A popular History Channel show is looking for collectors in the Mississippi and Louisiana area.
Fans of the show American Pickers may recognize Mike and Frank, the duo who travel the country looking for large collections of what they call “rusty gold.”
Their pursuit of valuable historic items includes antique cars, bicycles, motorcycles, posters, signs and folk art, to name a few.
Derik Boik, a producer for the show, said the team will pass through this area for two weeks sometime in January, and are looking for people willing to sell items from their personal collection. In order to be considered for the show the collector should send an email, preferably with photos of the collection, to americanpickers@cineflix.com. Alternately collectors can call 1-855-OLD-RUST.
Before the cast and crew visit a location a scout is sent to look at the collection and determine if Mike and Frank would be interested, Boik said.
The show centers on not only the collection of historic items, but also the collector. Boik said the show avoids flea markets because they are looking for a story and the chance to dig through piles of “rusty gold”.
“The heart and soul of the show is the person they are picking from,” Boik said. “In a sense that’s what Mike and Frank are doing; they’re not just picking items, they’re picking stories.”
The bigger the collection the more likely the cast will be interested. Boik said the cast could be described as modern day explorers.
“That’s what gets them out of bed in the morning, the excitement of the unknown,” Boik said.
The show would like to send a scout sometime this month, so Boik suggested contacting the show sooner rather than later.
For a full list of items the cast is looking for visit http://www.prescottenews.com/pdfs/APItemsList.pdf.