickers!
Mike and Frank are pickers that travel the country and literally would go anywhere just for the prospects of finding antique gold. With the assistance of Danielle they often find themselves in a comedic pickle.
#1 - The Belly Dance
Season 2012 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/5/2012
Automotive aficionado Dale gets seriously cranked up over Mike's one-of-a-kind belly tank racer. But the negotiations could crash if the classic can't run leaving Mike out thousands of dollars. Freestyling in New Hampshire, Tommy's treasure-packed barn yields some incredible railroad relics. Mario loves his junk but says he's willing to negotiate, and after gambling on a very cool retro smoking toy, bundle-master Frank steps in to save the day for Mike. Bruce's jam-packed property is staggering and though he's reluctant to sell, Mike manages to pull the trigger on a rare folk art rifle.
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#2 - Pinball Mania
Season 2011 - Episode 16 - Aired 8/1/2011
The guys head to the Lone Star State, hoping to uncover a Texas-size honey hole. Once there, Mike and Frank dig through a huge outbuilding filled with dead coin-operated games (in the dark because the electricity was out). While they make an offer on a few rare gems, the owner struggles to let go of his grandpa's merchandise and all the memories that go with them. He steers the boys to a hangar-sized warehouse down the street where the guys discover the mother-lode of pop culture pinball machines. They end up at John's jaw-dropping collection of rare motorcycles, bikes and even rarer parts. At first the guys go into overdrive, but when they realize nothing is for sale, Mike switches gears and comes up with a plan!
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#3 - Keep Out!
Season 2011 - Episode 4 - Aired 2/7/2011
Driving along the back roads of Tennessee in the early morning fog, Mike and Frank are brushing up on their Southern expressions when they spot an awesome property. Once they muster up the courage to ignore the scary "no trespassing" signs, the homeowner opens up his amazing collection of incredible "mantiques". Later, with four barns that are packed to the rafters, a Smokey Mountain property looks perfect. But Mike and Frank's perfect day quickly goes downhill when the collector can't bear to part with anything. Can they break the ice or will their picking spirit be broken first? And, thanks to a lead from Danielle, the guys get a warm welcome from Joe, a lifetime picker whose staggering collection spans over 30 buildings.
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#4 - The Elephant in the Room
Season 2012 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/9/2012
With a Noah's ark of exotic animals, the guys visit a Maine taxidermist where Mike gambles big money on a huge elephant head. Danielle's search for a pachyderm-loving buyer leads to a wheelin' and dealin' rock'n'roll legend. Building collector Bill loves a good joke but his prices are no laughing matter. George's Maine marine features great prices, even better stories, and everything from maritime collectibles to a bejeweled antique hotdog steamer. The rock'n'roll legend is a collector himself. He's a tough bargainer with a couple of items to trade up his sleeve.
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#5 - What Happens in Sturgis...
Season 2012 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/2/2012
Danielle turns up a good lead she's been working on for months. When Mike tells Frank let's pack up for a trip to South Dakota, Frank says he can't. He's secretly going to his 30th annual trip to the legendary Sturgis motorcycle rally, but says he'll cover the shop. So Mike takes Danielle, first to Dollar Dick's, a tough-minded auction aficionado whose yard is covered in rusty gold. Next, they happen upon what looks like a tourist trap, but the 1880s ghost town pays off with a speed pick in a pair of treasure-filled silos that turns up some unusual items. Finally, they get to Dave's amazing automotive collection where Mike spies a sexy belly tank cycle car with classic Hollywood history.
