How Much Did American Pickers Pay For A 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood?

If you're a history buff or a fan of antique trinkets and doodads, chances are you've heard of the "American Pickers." The reality show has been airing on History since 2010, and for most of that time, the show revolved around longtime friends Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, who became famous for hitting the road in their panel van in search of hidden treasure. Often ending up in dusty barns or fields full of rusty old cars, the Pickers' stated goal has always been to tell "the history of America, one piece at a time."

While the Pickers buy everything from antique oil containers to vintage signs and toys, they've always had a special interest in classic bicycles, motorcycles, and, sometimes, cars. One of the coolest vehicles the Pickers ever bought came in Season 23 — a 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood. 

Located in an old hog barn and wedged among dozens of other classic cars, the '59 Fleetwood-bodied Cadillac sat like a dirt-encrusted gem. The Pickers, immediately drawn to the car, asked about the price. When the owners initially asked for $12,000, Mike and his brother Robbie counter-offered $6,500. After a few minutes of back-and-forth negotiating, the Pickers and the owners decided to let fate decide with a coin flip. As the quarter flew through the air, the Cadillac's owners called heads. Heads it was, meaning the Pickers lost and paid $8,500. While slightly higher than the Pickers hoped to pay, both parties ultimately seemed pleased with the deal.

If you think $8,500 is a lot to spend on a dusty old car, wait until you hear about other things the Pickers have bought. One of the most valuable finds on American Pickers came in Season 12, when Fritz and Mike Wolfe paid $26,050 for a 1935 Auburn Phaeton 653. They spent another $1,000 just to have the car shipped to their headquarters, and another roughly $10,000 to restore it to its former glory.

That's a lot of money, but classic cars regularly sell for absurd amounts. However, the Pickers don't just drop large sums on vintage vehicles. Another pricey item the Pickers bought was an antique license plate. The Pickers found the vintage piece of automotive history — an early version of modern dealership plates Oldsmobile used in the early 20th century — in a barn in Michigan. The duo ended up paying a whopping $1,000 for the leather plate with steel numbers, and later sold it for a tidy $200 profit.

While those two items were expensive in their own ways, they can't hold a candle to something the Pickers bought in Season 9. That's when they forked over a mind-boggling $55,000 for a vintage 1910 Royal Pioneer motorcycle — one of the best motorcycles ever found on American Pickers. That's a huge amount of money. However, considering fully restored versions of the vintage bike have gone for roughly $100,000, the Pickers surely made a healthy profit on the find.