• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact

Cool and Collected

Collecting pop culture toys, comics, and collectibles collections

August 17, 2010 By 41 Comments

American Pickers – Hobo Jack Episode Recap and Review

The economy is apparently taking its toll on Antique Archaeology. Danielle calls and informs the guys that things are slow at the shop, and there’s not much money coming in the door, but plenty is going out. Mike and Frank need to find a big ticket item fast.

They do some freestyle picking in Illinois and stop at a house where they meet Tony and his little dog, Lady. Tony goes to two auctions a week and his expansive property is proof of that. He ran out of room for all his stuff, so he bought his neighbor’s house and filled it with stuff too. Tony says that everything is for sale except for his wife and his dog.

The pop culture find of this episode is a really cool vintage Marx Dick Tracy car which Frank buys for $15, an absolute steal!

american pickers hobo jack Dick Tracy Marx tin car

Mike finds a box of WWI posters and calls Judy, their picking mama from last week’s show, for advice, since she is a hard core collector of that genre. After she tells them what to look for, they determine that the posters are reproductions because the paper is thick and not like newsprint.

Frank buys a large set of Elk horns and a vintage movie projector for $125. There was plenty of great stuff in Tony’s possessions, and I could have burrowed through the piles for days.

american pickers hobo jack Elk Horns

Mike and Frank hit the road and give us a rundown of what they look for when they do freestyle picking:

  • No above ground pool
  • No brand new satellite dish
  • No swing set
  • No brand new truck
  • No mowed grass
  • No brand new landscaping
  • There’s a tarp on the roof
  • And, it’s easier to approach people of they’re outside.

The guys are driving through a small town and see a neon Buick sign and a Chevrolet sign hanging on the side of an old brick building. Ken is the owner of the building and is moving to Florida, so he’s ready to sell some items. Mike and Frank find quite a few neat items, including an old jug for $30, a tin urn with colorful lithography for $10, a vintage risqué photo of some ladies (very tame for this day and age) for $25, a couple of chrome and leather chairs for $40, and a Schwinn bicycle for $175. After two straight bike-less episodes, the streak has been broken.

american pickers hobo jack Excelsior bicycle

Danielle calls to tell the pickers about their next pick, Hobo Jack, a real life hobo who has acres in the woods filled with cars, bikes, motorcycles, and other things. The guys can’t even get the van down the driveway, because it’s too muddy and narrow. Jack is an eccentric old fellow, with a hawk feather tucked in his hatband, and a grey beard that runs half way down his chest. He greets them by playing his harmonica and guitar.

american pickers hobo jack

Hobo Jack is this season’s Mole Man Ron. Jack has piles and piles of stuff stashed in buildings and under tarps spread across acres of wooded forest. I wonder if anyone knows he’s even there. There doesn’t appear to be a house, but there is plenty of “rusty gold” for the pickers to pick through.

american pickers hobo jack

Frank finds a 1921 V12 indian motorcycle engine and Hobo Jack sells it to him for $900. he tells Frank that the transmission is somewhere in the building, so the pickers start the search. They find the elusive transmission after an hour of hunting, and buy it for $150.

In another building, Mike finds a pre-1920 Excelsior motorcycle, but Hobo Jack won’t sell it for $3,000. Jack shows Mike a motor with no markings that he thinks could be a motorcycle or a cycle car motor. Mike offers $3,000 for the motor and ups his price for the Excelsior to $5,000. After some tough negotiating, Hobo jack agrees to part with both for $9,000. Hobo Jack has been picking for 60 years and showed Mike how to drive a hard bargain.

american pickers hobo jack motorcycle

At this point in the show, my wife was incredulous that those rusty hunks of junk were worth $9,000 and I have to side with her. I want to see one of these bikes or engines restored to the point that they are shiny and functional, and then I want to see the person who buys them to use on their own bike.

Mike and Frank visit a motorcycle guru for an appraisal. The Excelsior motorcycle, in its rough condition, is worth around $8,000, mainly because it still retains the original chassis. The V-shaped motor ends up being a “home run,” which turns out to be a rare Curtiss motor circa 1906. The motor is worth $7,000.