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#6 - Motor City
Season 2011 - Episode 20 - Aired 9/19/2011
Driving through Michigan in a freak spring snowstorm, the prospects look bleak until the guys spot an interesting old Cadillac for sale. With their picking senses twitching, they stop to see what else is on the property. Frank falls hard for a deluxe Model A roadster. But to seal the deal, he's got to talk to the boss and she's not at home! Passionate about revitalizing Detroit's city core, Joel owns an entire neighborhood of 50 adjoining properties, including a 50,000 square foot warehouse that's jam-packed with cool cars, old signs and architectural salvage. It's a picker's dream and the guys dig deep to see what they can uncover. Collecting on a monumental scale, father and son duo Jerry and Jerry's 40-acre property includes a life-size model train town and over 1,000 classic bicycles. The only problem is they've got a hard time selling and their prices are frozen in time! After dropping thousands of dollars on the Model A, Frank faces the appraiser's verdict.
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#7 - Urban Cowboys
Season 2011 - Episode 18 - Aired 9/5/2011
Looking for picks in Texas, the guys see a sign for Gilley's Club, the honky-tonk club made famous in the 1980 film Urban Cowboy. Soon they're face to face with country music superstar Mickey Gilley himself who has a warehouse jam-packed with rare Gilley's memorabilia. Later, Paul's sprawling junkyard features a staggering amount of stuff. His grandson Pride takes the guys on an adventure, and when it comes to negotiating, young Pride proves he's tough. Gilley steers the guys north to a peanut factory where Jim has preserved all the big-ticket items from Gilley's, including a mechanical bull. But when Frank gets a load of the bar's original grand piano played by many a music legend, a potential deal is music to his ears!
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#8 - Automotive Archaeology
Season 2011 - Episode 19 - Aired 9/12/2011
The guys head to Michigan hoping to strike automotive gold in the heart of the America's car capital. Clearing the contents of derelict storage lockers, Brian's sprawling auction house is a picker's playground where Mike and Frank get junk drunk as they dig deep. The guys next meet Jim's awesome collection of original automotive advertising art. And Tony wants to thin out his collection of old car and gas station memorabilia. Hoping for a lottery-style return, Mike and Frank battle it out for a collection of motometers before uncovering two items, each with a jaw-dropping pedigree. And Mike makes a sweet deal with a museum curator to ensure that a rare piece of car history finds a permanent place of honor.
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#9 - Picker Man Blues
Season 2012 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/16/2012
Tricky Dick's Tennessee yard is littered with treasures, and though he isn't motivated to part with any of it, Mike goes hog-wild for a vintage pig ride that could be worth some serious coin. Once a legendary Mississippi radio station, Mike and Frank visit a sprawling small-town museum steeped in music history. A tough negotiator who doesn't like to sell, Phil's ramshackle building is packed with salvaged gems. But with the roof caving in, the guys hatch a strategy to make sure everyone wins before the building collapses.
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#10 - Frank's Dog Days
Season 2012 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/23/2012
Since opening his second store, Mike's feeling serious pressure to fill up the van. He gets lucky while freestyling in Virginia with Danielle. A cold call with Gary pays off with a pink jukebox and the remains of a rare 1930s motorbike. While he proves to be a tough negotiator, Doug's well-manicured property is a honey hole of petroliana. Henry's trailer homes are packed to the gills with unusual collectibles and he's ready to make a deal. Danielle proves she's got a picker's eye. But back at the shop, Frank has a tough time tracking down an appraiser for the jukebox.
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#11 - Odd Fellas
Season 2012 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/30/2012
Frank goes wild in Joe's garage. It's packed with vintage motorcycles and while Frank scores deal after deal, Mike's efforts sputter and stall. With his family hit hard by the recession, a prolific collector is eager to sell. The guys scour building after building but sometimes one man's junk is just junk. While Frank gets ready to go to his high school reunion and show off his restored Plymouth, Mike and Danielle visit a Virginia property that turns out to be a mega-pick. With jam-packed buildings and trailers, Bill's sprawling collection features Odd Fellows relics and a vintage guitar that may be worth a fortune.
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#12 - Boys' Toys
Season 2012 - Episode 9 - Aired 4/9/2012
With his wife by his side, a self-confessed Tennessee hoarder is motivated to clear out his jam-packed log cabin home, and the showstopper is a 1947 Harley Knucklehead. When a restoration junkie's gas pumps are off-limits, Mike changes gears and sets his sights on a horse. A robot collector's sci-fi man cave yields a mint-condition astronaut toy but the cost could be other-worldly.
