Words from Skrach

Copyright: http://www.nostalgic-designs.com

We have all seen the shows on TV such as American Pickers, Pawn Stars, Cash and Cari, and Antique Roadshow. All show Retro, Vintage, Passe, Nostalgic, items being bought and sold which I find very interesting.  I record all of these shows with my DVR. We all watch these shows and we find ourselves interested in the history of the items and enjoy learning about the life of the items. What we don’t think about is where it goes after the sale. In shows like American Pickers and Pawn Stars we can often spot items that they have purchased in previous shows in the background on their shelves and display cases. But that doesn’t mean that these items stay on those shelves and collect dust. At some point they will sell and be on their way to a new home. That is what I find interesting. I can spend hours and hours and hours in antique shops, thrift stores, flea markets, and yard sales looking for items that I wish to rescue. I really have a problem haha. I never have collected items to make money. Otherwise it would not be as fun. Most if the items I have were either from my family, or things that I purchased to use or display. Rarely to I buy an Item that I do not plan to use. For example I own a ton of old vinyl records and even though they are really old and fragile, I still play them as they were originally intended to be. I take care of each of my items and I would never compromise the condition, but I do use my items. I have old cameras and I do use them from time to time. I used most of them during my time in my photography class in High School. On these shows each one has a different items that they buy and sell, but they have one thing in common, they all save Retro, Vintage, Passe, Nostalgic items and allow them to live another life, instead of being thrown away after not being noticed at an estate sale, or someone not knowing the value of that item. Everything has a value to someone. I have seen collections that range from simple common PEZ Dispensers to Maytag washing machines. So before you throw out anything, please check ebay to see if they have the item listed so you can see the demand, and also the cost of the item. Although even though there is only one listed on ebay this may not mean that there is a demand for it. As well as if there is a few of the item listed and one is selling for $1000 and the others are selling for $20 this does not reflect a true value. Just like auto auctions that are televised their prices are inflated. For example, I have seen a 1976 Ford Pinto sell on the Barrett Jackson Auto Auction on the Speed Channel for a jaw dropping $12,650. Which is outrageous. Especially for a car that sold new for just under $2000 and was meant to be a fix to the gas crisis, just like Toyota Prius’s are today. You can view the Pinto here “The 12,000 Pinto”

If you don’t have cable or have not see either of these shows, I will explain what each show is about.

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Pawn Stars: (synopsis from Wikipedia) An American reality television series on the History Channel, produced in Manhattan by Leftfield Pictures. The series is filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicles the daily activities at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, a 24-hour family business operated by patriarch Richard Harrison, his son Rick Harrison (who opened the shop with his father in 1988), and Rick’s son Corey, who has worked there since childhood, and who is being groomed to one day take over the shop. The show debuted on July 26, 2009, and it usually airs on Mondays at 10pm Eastern Time. Two new episodes usually premiere in an hour block on Mondays. Reruns can be seen on History as well as Lifetime, which added the show in December 2010.

The series depicts the staff’s interactions with customers, who bring in a variety of artifacts to sell or pawn and who are shown haggling over the price and discussing its historical background, with narration provided by Rick, Corey, and Richard, who is known as “The Old Man”. The series also follows the interpersonal conflicts between Richard, Rick, Corey, and Corey’s friend Austin “Chumlee” Russell, another employee of the shop. One reviewer referencing these conflicts described the show as a version of Antiques Roadshow “hijacked by American Chopper’s” Teutul family. TV Guide has offered a similar description, calling the show “one part Antiques Roadshow, a pinch of LA Ink and a dash of COPS“.

Numerous local experts in a variety of areas also regularly appear to appraise the items being sold or pawned, one of whom, Rick Dale of Rick’s Restorations, is the star of the series’ first spin-off, American Restoration, which premiered in October 2010

Photo Copyrigh: http://www.inherited-values.com

American Pickers: (synopsis from Wikipedia) The show follows Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, who have known each other since junior high school as they travel around the greater Midwestern United States as well as the eastern and southern U.S. in a Mercedes Sprinter, buying antiques and collectibles. They work with Danielle Colby-Cushman, who runs the office of their business, Antique Archaeology, from their home base in Le Claire, Iowa and attempts to track down potential sellers.

Wolfe and Fritz explore people’s homes, barns, sheds, and other outbuildings, and other places where they have collected antiques and collectibles. They call upon casual collectors, hoarders and, occasionally, people who have inherited overwhelming collections of apparent junk. Wolfe, who has been “picking” since age four,  has a particular interest in antique motorcycles, old bicycles and penny-farthings, while Fritz has a fondness for antique toys, antique oil cans, and old Hondas. They have purchased old advertisements and commercial signage, film posters, a rare 15-gallon visible gasoline pump, and a Piaggio Ape (similar to a Vespa Motor Scooter) that one of their friends told them is probably the only one of its kind in North America.

Photo Copyright: http://www.TVguide.com

Cash and Cari: A new reality series Cash & Cari, featuring antiques and collectibles enthusiast Cari Cucksey. For those of you who love potentially valuable old things, Cash & Cari is probably the show for you. The series, which premiered on January 2nd on HGTV, follows Cari Cucksey as she digs through her client’s basements and attics in the hopes of finding items of value. The episodes will follow her search for treasure and her attempts to sell the things she does come across at estate sales.

There is so many shows that I really get into but these are the main shows that I watch regularly. Some of the items that drop into their hands are amazing. Items that range from a book from Sir Isaac newton’s personal library, rare toys, antique firearms, and vintage collectibles. I am very happy that they have shows like this that help engage the younger generations into items that are Retro, Vintage, Passe, and Nostalgic. Older items are now considered “cool” to the younger crowds to where typically these items would be considered old junk. Although on the flip side of that, just like the auto auctions, it drives the prices up as people think that because they have an item that is similar to an item shown on either one of these shows that its worth a million dollars. So it does make things a little harder to afford, although again on the flip side of that, it does make my items worth more too. So if you get the chance to see these shows you can catch these shows at the following times and channels:

(Click on a show below to view their website for more info)

American Pickers: History Channel – On Mondays @ 6:00 PM

Pawn Stars: History Channel – On Mondays @ 7:00 PM & 7:30PM

Cash andCari: HGTV (Home and Garden TV) – On Monday’s (check HGTV for times)

I hope you all enjoy these shows while they are on. As we all know that the interest with Retro, Vintage, Passe, and Nostalgic items does come and go just as these shows will eventually be out of the spotlight of the public’s interest.

Thanks for reading,