Assignment 2-1

There is a television series on which is called American Pickers. It is these two gentlemen, their names are Frank and Mike, from Iowa that travel around the Midwest to different towns and communities collecting what some people would call junk and they call vintage items. But in the eyes of the beholder it is a treasure. They will pick up anything from old tin signs that were used for advertisement to old bicycles that were used from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. On one episode one of the relics that they came across was an old bicycle which was called a high wheel, but this one was a unique one. It was all in one piece and you could switch the handle bars so that you were either riding over the big wheel or you were sitting above the little wheel.

Picture retrieved from Penny Farthing http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Penny+Farthing&FORM=VDRE&qpvt=Penny+Farthing# web site from the date of 10/5/10.

This is an interesting show because of some of the items that they dig up from different places. One episode they came across this guy called Hobo Jack. And he was actually a Hobo. He had some of the oddest items that I have ever seen. He had parts of motorcycles that he wanted to put back together into a motorcycle with all these different manufacturers but never did it so he sold all of the parts to Mike and Frank for $8000. And come to find out that the stuff he sold them was worth either two or three times that amount. If they are not sure if they had paid too much for an item they will call someone that knew something about it. This is a type of show that you will never get bored watching because you are always seeing new country and new different artifacts that someone thinks it is trash. But like the saying goes from trash to treasures.  

They will look at everything that looks like that it has any type of value. Mostly old vintage motorcycles, bicycles, tin signs, and old metal oil cans. But if it looks old and they want it they will dicker back and forth until they agree on a price with the land owner. They have gone as far as Georgia, Michigan, and Missouri.

It would be a dream of mine to ride with them to dig through the junk as some people would call it just to see what I can find. I go to antique shops but I don’t go to people’s door and knock and see if I can dig through old building for junk.

Reference

Farthing, P., (2010). About.com, a part of New York Times Company. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from http://bicycling.about.com/od/thebikelife/ss/History_4.htm