‘American Pickers’ returns to South Carolina in March | Resources

Some collectors and collectors in South Carolina may soon have their antiques on national television.

In preparation for its 23rd season, History Channel’s “American Pickers” is eyeing South Carolina residents again as potentials to rummage through their belongings.

From now until March, the exhibition will receive information from those interested in having its collection highlighted in the state of Palmetto.

“We are excited to talk to all collectors in South Carolina,” said Sarah Perkins, the series’ producer. “They always come with different items.”

The program features presenters Mike Wolfe, Frank Fritz and Danielle Colby as they travel across America digging junkyards, barns and garages to find and restore hidden antiques. South Carolina was chosen as one of the stops the show hopes to present.

Throughout the show, some of the collectors featured range from families with a large collection of vintage cars to huge farms filled with rusty old batteries.

In a typical episode, Wolfe and Fritz meet with a property owner and search through the items. Homeowners with rusty old cars that have stood in a crowd of bushes for years end up with some of the most sought after items.

In one episode, Wolfe and Fritz stumble across a 1930s car in someone’s backyard that Wolfe is excited about the possibility of restoring. In the second season of the program, the hosts traveled through Pickens, in the interior of the state, where they met an elderly collector named Gordon, who owned a cement factory. He collected antiques for more than 80 years at the time.

While some programs seem to embarrass or embarrass people by accumulating piles of old items in and around their homes, Wolfe and Fritz approach them with respect and reverence.

“They have a great story to tell and that is what is really important to us,” said Perkins.

Sometimes it is easy to lose the story, she said. Collecting and restoring old items is a way to preserve them.

She argues that the value of a program like “American Pickers” is the emphasis on history. Much of the program’s joy and success comes from trips to places like South Carolina, with its unique set of antiques and history, she said.

“It is more living history than you would see in a history book,” she said.

Rick Moore has owned the Summerville Antique Gallery on North Main Street for eight years. He agrees with how valuable antiques can be in preserving history.

His fascination is more with antique furniture. He can look at most parts and date them. He has fun restoring the antiques and seeing them used again.

When these items were originally made, these creators probably never thought that 100 years from now someone would still want to, he said.

“This is fun for me,” he said.

There is also a clear difference in quality between new furniture and old pieces, said Moore.

“Construction at that time was much better,” he said. “It was made to last”.

Old furniture is usually made with better quality wood. In addition, many of the newer furniture components that are made by machines were usually handcrafted with furniture now considered to be old, he said.

Although he likes to see old items that are not mobile, selling them is a different story.

Few people in Lowcountry have the money to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on an old item. If the maximum someone can afford for an item is $ 300 and it is worth $ 1,000, it will likely end up being sold for $ 300 or not, he said.

So he calls the really rare and expensive items museum pieces because they tend to hang around in the store.

But he argues that programs like “American Pickers” are good because they bring enthusiasm to ancient culture. Since the show’s debut, he said he believed it definitely created more interest.

“The fact that it can simply attract people to antiques,” he said. “I think the exposure is good for our industry”.

Those interested in being considered for “American Pickers” should send their name, city, state, contact information and a brief description of their collection to 1-855-653-7878 or email [email protected].

With this season, the show also looks only at private collections. Therefore, no company or anything open to the public can be included.

Perkins said he hopes to have many proposals to have options to appreciate more the history and how far the country has gone.

“It helps to tell stories of those who live in our country,” she said.

Reach Jerrel Floyd at 843-937-5558. Follow him on Twitter @ jfloyd134.