The “legendary” tag gets thrown around a lot on American Pickers. But this week, with a flame-throwing Locomobile and a vintage gas station brimming with forgotten treasures, the hyperbole might actually be justified. Or, at least, it’ll give Mike Wolfe another chance to exclaim, “This is picking history!”
In the dusty basement of a Connecticut car showroom, Mike and Jersey Jon Szalay stumble upon what looks like a typical “lifetime collection” — code for “packed to the rafters with dusty junk.” But amidst the usual suspects, they uncover a 1908 Locomobile, a brass-era behemoth that, shockingly, still shoots flames. One imagines this is less a selling point and more a significant insurance liability.
Meanwhile, Robbie Wolfe heads down to Georgia to haggle with a first-time picker at a preserved 1950s gas station. Will Robbie unearth any petroliana gems, or will this be another segment bogged down in price negotiations and awkward small talk?
The episode description promises a “monster” collection, always a dangerous proposition. Quantity rarely equals quality in the picking world, and one can only handle so many rusty oil cans and chipped porcelain signs before the eyes glaze over. Let’s hope “monster” translates to “surprisingly diverse” and not just “hoarder-level accumulation.”
Regardless, the 1908 Locomobile alone is worth the price of admission (which, since it’s cable, is presumably included in your monthly bill). Watching Mike Wolfe geeking out over pre-WWI engineering is always a treat, even if it’s punctuated by his usual pronouncements about the “dying art” of picking.
Tune in to History on Wednesday, December 18th at 9:00 PM for “Legendary Find.”
