The Most Expensive Items Ever Discovered On American Pickers, Ranked

When Fritz and Wolfe visited a barn in the state of Maine, they uncovered a Harley Davidson JD frame. In case you didn’t know, sometimes these parts of a defunct bike’s skeleton are used as a way to best display antique engines. So, with that in mind, the American Pickers stars grabbed it for $100 in the end after a bit of haggling.

Given Wolfe and Fritz’s line of work, it shouldn’t be too surprising that they find rare items on their trips across the country. Take this episode as an example. After looking around a guy’s storage unit in Florida, the pair spotted a Moulton bicycle in the rafters. Apparently, these babies are incredibly scarce, so they picked it up for $200.

How about this for a bizarre find? As Fritz and Wolfe approached a fella’s barn, they noticed a giant fiberglass boot hanging from the ceiling. According to the owner, this thing was 8’ in size and tipped the scales at about 300 pounds. Wow! Anyway, the boys managed to wrangle the price down to $200 on the dot.

As any fan of American Pickers will tell you, haggling is key. Here’s an example – when Fritz and Robbie Wolfe, Mike’s sibling, visited an old train depot, they found a bench that dated back to the “early 1900s.” But there was just one problem. A lone metal divider was missing. Keeping that in mind, Robbie was able to whittle the original sum down to $240.

This is a pretty niche question, but bear with us! Are you a collector of old car dealership signs? If so, you could be sitting on a goldmine. Yes, Wolfe and Fritz uncovered a large Vespa board from the 1980s in Florida. They eventually splashed out $450 on the item, as it was still in relatively good condition.

While visiting an historic funfair in Pennsylvania, Fritz and Wolfe were shown some sideshow banners from its past. They were essentially vintage posters. Anyway, the American Pickers pair decided to hand $700 over to the owner to buy them, before offloading the set themselves for $10,000. Talk about a big win!

Vintage motorbikes can be worth a lot of money, so Fritz and Wolfe knew paying close attention might pay dividends as they looked over an old collection. In the end, the duo spotted a gorgeous Triumph 250 with a red paint-job in the lineup, dating back to 1972. The TV stars went on to buy the vehicle for a cool $800.

In the days before license plates were supplied by the Department of Motor Vehicles, drivers needed to find another way to show their numbers on the exterior. Due to that, they had to get creative. Wolfe and Fritz uncovered one such effort, which was made from leather. You’re reading that right! It cost them $1,000 to buy the unique item.

The Moto-Scoot has an intriguing history. In fact, these Illinois-manufactured vehicles’ origins date all the way back to the time of the Great Depression. Fritz and Wolfe pulled one of those dusty vehicles out of a barn during a trip to Tennessee, before engaging in a tense negotiation. Eventually, the owner settled on a price of $1,000 to sell it.

Unlike today’s toy vehicles, tether cars were extremely hazardous. Why? Well, these bad boys had real engines in them. And believe it or not, some of these old toys could reach speeds of more than 200mph! Wolfe and Fritz found an old model inside a shop, but it didn’t have its motor. Still, they weren’t deterred. Along with some additional items, the duo handed over $1,100 to buy the bundle.

While exploring a guy’s barn, Fritz and Wolfe stumbled across a modified Harley Sportster bike. This beautiful vehicle dated back to 1969, so it’s over 50 years old now. On that note, the American Pickers stars negotiated it down to a sum of $1,700, taking it off the owner’s hands.

The Last Supper is an incredibly famous painting, but you’ve probably never seen it like this before. Yep, when Wolfe and his partner were looking at some vintage circus banners, one of them bore the aforementioned image. Because it was a unique item, he was willing to pay $2,000 for it.

Nope, Fritz and Wolfe aren’t just interested in fully-functioning bikes. In this case, an engine and wheel from a vintage Indian model took their fancy. The former was built sometime in the early 1920s. So, after a bit of deliberation, the stars parted with $2,000 to get their hands on the two items.