Okay, so there were bikes and motors in this episode, but there was also a pop culture find and a really unique character in Hobo Jack, so overall it was a pretty good show. What did you think? Did you see anything you would have “picked?”

Filed Under: Other

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Smokey Joe says

    August 17, 2010 at 2:39 pm

    Great american pickers episode. The excelsior motorcycle and curtiss engine bought for $9000 then valued at $15000. Wow! High dollar picks. Nice work guys.

    Reply
  2. Jay Calloway says

    September 9, 2010 at 12:34 pm

    Hobo Jack—He, himself, was the truly unique find of this episode—Rip Van Winkle lives!

    Reply
    • Matt Gray says

      January 17, 2011 at 11:10 pm

      Hobo Jack lives in the town right next to me, ive never met him before because ive been so scared. People know he is there, but im sure he likes being left alone!

      Reply
      • Stacey says

        August 13, 2011 at 1:02 am

        I met Hobo Jack just yesterday, he even gave me a picture of him with the Pickers and signed it and let me take a picture with him. He was extremely nice.

        Reply
      • Ashley says

        April 1, 2013 at 5:00 pm

        Where does he live? I think I know this guy.

        Reply
  3. Mike says

    October 4, 2010 at 5:40 pm

    Not sure if anyone noticed it, but on the walk through the woods they passed a huge patch of marijuana…..you know hobo Jack is blazin

    Reply
    • Brian says

      October 4, 2010 at 10:33 pm

      Ha! I am heading to the DVR to confirm this now!

      Reply
  4. sheltron says

    October 24, 2010 at 5:09 pm

    no weed wishful thinking though

    Reply
  5. Ray Kessinger says

    November 30, 2010 at 4:33 pm

    Mike & Frank,
    Love your show, is there a reason why you never name the towns you are at ? I understand that Hobo Jack was around Litchfield Ill. I lived 15 miles s. of there for 50 yrs. I have been in Fl. 25 yrs. but would like to know where he’s at. I think you guys would have a good time picking at the farms up there.
    I do believe you should get a big truck of wood dumped for Danielle to split while off busting your hump, you guys are just too good to that woman!!

    keep up what you’re doing Ray

    Reply
    • Brian says

      December 1, 2010 at 9:50 am

      Ray- I’ll take it as a compliment that you think my reviews are the “official” reviews of the show, but I’m just a fan like you.

      Reply
  6. Victoria A. Romero says

    January 4, 2011 at 4:08 am

    WOW!!!! Hobo Jack might have other goodies you guys didn’t find… You could see the tension when Hobo Jack was offered $8000… I was like …” come on go for it ” Great job you guys!! I love watching your show! You can learn alot … You never know , sometimes we can be at a garage or estate sale and then all of a sudden we see something Mike and Frank bought on the show and we learn the value of certain items….. I can’t believe how much that little motor was worth – incredible!
    YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME… ALL 3 OF YOU … :))))))

    Reply
    • Brian says

      January 4, 2011 at 8:34 am

      My episode recaps have no affiliation with the show. They’re just a way for me to share to share my appreciation and converse with other fans. Maybe Mike and Frank will visit this site and read your kind words. I agree that you can learn a lot from watching the pickers.

      Reply
  7. Ace says

    January 4, 2011 at 4:31 am

    Just watched rerun of this show tonight. I hope Hobo Jack hasn’t been mugged since a guy living outside with 10k in cash might be tempting for some low life.

    Reply
    • Brian says

      January 4, 2011 at 8:36 am

      I always wonder what it’s like after the pickers leave for the people who appear on the show. I know that a bunch of them read this blog, so Hobo Jack, if you’re out there, let us know how you’re doing!

      Reply
    • Matt Gray says

      January 17, 2011 at 11:12 pm

      Hobo Jack wont be robbed, if you ask anyone around the surrounding towns no one has rarely talked to him, if at all! You drive by his property, and it looks like a junkyard with fence around it, like they said “he had alot of shit”

      Reply
  8. mic says

    January 4, 2011 at 1:06 pm

    I would have paid top dollar for Hobo Jack’s antique still.

