Mike Wolfe/American Pickers/Kid Picking

http://www.Kidpickers.com/

I am beyond thrilled with Mike Wolfe and this new venture to get children involved with collecting.

My mother was adamant as were many parents once upon a time to get children collecting something.

I started with TV guides and Postcards.

Tags: American Pickers,, Children, Collecting, Kids, Mike Wolfe,, Picking

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Permalink Reply by CheriShops - Admin on April 16, 2012 at 3:32pm

I love it!

I have always especially enjoyed the episodes when the guys are picking at a place where there is a young person present and how Mike does try to draw them in and get them excited about the stuff.

I read an article recently that suggested the way to make kids want to be AVC dealers was to let them think "trendy loft" and "get rich".....I didn't really feel the way that was suggested....

but Mike has my vote on the best way to get kids enthusiastic :)

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Permalink Reply by ElsiesAttic ~ CEO on April 16, 2012 at 4:22pm

I agree. I have a friend who began collecting when she was about 10 and now she has her own Brick & Mortar shop based on the things she began collecting almost 40 years ago.

It makes me wonder if we should begin a group here for Kids?

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Permalink Reply by Suzy's Timeless Treasures on April 17, 2012 at 10:26pm

Maybe a group for Kids with adult guidance/supervision/permission. My 13 year old daughter has been collecting small coin purses and other vintage purses for three years now. She started with her great-grandma's coin purse that I gave to her after she passed. She fell in love with it and a collection was born.

We went to the American Pickers weekend in LeClaire, Iowa last June and met Mike Wolfe and Danielle (extremely nice people). We also met Hippie Tom who told us about the Kid Pickers show that Mike was developing.

Cute story: there was a flea market there and my daughter went in search of coin purses as usual. She found a cool beaded one with dice in the pattern and the dealer told her that Mike Wolfe had been looking at it earlier in the day! Don't know if that was true or not, but it sure made my daughter smile. She is a natural at bartering and I believe she got $2 off the $5 asking price. It doesn't hurt that she's polite, adorable and uses her own money carried in one of her vintage purses.

I've been trying to get her to help me write a blog about her collection, maybe this summer once her school activities slow down.

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Permalink Reply by Graceful Antiques on April 18, 2012 at 9:37am

That is fabulous Suzy. Small purses do well now. Who knows what her collection will look like years from now.

When my granddaughter was about 9 she went to a sale down the street. She came back dragging a trash bag full of treasures.

They immediately said she must have my gene. I think it scared them a bit...teehee..

The Mike Wolfe has a place for parents to watch over it all.

I will keep my eye out for small beaded coin purses.

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Permalink Reply by CheriShops - Admin on April 18, 2012 at 10:27am

I started collecting as a kid as well thanks to my collector Mom :)

Figural and other unusual salt & pepper sets were my first of many collecting passions.

Both my sons seem to have the "collecting gene" too and displayed it from a very young age.

My oldest, now 25, has a remarkable stuffed toy animal collection with just about every animal & bird represented...even a duck billed platypus that was sent to him from Australia. When I moved last year, I asked him if he wanted me to sell any (as some are likely quite valuable) and was met with a resounding NO!!!! So, even tho he doesn't live at home anymore, the spare room is still wall to wall critters :)

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Permalink Reply by CheriShops - Admin on April 18, 2012 at 11:52am

lol I just re-read my post and want to confirm I meant TOY stuffed animals...my spare room is not given over to taxidermy ;)

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Permalink Reply by ElsiesAttic ~ CEO on April 18, 2012 at 12:46pm

omg.... lmao

CheriShops - Admin said:

lol I just re-read my post and want to confirm I meant TOY stuffed animals...my spare room is not given over to taxidermy ;)

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Permalink Reply by Suzy's Timeless Treasures on April 20, 2012 at 11:30am

Thank goodness you were talking about toys, Cheri, I was a bit worried for a second there LOL!

My daughter told me yesterday that she has over 200 purses which is a little scary. She's got vintage doll purses, leather coin purses, novelty coin purses, vintage mesh and beaded purses plus some contemporary ones too. She just buys what she likes if the price is right. I don't think she's paid more than $10 for anything and that's probably high, more like $8 maybe, most she gets for $1 or less and some she gets for free just because the dealers love her.

She cleared out her dresser drawers, put all her clothes in her closet, bought boxes to keep socks, underwear, etc in the closet too, just so she can store her collection in her dressers. I don't even want to go look . . .

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Permalink Reply by Granny Wickers on May 17, 2012 at 9:32pm

So how do you decide you want only one type of thing? I have been a collector all of my life. My mom took a creative writing course when I was a kid and she got an A for a story she wrote called "My son the collector". LOL. My problem is that I love EVERYTHING - from fine china and glass to scrap metal, and junk cars. When I was a kid we used to have a spring and fall clean out your basement day, and I always came home with lots of neat things. I think that those days inspired my mom's story. Right now I am collecting and reselling all kinds of stuff, but my favorite thing is stained glass windows. I have a few, want more, and hope to someday specialize in that. And NO they are not for sale!! But then again there is always that find waiting around the corner....

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Permalink Reply by Graceful Antiques on May 18, 2012 at 9:25pm

For the child expose them to the different categories. Let them see what takes their fancy so to speak.

Like Suzy's daughter she evidently knows what she wants. I have been shopping around and everytime I see a tiny purse I think of her. I wish I did know what she has and doesn't.

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Permalink Reply by Suzy's Timeless Treasures on May 20, 2012 at 9:52pm

Sandy, I don't even know what she has anymore! I told her that we need to photograph her collection and do a blog about it so that is our project for this summer. I just found her a mini Victorian expandable neck leather pouch/purse with the wristlet still attached at an estate sale--I don't know what the actual name for it is but I know she didn't have one. It is in great condition except for some marks on the pouch, she was thrilled.

Thanks for thinking of her!

Graceful Shops said:

For the child expose them to the different categories. Let them see what takes their fancy so to speak.

Like Suzy's daughter she evidently knows what she wants. I have been shopping around and everytime I see a tiny purse I think of her. I wish I did know what she has and doesn't.