Antique toy collections are really cool to browse, yet something else caught Wolfe’s eye on this occasion. To the side of the models, he noticed a 1950s Coca-Cola machine. It looked great, and he was willing to spend some big bucks for it. In the end, Fritz’s partner coughed up $2,000.

In one of the most bizarre episodes of American Pickers, Wolfe and Fritz were given a specific task by Star Trek legend William Shatner. He had a desire to display an old millstone in his yard, prompting the pair to get to work. Thankfully for Shatner, they soon uncovered such an item: it set them back $2,500.

Got any vintage motorbike frames lying around your property? Well don’t throw them out! They can be extremely valuable. Wolfe paid an eye-watering sum of $3,300 to buy an Indian 101 Scout frame – along with a few other bike parts – from a couple’s garage. Apparently, that vehicle is really scarce today following its creation in the 1920s and ’30s.

When American Pickers rolled up on Tim Corwin’s doorstep, the music star showed off his collection of vehicles. But one in particular caught Fritz’s attention. Yes, Corwin owned a 1965 BSA Lightning 650 motorbike with a red body. Wolfe’s partner couldn’t take his eyes off it, and eventually handed over $3,500 to nab the bad boy. The former owner signed it, too!

Wolfe and Fritz aren’t afraid to bundle items together when they’re picking, but one slip-up nearly cost them in Georgia. You see, the former spotted a 1937 Harley Knucklehead engine and bought that first. Then, he saw a frame to go with it. He had to fight for the right price, though. By the end of the negotiation, the whole set came to $4,000.

We don’t know about you, but we love movie memorabilia. It’s so cool! Fritz and Wolfe saw that first-hand once they met a lady with a collection of awesome stuff. The stand-out, though, was her set of Yoda models. These sculptures were quite the sight, created from the original pieces. Due to that, the pair dropped $6,250 on one. Great choice, that was.

While Wolfe and Fritz have certainly uncovered some fantastic stuff throughout the show’s run, this find has to be near the top. Yes, an antique Jell-O wagon kept in stunning condition in a Louisiana barn left the duo purring. We don’t blame them. The pickers eventually nabbed this gorgeous piece for $6,500.

It goes without saying that $8,000 is a lot of money, yet Fritz and Wolfe were more than willing to spend it on a certain item. They uncovered a 1931 Lionel Train model in one episode that was in a perfect state, prompting a sale. Mind you, there was a bit of controversy later on when it was found to have some modifications. That caused the boys to lose a chunk of cash.

Are you a collector of vintage Cadillac cars? Well, there’s definitely money to be made if you’re willing to sell. For instance, Wolfe and Fritz were prepared to go big for a Fleetwood model dating back to 1960. After some tense haggling in the owner’s garage, the American Pickers stars bought the vehicle for $9,500.

Away from the cars and the motorbikes, Fritz and Wolfe do show an interest in picking more esoteric items on occasion. This one was completely unexpected, though. The latter couldn’t take his eyes off a genuine elephant head in a taxidermist’s place. So he eventually coughed up $9,500 to own the piece.

Yep, Wolfe and Fritz have an eye for vintage guitars as well! This particular piece was a 1958 Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120. An amp was also thrown into the deal, so the duo splashed $9,500 for the whole set. They went on to offload it for $10,000 when Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys showed an interest.

American Pickers doesn’t just operate out of the United States. Fritz and Wolfe do go on overseas trips from time to time to locate more amazing finds. And one journey to Italy proved very successful. You see, they uncovered a Zundapp KS-750 bike – the model that Germany utilized throughout World War Two. These vehicles are incredibly hard to come by, prompting the pair to spend $10,500 to secure it.

If you’ve got an antique Harley bike gathering dust at home, listen up. There’s a very good chance that you could make a pretty penny selling it off. A couple on American Pickers did just that, as they directed Wolfe and Fritz to their bright yellow model from 1934. It even had a sidecar! The latter went on to pay $11,200 to take it off their hands.

Cyclecars are very much vehicles of the past, but Wolfe was desperate to get his hands on a particular model at a museum. It was a Henderson from 1914, boasting a pale paint-job. Once the negotiations were said and done, he coughed up $12,000 exactly to get hold of it.