    Reply
  9. Jack says

    January 4, 2011 at 3:13 pm

    Hi, this is jack from the show. i go to the library on tuesdays to get news, yhey showed me this page, thanks people. new to the internet, i have more itums for sale. all the items they bought were just for the show they gave me back the items no money was gotten to me. i own over 430 acres of land from back in 1932. i thank you kindly.

    Reply
    • Brian says

      January 4, 2011 at 3:22 pm

      It’s Hobo Jack, himself! Thanks so much for checking out my site, you were a true pleasure to watch on the show, and as you can tell from all the comments, you have a sizable fan base. If you’d like to share any of your contact info so others might get in touch with you to buy some of your items, let me know. Please take care and keep on enjoying the good life!

      Reply
    • scotty says

      March 14, 2011 at 9:43 pm

      Hobo Jack, you neec to write a book about your life’s adventures!!

      Reply
  10. Marc Manint says

    March 14, 2011 at 10:30 pm

    I just saw the episode with Hobo Jack. All I can say is ….Wow! I would love to spend time looking through some of his collection. I wonder if he has any old tools. To spend time looking at the furniture would be a dream. Is anybody sure of where he is located? I would like to go see his collection.

    Reply
    • JKATZ says

      March 15, 2011 at 11:24 am

      He is at just about any auction we go to in the Litchfield,IL. area. We also talked to him at a flea market in Litchfield, so I guess the earlier post is right about the Litchfield ,IL. AREA.

      Reply
      • jdotson says

        June 8, 2011 at 9:37 pm

        From what i was told hobo jack was at flea market in wentzville missouri

        on june 5th as my daughter seen and spoke to him there.

        Reply
  11. catfish says

    March 15, 2011 at 10:33 pm

    Jack was a good friend of my mother and the last time I saw him was at my mother’s funeral 30 years ago, I wasn’t sure it was the same Jack when I saw the rerun but just had to jump online to search for him but didn’t know how to spell his last name so I called my sister and she remembered and I found him and a few other articles about him and I got in touch with him today and soon will go for a visit, he was happy to get caught up with me and find out about other members of our family. Thanks for the episode, American Pickers

    Reply
  12. mark falkner says

    March 16, 2011 at 8:14 pm

    Is the excelsior frame for sale

    Reply
  13. glenn says

    July 1, 2011 at 12:14 pm

    I suspect the Curtiss engine is worth much more than 7k.

    Reply
  14. Stacey says

    August 13, 2011 at 1:06 am

    There is a hobo convention in Iowa and there are tons of hobos that go there. I went this year for the first time and saw many hobos including Hobo Jack, he was a very nice man. He sang songs, played that guitar and harmonica and the banjo, and he let me take his picture and he signed a postcard with himself and Mike and Frank on it. So that’s where he is this week. Two dollars for an autograph.

    Reply
  15. Keith H. in Wales says

    August 29, 2011 at 12:54 am

    GREAT programme and this was THE outstanding episode for me. I knew a fellow somewhat like Hobo Jack in Bermuda… about 25 years ago I figured the Bermudian chap (long deceased now) had about two million dollars worth of stuff in just one of his sheds, but it was all being attacked voraciously by mildew, unhappily.
    Back in the USA, Hobo Jack sounds like a terrific fellow… more power to him!
    Regards to all collectors!!

    Reply
  16. craig baumberger says

    November 18, 2011 at 4:45 pm

    His handle is actually “Backwoods Jack”.

    Reply
  17. amber says

    December 2, 2011 at 1:36 am

    i go to the same auction that hobo jack goes to he is a very nice guy he deserved the money he really need it

    Reply
  18. amber says

    December 2, 2011 at 1:37 am

    hobo jack will be on a new show comming up in a month or two he was telling me about it at the auction in shippmen the pickers invited him to play music at their new shop in nashville

    Reply
  19. ednbetty barrera says

    December 30, 2011 at 1:15 pm

    We LOVE your show and are huge fans. If you were on 24-hours a day, my husband, Eddie, would watch it 24/7. We’ve learned alot from your show and enjoy all the different cities/towns you go to. Keep up the great job you’re doing ~ Danielle too ~ she’s awesome!!!

