The Unique Way American Pickers Scored A 1933 Ford Coupe
If "American Pickers" has proven anything over the years, it's that history is all around us, even though it may look like nothing more than junk. For now-22 seasons, the "Pickers" team has scoured the United States — save for a handful of regions — in search of treasures of all shapes and sizes. Whether it's an old rusted road sign or a motorcycle that's at least 40 years past its prime, if they see value in it, they're happy to add it to the ever-expanding inventory of the Antique Archaeology store. Of course, in doing so, they make sure to work out reasonable prices with those looking to sell beforehand.
Throughout their many antiquing adventures, "American Pickers" hosts Mike Wolfe and the recently fired Frank Fritz looked high and low for eye-catching artifacts. In doing so, they not only met people from virtually all walks of life but learned the valuable lesson that worthwhile finds can appear in the most unlikely of places. Garages, storage units, private collections, and even people's homes have housed must-have trinkets, and those are the pretty typical spots. Now and again, they make a discovery in a remarkably unusual area.
Take, for instance, the time the guys happened to stumble upon a 1933 Ford Coupe where such a vehicle rarely ever ends up.
They practically picked it from a tree
This story begins in April of 2017 when "American Pickers" was in the midst of its 17th Season on History. The episode "My Sweet Ford" saw Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz travel to central Washington with hopes of making yet another round of stellar buys. Their journey took them to a former body shop packed to the ceiling with old car and motorcycle parts dating back decades, but nothing inside caught their eye at first. That changed once they went outside and, oddly enough, took a step into the woods nearby to check out some run-down cars.
Just beyond the tree line was a dilapidated yet entirely salvageable 1933 Ford Coupe, having sat there for some time. Proof of this came in the form of a tree that had essentially grown around it, but it would take more than that to stop Mike and Frank from getting their hands on it. After inspecting it and learning that its original dashboard and grill are still around and in fair condition, they ultimately chose to buy it for $14,000. Of course, that meant they had to remove it from its arboreal resting place, which they eventually managed to do with only minimal difficulty.
As Mike Wolfe said in the episode, moments like this are the stuff of picking folklore. After all, it's not every day that you practically pluck a 1933 Ford Coupe out of a tree.