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American Pickers - Season 27 - Episode 06: Picking Giants
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00:05Annie, Annie, what's up?
00:07What's up, girl?
00:07Hey, how are my boys today?
00:10We're chilling in the great state of Kentucky, man.
00:13What do you got?
00:13All right, so I'm going to send you to meet a guy named George.
00:16The collection you're about to look at
00:18is not actually George's.
00:19It comes from Glenn.
00:21But Glenn passed away, and he loved animals so much,
00:25he left everything he owned to the Humane Society.
00:29Oh, wow.
00:31That's cool.
00:32That's super cool.
00:33That's amazing.
00:33That is awesome.
00:34He was into heavy hitter cars, Pierce Arrow,
00:37Bentleys, Stanley Steamers.
00:40Oh, this is going to be my kind of pick.
00:42Ah!
00:43Jersey has dreamed about owning a steam-powered vehicle forever.
00:48He's composed songs, written sonnets.
00:51There's even rumor that Jersey has a steam-powered tattoo
00:54that no one's ever seen.
00:56It's a steam train, man.
00:58Unbelievable.
00:59This was the ultimate in technology, steam.
01:01Check out.
01:01This is a little Whedon steam engine.
01:03I just...
01:03Is that a toy jersey?
01:04It's a toy.
01:04It's a steamer.
01:05Yeah, it's a little steam toy.
01:06I still love these things.
01:08I like steam cars, too.
01:09You don't even know what you're looking at, dude.
01:12I know.
01:12I've driven a steam car, dude.
01:14Have you ever driven one?
01:15No.
01:15I haven't either, as I said.
01:17Ah!
01:18So they're thinking of doing an auction,
01:20but he actually called me.
01:21We've been talking way before that.
01:22So if you guys can give them numbers that they're happy with,
01:25I think you can buy something.
01:27All right.
01:27We'll let you know how it goes.
01:28Send us the address.
01:29All right, guys.
01:30Thanks, Danny.
01:31We'll see you soon.
01:32Bye.
01:39My dog, Francie, is my ride or die.
01:42I didn't even get Francie until she was six.
01:45And since then, we have logged thousands of miles together.
01:49I really believe that animals come into your life when you need them most.
01:54I mean, they love you unconditionally.
01:56They're only with us for a short time, but they stay with you forever.
02:01Look at this little dog.
02:02Look at this little guy.
02:03Oh, he's adorable.
02:07Hey.
02:08Hey.
02:09How are you?
02:10Can I pet that dog?
02:12George.
02:12That's a jersey.
02:13That's Pepper.
02:14That's Pepper?
02:14How are you?
02:15I'm John.
02:15Good to meet you, John.
02:16That's a good-looking dog.
02:17There we go.
02:18Pepper's on point.
02:19Cars.
02:20Cars.
02:21Old stuff.
02:22This was all left to the Humane Society.
02:24That's what Danny was telling us.
02:25Yeah, so Danny was saying it's cool.
02:26President, so we're...
02:27How long have you been the president?
02:28For about a year.
02:30No kidding?
02:30Yeah.
02:31We first met Glenn, I think, about five years ago.
02:34He came into the shelter one day.
02:35He brought one of his dogs, Grom, which he took a lot of places.
02:39We found out later.
02:40He liked the way we operated, the way we did things.
02:43And he just, he chose us to, you know, leave his estate to.
02:48One of the deals was, he had seven dogs, American Samoyeds.
02:52They're quite fluffy, arctic dogs.
02:54Yeah.
02:54Beautiful dogs.
02:55Yeah, they are gorgeous dogs.
02:56So that was part of the deal, that we make sure his dogs were...
02:59So you found all his dogs home?
03:01We did.
03:01Okay, great.
03:02And two of our board members adopted.
03:04Oh.
03:04Well, three of them.
03:05So how long ago did he pass?
03:07In December.
03:07Okay.
03:08So this is, we're standing in the middle of his hard work that is gonna have a huge ripple
03:13effect.
03:14Absolutely.
03:15It's obvious that Glenn loved his four-legged babies very, very much.
03:19Everything that he achieved, everything that he ever owned, is going to the Humane Society.