    Reply
  20. Adam says

    February 1, 2012 at 6:35 am

    I’m a 49 yr old aussie. I really love this show. Delighted to meet Hobo Jack. The thing that my eyes caught was the blue Mustang, has it still got the motor in it?. Oh boy, what a glorious resto that’d be! A real blessing bumping into American Pickers.

    Reply
  21. Jen says

    April 18, 2012 at 1:28 pm

    I met Hobo Jack once when I worked at Wal-Mart….I helped him to his car….It is full of old papers and stuff…He was very nice

    Reply
  22. Bob Zander says

    April 21, 2012 at 12:53 am

    I love watching American Pickers. Hobo Jack was a lot of fun. I hope they will go and pick there again. We like auctions and it would be great to see someone like Hobo Jack at an auction just to see what he buys.

    Reply
  23. Corey says

    May 13, 2012 at 1:37 am

    Anyone know Hobo Jack’s real name? I’m actually trying to help my great grandma locate her long lost brother, and he is a damn close look-alike. Chances are slim, but it would be great to get her in touch with her brother before she goes…

    Reply
    • Bill says

      October 10, 2016 at 12:42 am

      I believe his name is Jack Sophir. He came from a wealthy sophisticated family in the St. Louis area. Parents: (Industrialist & Mo. House of Rep. honoree for 50 yrs. service to Boy Scouts of America) Jack Jay Sophir & Dorothy O. Sophir (well known fine artist).

      Reply
  24. myopinion says

    May 27, 2012 at 8:56 am

    Hobo Jack’s place might be infected with rats. He does not want to sell his junk, I guess he intent to ship everything when passed away and continued being a pack rat. What a way of living….!

    Reply
  25. Earl says

    December 22, 2012 at 12:51 am

    I know Jack personally. My dad lived about a mile from him.
    Before my dad moved to the country we knew Jack since the late 70’s early 80’s and we used to go hunting and fishing on his property.
    Jack is a really nice man and it was really something to see him on Television.

    Reply
  26. olga says

    March 24, 2013 at 12:03 pm

    In the netherlands we saw hobo jack 23-3-2013
    lovely man, still a live ??
    loked so old
    wanted make a real good photo frome him
    25 mei were comming to amerika

    Reply
  27. Don says

    January 4, 2014 at 5:22 am

    I’m looking for the guy (Dave) that appraised Hobo Jacks things.Does anyone know who he is?

    Reply
  28. Shirley says

    July 14, 2019 at 1:45 pm

    About Hobo Jack, does anyone know if he’s still living? My hubby really enjoyed that episode & wed Like to know if it can be purchased somewhere?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • “Did you say ‘Youts’?”
  • Marx Marvel Tricycles
  • Here there be dragons
  • Vintage Batman Toy Collection
  • Batman Pinbacks

About Cool & Collected

This site is devoted to us crazy few who go to great lengths to acquire items for our collection. Read more.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Support this site:

If you enjoy reading articles on Cool & Collected, I would greatly appreciate you clicking on this eBay link before you do your shopping. I will get a few pennies from any purchase you make, but those pennies can add up. Thank you for your support!

Footer

Submit a Product for Review

Want to have your product(s) featured on Cool & Collected? This is how you can submit something for review.

Recent Posts

  • “Did you say ‘Youts’?”
  • Marx Marvel Tricycles
  • Here there be dragons
  • Vintage Batman Toy Collection
  • Batman Pinbacks
  • Monkeying Around
  • Current View
  • A drawer filled with Joes
  • It’s all good, man.
  • Feeling Green

Topics

  • Art and Photography
  • Books
  • Collections
  • Comic Books
  • Games
  • Other
  • Pop Culture League
  • Shows & Events
  • Toys
  • TV & Movies

Pages

  • About Cool & Collected
  • Blog
  • Contact Cool & Collected
  • Privacy Policy
  • Submit a Product for Review
  • Tips for starting (and enjoying) a collection

Copyright © 2023 Big Fish Design. All rights reserved.