Did American Pickers Pay Too Much For A Pair Of Creepy Amusement Park Clowns?

Sometimes on "American Pickers," the central crew comes across a purchase that just makes sense. Usually, this takes the form of a vintage vehicle in surprisingly good condition. Mike Wolfe knows he has to get his hands on it, so he makes a deal with the seller. However, in other cases, the purchases the pickers make come across as a little more obtuse.

Of course, when in doubt, it's always best to trust in Mike Wolfe. He's been picking for a long time at this point, even before "American Pickers" made it to the air. In fact, Wolfe's fascination with antiques dates all the way back to his childhood, so when he makes a deal on an interesting item, it's best to take his word that he can make some money off it. Still, viewers probably had more than a few questions when Wolfe decided to buy a pair of amusement park clowns for a couple of thousand dollars.

Season 23's "Picking Frisco" sees Mike Wolfe and his brother encounter Brian's Warehouse in California. While there, they come across a pair of old clown figurines that originally came from an amusement park called Playland at the Beach. They were used for a game where the objective was to toss a ball into the clown's mouth to win a prize.

At first glance, a lot of people probably wouldn't pay the clowns much mind. They're old and dirty, but Wolfe sees the value in such items. He sees them as relics of a bygone era in America where you would head over to the local amusement park to go on some rides and play games. Wolfe wants both items, even though the seller initially intends to keep one, and they eventually settle for $2,000 for the pair.

That's quite a bit of money to throw down, but Wolfe must be aware there are people around who collect old circus and carnival memorabilia. You'd just have a hard time selling them to anyone with coulrophobia.