No one really wants to spend a whole day sifting through junk in a garage, unless you’re American Pickers Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz. These two guys have made a living finding diamonds in the rough in places that would give organizing consultants palpitations, and a recent stop at a garage in Fresno, California, yielded some very special vintage racing photos worth checking out.
Mike Wolfe Discovers Vintage Buick Racing Photos
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When Wolfe first laid eyes on Jim's garage—which originally belonged to Jim's dad—even the experienced picker had his doubts. Fortunately, the show’s creator and star left with a big smile on his face after walking away with a frame containing several early Buick racing photos.
The photos captured local automobile racing in Fresno when it was still in its infancy. According to Jim, his mom’s uncle had a Buick dealership in town and they spent time racing Buicks. He believed the photos dated all the way back to the 1910s.
As soon as Wolfe saw these original photos of early American racing, he got hooked. It’s clear he’s passionate about this kind of stuff considering his level of enthusiasm while sharing a favorite quote from legendary businessman Henry Ford: “Auto racing began five minutes after the second car was built.” But the photographs aren’t the only vintage racing collectible that interested Wolfe.
The Buick’s Missing Steering Wheel
“In those days, a race car maybe had a seatbelt,” Jim remarks in the video, emphasizing the raw state the sport was in. "Your helmet was made out of leather and that was it—there was no roll bar, there was no airbags.” The statement served as a tragic precursor to what Jim would share next, as one of the photos showed the wreckage of a vehicle.
Jim notes that the race car had belonged to his mom's uncle, who tragically passed away following the accident. He even believed that the steering wheel had survived the incident and, even more, was still lurking somewhere in the garage. That was all it took to spur Wolfe into action in search of it.
American Pickers’ Price For The Photos: $500.00
Unfortunately for Wolfe, they were unable to track down the Buick’s steering wheel, and without an idea of what kind of condition it was in before making an offer, decided he would take the photos separately and consider the steering wheel another day if it ever turned up.
In the end, Wolfe bought the entire framed set of photos for $500 from Jim, though frankly has no idea how much it’s worth. Sometimes emotions influence transactions and Wolfe clearly has a penchant for early American racing. Perhaps it’s valued at even more than what Wolfe paid for it, and that Buick's steering wheel just might turn up one day.