In the dusty tyre tracks of the cult television hit American Pickers two homegrown larrikins will pass through Maitland this weekend looking for a little small screen magic.
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Aussie Pickers will scour the Maitland Markets as part of its roadshow looking for collectables and yarns for upcoming episodes.
“Sometimes what you think is common can turn out to be really valuable,” co-presenter and picker Lucas Callaghan said.
“I’m really looking forward to it and people who are standing behind their Australian history.”
The charm of Amercian Pickers is the characters that Mike and Frank meet on their travels.
For the unfamiliar, Mike loves his bikes, Volkswagens and old leather jackets, while Frank loves the small items like oil cans and licence plates.
Callaghan said fans should resist trying to peg him or sidekick Adam McDonald down in the same way.
“We cut our own mustard here,” he said. “Adam and I exchange places on each pick.”
The pair launched Aussie Pickers, a franchise of the original, last month on Foxtel.
Callaghan specialises in unique objects from the post-war period which he restores to their former glory to sell for profit from his shop Modern2Vintage in Paddington, Sydney.
McDonald, originally a bricklayer and hip hop MC, helped a mate working at an auction house one rainy day and became hooked.
With his diverse knowledge of collectables and passion for industrial antiques, or mantiques as he likes to call them, he has never looked backed.
What the Australian presenters share with the original series is heart.
“The items, they are just things, but the people behind them are what it’s all about,” Callaghan said.
“It’s the stories that we hear from everyday Australians that helps keep the history alive.”
The duo wants to see all kinds of old items at Maitland Showground and help people put a value on their keepsakes, whether it’s a clothes line, cutlery or coal miner’s lamp.
“Antiques and second hand items is generating a huge return at the moment,” Callaghan said.
“You never know what you’ve got in your backyard, it could be a holiday or a house deposit.”
Maitland Markets are held the first Sunday of each month from 8am to 2pm.
Aussie Pickers airs Tuesdays at 7.30pm on Foxtel.
