This episode of American Pickers starts with Mike and Frank heading to North Carolina. They visit Dick and his son Eric, who own an old waste paper warehouse filled with architectural salvage items. Chairs and furniture are stacked to the ceiling, and Dick needs to sell everything so that the building can be sold. Despite his need to sell, Dick seems fairly reluctant to part with anything at a price that Mike and Frank want to pay.
Mike finds a small vintage mannequin that was used to advertising lingerie, but the price is too high. After a few more no-sales, Mike comes across a double sided Fisk Tire sign with the iconic Fisk tire boy image. He and Dick haggle over the price and eventually agree on $900, and the ice is broken.
The next item Mike uncovers is a Dopey Duck coin-operated ride that probably sat outside of a grocery store in the 50’s. Dick wants $1,400 for the ride, but Mike eventually gets him down to $1,050. You would need a big area to display something like that, but it sure would be fun to have!
Frank finally finds something to buy. High on a shelf, he spots some stools that look like they were from an old diner. Dick informs him that those stools played a part in the Civil Rights movement, as they were the ones that the Greensboro Four sat on at the Woolworth department store ice cream counter. The Smithsonian actually borrowed the stools for a traveling exhibit once. Frank buys two of the stools for $225.
The last item Mike buys is a pair of large brass headlights for $625. He thinks they may have once been used on a firetruck in the early 1900’s.
Mike and Frank get back on the road and do some freestyle picking. They pull off the road at a promising location and meet Charlie Moose, a man who has lived on the property for 72 years, and in that time, has built his own miniature town called, “Mooseville.” There are plenty of buildings for the guys to pick through, and the first item that catches Frank’s eye is a plastic sign with a lighthouse on it, which he buys for $30.
Charlie shows them a mine shaft that he dug, which eventually opens into a saloon! Mike finds a hand carved piece of folk art — a balancing man figure — and Charlie asks just $3 for it! I don’t remember anyone ever asking such low prices for their items on any episode of American Pickers.
The guys find a few other small items that are just as inexpensive, and Frank buys a folk art whirligig for $20. Mike finds a huge Victorian-era gilded frame that once held a mirror. Charlie asks $25 and Mike decides to pay it forward and offers $75, realizing that Charlie’s prices are way too low.
Mike and Frank visit a local appraiser, named Bob, to find out more about those brass head lamps. Bob informs them that the headlights are older than Mike thought, probably pre-1912, and were fueled by carbide pellets. It was manufactured by C.L. Charley in Paris, possibly for a Mercedes or Rolls Royce, which gets Mike excited. According to Bob, it would take $5-10,000 to restore the headlights, and Mike is worried his $625 was an unwise decision until he learns that they are worth $2,000!
Danielle calls with information about a guy who has a lot of Indian motorcycles. That is an understatement! Beno and Robin own a warehouse full of British motorcycles and Mike is in Heaven. Beno is in his mid 60’s and still races motorcycles 100 times a year. He has dozens of shelves categorized and organized, unlike anything we have ever seen on American Pickers. This is one organized collector! They search through shelves of old gas tanks, and Mike is drawn to the rustiest, ugliest one on the shelf and buys it for $74.
Hanging in a glass display cabinet, Mike finds a vintage Indian sweater. Beno wants $200 for it and Mike is honored to buy it for that price. Not to be outdone, Frank buys an old leather Indian racing jacket for $450.
The guys keep searching through the warehouse until they come across an early Indian factory cutaway motor that once sat on the counter in the repair shop that Beno’s dad owned. Beno agrees on sell it for $5,000. It’s obvious that Mike is in a sort of awe over Beno and his racing heritage, because he doesn’t haggle nearly as hard with him about his prices as he does with most people with whom he deals.
There’s still time for one more deal, as Mike finds a 1908 Indian motor and bundles it with an Excelsior manifold for $3,300. The show credits start to roll as Beno loans a couple of dirtbikes to Mike and Frank, and they all go for a ride on some dirt trails.
Wow. Amazing to think that the Greensboro Four Stools have been just sitting in some dude’s warehouse all this time. Makes you wonder what other pieces of history are hiding in obscure places.
No kidding! Between those stools and the Transformers Bumblebee they uncovered in a junkyard on “Hollywood Treasure” last night, I’m ready to go searching through some attics. 😉
I think the stools don’t date back to the greensboro four. The stools in the photos of the civil rights sit ins have backs on them and no stripes around the bases.
This is such a good show. I enjoy catching them in syndication.
And I can’t help but be completely infatuated with Danielle. She needs more screen time.
Agreed. Danielle is quite mesmerizing with all those tattoos.
More Danielle for you
http://starcasm.net/archives/75584
oh my. Thanks Pax! 😉
I love this show. I always catch the episodes on demand.
I agree. Danielle = ME-OW!
She’s a burlesque dancer as well. Schwing!
I live near Greensboro and this Woolworths building has reopened as a museum and I am sure they would love to know that these stool exist as I have been there and far as I know they do not have them there. This is an amazing find, Someone needs to alert the Museum as to who and or where they can find these stool. It would be a valued asset to have them returned to their original place.
show is terrible. who spends 100 dollars and sells it for 125$ with all that work to get item sold and all that costly traveling, profit goes down. then idiot viewers think they can do same with their junk and it ends up not getting sold because they overpriced it.
How do we find the locations of some of the ‘boys’ pick sites. It seems alot of these people are selling their items to the public, but no locations are mentioned or put on the website. How can we find locations. Love, love, love this show…I’m a charter watcher.
at first i liked watching the show, but now i think its terrible. on one show, they paid 100 dollars for something and then valued it for 125? thats not such a great profit. ive seen similiar pricing like this on other shows. with costly traveling and trying to get item sold, that cuts into profit so u dont make as much as u think u do. then u get idiot viewers who watch these type of shows and think they can do the same with their stuff but it ends up not getting sold because the overpriced it.
The stools bought in this episode were not the stools from Greensboro Woolworth.
Below is a link to NPR and a picture of the Woolworth Four sitting at the counter in different type of stools.
Sorry Frank
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18615556
Only a small bleep with 2 pictures of Charlie’s place. He was an amazing interesting remarkable man. I could listen to him for hours. In 49 years this is the first time I have ever commented on a show. The show was most definitely a repeat and I would so enjoy if you paid him another visit. I live in Michigan and have never traveled to North Carolina. It would be something to visit such a enchanting place and spend some time with Charlie.
how do I find out who Charlie Moose bought the frame from a mirror in Midland ,N.C.I grew up there and would like to know this
Well some (most) of the prices are way too high & some too
Low but I just like the show for how they dicker with prices &
It may help others get the most & lower prices for items.
But just interesting of the finds in rural america. Don’t try to do it for costs too high for travel etc
Where is Charlie’s Place I’m from NC and have never heard of it.