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#13 - The Return of Hobo Jack
Season 2012 - Episode 10 - Aired 4/16/2012
The guys make a return visit to fan favorite Hobo Jack's sprawling forest sanctuary in Illinois. But wading through his "junkalanche" proves easier than making a deal. In Chicago, the guys search for a big-ticket item as they scour a mammoth warehouse stacked floor to ceiling with stuff. Meanwhile, back at the shop, Danielle lines up an appraiser for a one-of-a-kind art cat whose ratty appearance is at odds with its staggering price tag. And along the Illinois back roads, Mike and Frank stumble on a former Dairy Queen turned pickers' paradise.
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#14 - Love 'Em and Leave 'Em
Season 2012 - Episode 16 - Aired 6/25/2012
A former Georgia boxer fights to keep a lifetime of stockpiled stuff but his wife is fed up. After scouring their five-acre property, the guys make off with a band's worth of brass instruments and a surprisingly rare art deco fan.
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#15 - Frank Bears All
Season 2011 - Episode 15 - Aired 7/25/2011
Mike and Frank are picking their way through Florida when they get a lead on a potential gold mine -- a five-acre property that's an automotive graveyard. The guys also visit an off-the-grid hangar-sized geodesic dome home where they discover two gems: a very rare piece of rock 'n' roll history and an unusual motorcycle sidecar. Mike's hunger for seafood lands them a chance pick through slot machines, vintage advertising, sci-fi movie props and taxidermy bears.
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#16 - Frank's Pacemaker
Season 2011 - Episode 17 - Aired 8/8/2011
Thousands of miles from home, the guys are scouring the back roads of Texas desperate to find the big-ticket item that will make the long trip worthwhile. Just like his late father, Aardean is a funeral director who never throws anything away. And with everything from neon crucifixes to an embalming table with an incredible history, the guys are dying to dive in! On a mission to preserve the history of the telephone, Don's jaw-dropping personal museum includes over 200,000 rare items. Featuring room after room of vintage signs, toys and mantiques, Susan's suburban home is packed to the rafters with Americana. The good news is she's downsizing and everything is for sale, but the bad news is the guys still haven't found that big-ticket item. After touring Cecil's awesome vintage car collection, the guys get access to his "toy box." Making a series of great deals, Mike leaves Frank in the dust. That is, until the "bearded charmer" spots a rare scooter and makes his move.
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#17 - Fairlane Fever
Season 2010 - Episode 29 - Aired 12/27/2010
Mike and Frank challenge Danielle to sell a vintage carnival ride they've been storing for months. Meanwhile, the guys visit a collector with amazing pieces including an old gambling game used to get customers to spend more money. Later, the guys pick the International Clown Hall of Fame, where they find an amazing miniature automated carnival. And finally, after seeing at a Yamaha dirt bike for sale on a front lawn, retired mechanic Norm opens his garage to reveal a smoking-hot, 1967 Ford Fairlane muscle car. It's love at first sight for Mike, but will his emotions get in the way of getting a great deal?
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#18 - Danielle Goes Picking
Season 2010 - Episode 27 - Aired 12/13/2010
After years of begging Mike and Frank to let her go on a pick, Danielle finally gets her chance. The three head out to visit a major collector with a barn full of hidden treasures. Next, Frank agrees to fill in for Danielle at the shop while she hits the road with Mike. In Pennsylvania, they pick the oddball home of two eccentric characters, and Danielle comes up with a winner when she tracks down a century-old hotel that's been vacant for years. Rooms full of furniture and a valuable pinball machine await.