03:25So many families' lives will be changed forever because of Glenn's selfless act.
03:31I'm actually an auctioneer.
03:32Oh, you are?
03:33Yeah, yeah.
03:34Have you ever auctioned off cars like this?
03:36Not like this.
03:38I mean, we've sold cars plenty of times.
03:40Yeah.
03:40We've sold some antique cars.
03:41Yeah.
03:42You know, and some tractors.
03:43But it's usually not a collection.
03:45Yeah.
03:46That we get.
03:47Interesting.
03:47To clear the estate with all the assets here, we'll probably have three separate and unique
03:54auctions.
03:55And the first will be just the automobiles.
03:57There's obviously enough here.
03:59He was interested in a lot of different types of cars because I walk in here, I'm leaning
04:02on a Miata.
04:04Yeah.
04:04You got an Oakland over here.
04:05I'm looking at a Pierce.
04:07There's a Stanley steamer, if you know what that is.
04:09Yeah.
04:10That's pretty cool.
04:10He has a steam car here.
04:12He's a steam guy.
04:13I love steam stuff, man.
04:14Yeah.
04:15Can we see that?
04:15Yeah, let's go over there.
04:17Do I know what a Stanley steamer is?
04:19Of course I do.
04:19I've only been looking for one since I was 12.
04:27Look at this place.
04:31Rob.
04:32Hey, Mark.
04:32I just passed Dinosaur Kingdom 2.
04:35I should be there in about five minutes.
04:37Okay, well, great.
04:38Well, look, I'm about a mile and a half on the left.
04:40I'll see you soon.
04:41All right, buddy.
04:42Appreciate it.
04:43Today, I'm heading over to see my buddy, Mark.
04:45Mark is an extremely talented artist that specializes in repairing and fabricating advertising
04:50giants of the 60s and 70s.
04:54Freaking look at that.
04:55Look at that giant.
04:58What's up, Mark?
04:59Bobby.
05:00How you doing, buddy?
05:01Good to see you.
05:02How's the trip?
05:03Dude, crazy.
05:04What is going on here?
05:05Look at this place.
05:06This is nuts.
05:06Look at this.
05:07This guy right here, this is the tallest giant I've ever built.
05:11This is going to Route 66.
05:12Really?
05:13See how he's doing this?
05:14He's going to be holding the world's largest Route 66 sign.
05:18Everything about these statues creates joy.
05:21Back in the 60s, when I was a little boy, I remember standing beside one of these giants.
05:26It was a giant pirate.
05:28It was a family photo, and I'm standing there.
05:30The day was, it was a rainy day.
05:32I remember standing, looking at this giant black boot.
05:35I connected.
05:36I knew that there was some kind of a future.
05:39See, he's 29 feet tall.
05:41Dude, he's huge.
05:42Oh, yeah, he's big.
05:43We've got at least a dozen giants that are here on the property,
05:46some that are being manufactured, and some are being brought in through just so I can refurbish them
05:50and send them back out there.
05:51I mean, some of these are over 50 years old.
05:53Yeah.
05:54But yeah, they come to me, and I give them new life or make new characters out of them.
05:58To understand how these giants came to be, you have to go back all the way to the beginning,
06:02to a man named Bob Pruitt.
06:04Around 1962, Bob Pruitt got a phone call from a guy in Sacramento, California, for a 20-foot-tall Paul
06:11Bunyan.
06:12But the guy refused to pay the bill.
06:14So Bob was stuck with this 20-foot-tall giant.
06:17He loaded this thing up, and he headed east.
06:20Where'd he end up?
06:21The Lumberjack Cafe in Flagstaff, Arizona.
06:23Not long after that, Bob sold his company to International Fiberglass.
06:28These guys started producing the Phillips 66, the Texaco guy, the Big Friendly.
06:33Everybody knew him.
06:35They called it the invasion of the giants.
06:38The problem with these giants were wind storms would come in, knock them over.
06:42These things became such a hazard that they started taking them down and crushing them.
06:47Now there's less than a few hundred of these original giants still standing.
06:51This one, do you recognize this one?
06:53Yeah, this is the cowboy.
06:55This one was part of the famous Goode collection down in Texas.
