Antique show on quest to put Tahoe on TV

Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz haul their find back to their vehicle. Photo/American Pickers

By Kathryn Reed

“American Pickers” has been on TV for nearly a decade and not a single episode has featured someone from the Tahoe-Reno area. That might change.

This show that airs on the History Channel is labeled a documentary, but it’s also part reality show.

Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz scour people’s collections – most of them unrefined – to see if it might have value. They are considered pickers, and they call themselves antique archaeologists.

Wolfe says his fascination with junk started at age 4. Fritz started his own collections as a kid. Together, the friends have been traveling throughout the United States for 20 years looking for treasures.

They find the old items that no one is using and often refurbish them after buying the goods from the owner. Negotiations for the price are often done on camera.

On the show they delve a bit into the historical significance of their treasures.

It’s as though nothing is off limits. They have found motorcycles, classic cars, bicycles, one-of-a-kind memorabilia, old musical equipment, vintage clothing, military items and early firefighting equipment. Toys is one category they really like.

Producers were in the area in 2014, but to no avail. They are trying again to find someone who might have just the right something for Wolfe and Fritz to analyze. Filming is set to begin in March.

A spokeswoman for the show said there is a process for how it all unfolds, but she wouldn’t give Lake Tahoe News the specifics. She said the show is authentic and nothing is preplanned.

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Notes:

·      “American Pickers” airs Wednesdays on the History Channel.

·      To have a collection reviewed, email your name, phone number, address and description of the collection and photos to americanpickers@cineflix.com.