In terms of appearance, hot rod trucks are some of the most interesting-looking vehicles on the road today. For Fritz and Wolfe, though, a Dodge A100 model really took their fancy at a guy’s garage. He priced it at $12,500, which seemed to delight Fritz. Yet the picker wanted to see if it’d work before shaking hands...and the thing purred like a dream.

If you’re a fan of old scooters, then you’ve surely heard of the Maico Mobil. These babies are incredibly rare, so of course Wolfe and Fritz got excited when they spotted a 1957 model. It’s got a really distinctive look with an eye-catching front. Anyway, following a bit of haggling, the boys nabbed the scooter for $12,500.

You all know the Planters mascot Mr. Peanut, right? Well, back in the 1920s the company produced nut-roasting contraptions in his image. They’re very hard to come by now, yet Fritz and Wolfe found one in Missouri. It was sitting in a local man’s store. The former eventually got the price down to $13,000 before buying it.

Wolfe and Fritz may be the stars of American Pickers, but they aren’t the only ones to spend big. For example, the man behind the National Motorbike Museum decided to buy an Indian set from a widow looking to offload it. He paid $15,000 to scoop up a beautiful bike and some additional stuff.

Bike engines on their own are very enticing to collectors. Keeping that in mind, Wolfe was quite prepared to splash some serious money on a 1936 Knucklehead motor. He had to work for it, though. After some lengthy negotiations, the picker settled on a price of $17,500. Got any of those spare at home?

When it’s all in one piece, the Harley Davidson Knucklehead is a fine piece of machinery. You can’t go wrong if you’re a bike-lover. Anyway, Wolfe was chomping at the bit to purchase a 1937 model on the show, even though it had a few modifications. The final sum reached an eye-watering $20,000.

What happens when you splice pieces of a Volkswagen to a Harley Davidson? Well, you get the Von Dutch XAVW motorbike. It was put together back in the 1960s, with Wolfe describing it as “the Holy Grail.” Unsurprisingly, Fritz’s partner wanted it after he saw the vehicle in storage, so the owner let it go for $21,000.

On a trip to South Dakota, Fritz and Wolfe stumbled across a stunning find in a couple’s old barn. Yes, the pickers spotted a 1935 Auburn convertible, which was highly coveted back in the day. You’d only see wealthy figures in that type of car at the time! On that note, they agreed to pay $26,500 to take it home.

Do you want to know how scarce the 1914 Merz Cycle Car is? Well, only two of them are around now, and Fritz found one with Dave Ohrt, who was standing in for Wolfe. The pair worked hard to drive down the asking price and it eventually paid off. By the end, the owner was ready to accept $35,000.

How about this for a bumper deal? When Fritz and Wolfe looked over a pair of Nash-Healey cars, their eyes lit up. You see, those models were exclusively made during a three-year period in the early 1950s. Plus, in this case one of them had a Cadillac motor. So, combining that with the other vehicle, the pickers coughed up a whopping $46,000 to buy them both.

In terms of age, this item has to be one of the oldest that Wolfe and Fritz have bought on American Pickers. It’s a Royal Pioneer motorcycle skeleton dating back to 1910. Wow! Apparently, only four of them were in circulation at the time, prompting the duo to splash $55,000 on it. Talk about big money.

One of the advantages that comes with owning antique motorbikes is that if you fancy selling in bulk, you could make lots of money. Don’t just take our word for it. Fritz and Wolfe dropped in on two guys living in Massachusetts, and left with five old vehicles. The haul was made up of a trio of Indians, one Harley K and a Harley-Davidson. Overall, it cost the pair $62,000.

We hope you’re sitting down for this last entry – it’s a doozy. When visiting a property in Oregon, Wolfe and Fritz spied a lot of old motorbike stuff that they wanted to buy. The list ranged from a 1920s Ace, which is very hard to come by, to a 1931 Indian frame. Altogether, this huge bundle came to $90,550. Jaw-dropping numbers, right?