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#19 - Bigfoot in Alabama
Season 2010 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/22/2010
While picking their way through the South, the guys meet up with John, a Mississippi motorcycle collector who has plenty of cool stuff, but his prices are through the roof. Then Mike spots a rare 1969 Kawasaki muscle bike, but can he wrestle it out of the mud? While in Alabama, Mike and Frank visit a prolific car hobbyist whose yard looks like a vintage parking lot. After driving down Poorhouse Road, they scour the bizarre collection at the Alabama Museum of Wonder where everything--including a gigantic head from a Piggly Wiggly mascot--is for sale. And finally, the guys catch a lucky break at a Birmingham vintage scooter shop.
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#20 - Smooth Operators
Season 2010 - Episode 16 - Aired 6/28/2010
As the guys finish their trip through the South, Danielle finds them the mother lode of rare motorbike parts; an incredible discovery guaranteed to impress their friend and NASCAR champion Ryan Newman.
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#21 - Pint-Sized Picker
Season 2010 - Episode 25 - Aired 10/11/2010
Mike takes his young nephew on his first pick; in Wisconsin, an eccentric mother-daughter duo is selling their extraordinary 1856 home and everything in it; the guys visit packrat Tim and his 10,000 square feet of junk; Danielle plots her payback.
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#22 - A Banner Pick
Season 2010 - Episode 26 - Aired 12/6/2010
While picking in Pennsylvania, Danielle sends the guys to Bushkill Park--a century-old amusement park that's seen much better days. Hoping to eventually renovate and reopen, owner Neil is motivated to sell just about anything. And, after stepping back in time and playing in the old funhouse, Mike spies a couple of rare vintage sideshow banners. Also in this episode... Deb wants husband Tom to clear out his sprawling collections so they can enjoy their retirement on the road in their RV. But he's reluctant to sell his prized possessions. Later, in New York City, the guys meet an expert who has shocking news about Mike's new circus posters. In Staten Island, a cavernous abandoned storage unit yields plenty of carnival keepsakes.
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#23 - Trading Up
Season 2011 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/24/2011
Mike and Frank head to Ohio and decide to make the trip a little more interesting by bringing along a cup dispenser from an old train station to trade with their clients, hoping to make some cash. They meet Will, the son of an auctioneer who has inherited a house packed with his dad's collection and is coming to terms with letting the stuff go. The guys pick up tons of items, including an antique accordion on which Frank shows off his musical talents! Next, they truck to Indiana to meet a small town historian who takes everyone's collectibles for safe keeping. There, they purchase a St. Louis Cardinals vintage baseball poster and Frank falls in love with a pinball machine featuring Happy Days' the Fonz. Finally, Mike gets to experience his dream pick at a VW graveyard in Illinois, but Frank is the one who strikes gold when he buys a rare BSA motorcycle.
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#24 - They Boldly Go
Season 2011 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/14/2011
Mike and Frank are out in the Kentucky on a different kind of mission. They're going to someone who needs their expertise to make his home unique. The owner is William Shatner, who gives Mike and Frank a very specific list. While Danielle looks for leads, the picking is red hot at Thurman's Tennessee hills property. The lifetime collector says he's ready to make a deal, but is he really? Next, the guys hunt for the perfect showpiece for Shatner's garden and think they've hit the jackpot with an amazing millstone collector. That is, until they find out his prices outweigh even the heaviest of stones. And, with just one week to deliver the goods to their celebrity client, Mike and Frank call in a favor from a designer friend. Finally, with a van full of treasures, they deliver their booty to Shatner, hoping they haven't let him down.
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#25 - Not So Cheap Thrills
Season 2011 - Episode 23 - Aired 12/5/2011
Mike and Frank are freestyling in Minnesota where they stumble on salvage operator Terry who has a staggering scrap yard. Everything is for sale, including a mother lode of retro signage. Next, coin-op kings Gary and John "say" they're ready to sell some of their vast collection of vintage arcade games. Frank takes a major gamble on some old school peep show coin operated machines. And retired twin brothers Steve and Tom open up their massive collection of toy cars and trucks. Danielle gets an appraisal on the peep show item.
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