With the first episode airing in 2010, “American Pickers” has become one of the most popular documentary and reality TV shows. The series follows hosts Mike Wolfe and the late Frank Fritz as they travel across the United States trying to find valuable items that are available for resale.
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Fritz and Wolfe have had a lot of luck finding truly unique and one-of-a-kind items over the last 14 years. In the 26-seasons-long run of the show, they have found hundreds of rare antiques; including a set of masks used by the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, original prototypes of Yoda used in the “Star Wars” franchise, and even an elephant’s head that wound up costing the pickers almost $10,000.
However, the most amazing items that Fritz and Wolfe have found on “American Pickers” have often come in the form of classic vehicles. Some of their most valuable purchases include a world-famous rock band’s van, a cyclecar that’s over 100 years old, and a pair of luxury sports cars from the 1950s.
Aerosmith’s First Tour Van – $25,000
One of the Pickers’ coolest finds came in season 20, when Fritz and Wolfe were able to get their hands on the original tour van used by Aerosmith. Formed in 1970, the Boston-based group has made a name for itself as one of the greatest rock bands of all time. They have sold more than 150,000,000 records, which led to the band winning four Grammy awards before being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. However, before their immense success, the band spent the 1970s trying to make a name for itself as it toured the country in a 1964 International Harvester Metro van.
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After hearing rumors that the van was being stored on a property in Chesterfield, Massachusetts, Fritz and Wolfe went to investigate the claims that it was Aerosmith’s original van. The trip was worth making because the Pickers struck gold after reaching out to Ray Tabano, the band’s original guitarist. Tabano confirmed that it was Aerosmith’s original van, which allowed Wolfe and Fritz to begin haggling for the vehicle.
In the end, the Pickers were able to purchase the van for a price tag of $25,000. This seemed like a no-brainer for Wolfe, who shouted “We just got a piece of American rock ‘n’ roll history,” after the deal was completed.
1914 Merz Cycle Car – $35,000
In season 10, Fritz went back down to Florida to re-pick the treasures scattered across the home of Pat Regis, a man who had previously sold the Pickers a 1910 Royal Pioneer motorcycle for $55,000. While looking around Regis’ home, Fritz stumbled upon a vehicle that was almost 100 years old.
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Fritz had discovered a 1914 Merz Cycle Car — a small, motorized vehicle manufactured in the United States and Europe during the 1910s and 1920s. The 1914 cycle car played an interesting role in automobile history because it served as an alternative to full-fledged automobiles produced by the likes of Ford and the Hudson Motor Company, which had not yet been universally accepted during the early 20th century. As a result, Merz chose to manufacture the more affordable motorcycle/car combination, which is rarely seen nowadays. In fact, there are only two known 1914 Merz Cycle Cars in existence today.
To confirm the condition and authenticity of the vehicle, Fritz called in Dave Ohrt, an “American Pickers” ambassador and a collector of vintage cars and other vehicles. “I’ve seen a couple of cycle cars in my day, but I’ve never seen a 1914 Merz,” Ohrt said during the episode. “That was just really impressive to me.”
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Ohrt verified that the Merz Cycle Car was the real deal, which opened the window for negotiations. Regis started by asking for $37,500, but Ohrt countered with $34,000. The two came to an understanding, eventually settling on $35,000.
[Featured image via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public domain]
Two Nash-Healeys – $46,000
One of the single largest, if not the largest car purchases in “American Pickers” history came in episode nine of season 13, when Fritz and Wolfe visited an old car dealership in North Carolina. Before becoming a junkyard for old cars, the land served as an American Motors Corporation (AMC) car dealership. From 1954 to 1987, AMC created some of the most recognizable cars in the world, such as the Hornet, the Matador, and even the Gremlin. However, in 1987, the company was acquired by Chrysler, which effectively ended the operation of AMC car dealerships.
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During their visit to the abandoned dealership, Fritz and Wolfe discovered a pair of Nash-Healey models — a rare type of luxury sportscar only manufactured from 1950 to 1954. This type of car was so rare that records show only 506 were ever produced, so the Pickers knew that they had to get their hands on these two beauties, which make up almost 0.4% of the global Nash-Healey market.
Wolfe and Fritz successfully negotiated a deal, acquiring one car outfitted with a Cadillac engine for $21,000, while the other vehicle came with a price tag of $25,000 — bringing the total for the two cars to $46,000.
