‘American Pickers’: Mike Wolfe & “Jersey Jon” Spend Thousands on an Italian Ice Owner’s Transportation Treasures
What to Know
- Mike Wolfe and “Jersey Jon” Szalay visit Joe, a California Italian Ice entrepreneur with an enormous collection.
- Joe’s lifelong passion is transportation-related signs and memorabilia — he has items from dozens of states and multiple storage units.
- The pickers also travel to Ohio to meet 92-year-old Navy veteran Glenn, who has a museum-like home full of rare pieces.
During the March 15 episode of American Pickers, Mike Wolfe and “Jersey Jon” Szalay made a stop in California where they met Joe — a father of 10 and grandfather of 33 who built a small Italian ice empire and amassed a staggering private collection along the way. With family members urging him to clear space as inventory encroached on warehouse areas, Joe opened his home to the pickers and revealed an obsessive, decades-long focus on transportation signs and related antiques.
Here’s what Mike and Jon found — and what they paid.
Selected buys from Joe’s collection
- Light-up Ford dealership sign (from Arizona) — $3,000 (purchased by Mike)
- Husky Hi Power sign — $2,000 (Mike)
- Salesman’s sample for fencing, possibly ~100 years old — $550 (Jon)
- Riker Electric Motor Company motor (rare, 1800s) — $6,000 (Jon)
- GMC sign — $3,000 (Mike)
They also toured Joe’s bicycle room — spotting Victor bikes, a Liberty cycle and a Pierce bike estimated at up to $15,000. Joe shared that he once purchased a 1916 Indian motorcycle from collector Dave “Huggy Beahr” Hansen for $30,000, a notable story that underscored the depth of his passion.
Glenn with Mike Wolfe (History Channel)After California, the pickers drove to Ohio to visit 92-year-old Navy veteran Glenn, who has been collecting since his teenage years. His home resembles a private museum: walls, ceilings and rooms filled with objects acquired while serving and traveling the world. Glenn’s collecting criteria are simple — if he’s never seen it before, he’ll buy it.
On this visit, Mike and Jon bought a range of pieces from Glenn’s assortment, often paying more than Glenn’s asking price out of respect for the provenance and significance of the items. Highlights included:
- Wooden “dead hangs” — $600 (Mike)
- World War I Doughboy doll — $200 (Mike)
- Winchester fishing advertisement — $110 (Jon)
- Orange Crush syrup dispenser — $1,100 (Jon)
- 22-caliber pocket gun from the 1880s — $375 (Jon)
- Fiberglass rhino head — $500 (Mike)
- Old toy car — $250; wooden owls — $210; crow decoy set in its original box — $150
Across both stops, the episode illustrated two consistent themes: the emotional value that accumulated objects carry for longtime collectors, and the pickers’ willingness to spend significant sums when rarity and story align. Joe’s enthusiasm for transportation memorabilia and Glenn’s near-century of collecting offered the show a mix of high-ticket finds, personal histories and memorable negotiating moments.
American Pickers airs Sundays at 8/7c on the History Channel.