06:58Oh, this came out of that collection?
06:59Yes.
07:00And this one, they were sent up to me for refurbish.
07:02He's here in pieces.
07:03We've got his waist here, his arm came off individually, and then we have his hands.
07:09Which, by the way, the guy that's purchasing this, he's not interested in the hands.
07:13So I've got to make up a whole new set of hands for him.
07:15So these hands are available if you're interested in those.
07:18And there are a lot of people that would buy these just for that factor.
07:22Because they want a piece of the history.
07:24They want a piece of the history.
07:25Yes.
07:26To me, I'm like, I'd rather buy a whole giant, but what kind of money are the hands?
07:31I can make a good deal on the hands, $250 each.
07:35$500 bucks for a set of hands?
07:37People would pay probably double for this, easily.
07:40I love the story that's with these hands.
07:42This is famous.
07:44And if I can retell that story, that's where the value of the hands come in.
07:47If I remember correctly, so the cowboy actually held a gun.
07:50I'm not sure what he held.
07:51But I do have...
07:53Yeah?
07:56Paul Bunyan's axe.
07:57The axe.
07:59So, my question is, how much is the axe?
08:02See, I could put that, and now it makes sense to me if I buy the hands, then I could
08:07put the axe in the hands.
08:09Okay.
08:09Finished, it's $1,500.
08:11I'm here now.
08:12I don't want to wait for Mark to paint this and come back in three months.
08:14I can get the paint work done.
08:16What's the best on the hands and the axe?
08:20This is $1,500 finished.
08:22It just needs a paint job.
08:24$1,300 unfinished.
08:26You going to buy this from me today?
08:28Depends on the price.
08:30$1,600 for the hands and the axe.
08:33And the axe.
08:34The axe would be great for several other projects.
08:36Oh, that's what I mean.
08:37Do you have a tree in your yard that's got maybe the lightning hit it, and you could, like, stick
08:41it down and make it look like it's splitting it?
08:43Dude, your creativity is, like, through the roof.
08:47I'm like, what is going on here?
08:47I'm trying to sell you something here.
08:49I'm trying to put this in your head.
08:50Everything out here is all about the imagination and what you can do with it and where you can take
08:54it.
08:55$1,600.
08:57Done.
08:57Got a deal.
08:58Okay.
08:58Awesome.
09:01Ah, there it is right there.
09:03Oh, there's the steamer, huh?
09:04That's the steamer.
09:05Damn.
09:05Nice.
09:06Wow.
09:07Look at the diameter of the wheels on these things, man.
09:10They are crazy.
09:11They're monsters.
09:11Yeah.
09:12This thing's got a lot of weight.
09:13This thing probably weighs, like, 6,000 pounds.
09:15Wow.
09:15Oh, my gosh.
09:16I mean, I've been a fan of steam engines for a long time, and it's always been a fantasy of
09:21mine to own a steam car.
09:24So, it looks, it's a later model one.
09:26Yeah.
09:261917.
09:281917.
09:28Okay.
09:29Stanley Steamer made several different models.
09:32I mean, the early ones are the really rare ones, but they're very expensive.
09:36This is a later Stanley.
09:38I mean, this is 1917.
09:39It's a five-passenger touring car.
09:42The stars never aligned for me to buy a Stanley Steamer.
09:45It's crazy to think about the run that they had, too, because from, like, 02 to 24, they were making
09:51steam-powered cars.
09:52Yeah.
09:53Some of the fastest cars were steam-powered.
09:54Yeah, yeah.
09:55I mean, some of the world records back then were set with steam cars.
09:58Remember the tea kettle in Ormond Beach, man?
09:59Oh, my gosh, yeah.
10:00In the 1800s, steam power was setting insane world records, like the first steam locomotive hitting 30 miles an hour
10:08in the 1830s, or steamships crossing the Atlantic in record time.
10:14In 1906, a steam car hit 127 miles an hour at Ormond Beach, Florida, which is a record that wasn't
10:23broken until 2009, 103 years later.
10:41The problem with Stanley Steamer was that they made these cars up until, like, 24 or something like that.
10:47Yeah.
10:47They never got into the internal combustion engine.
10:50They were just, like—
10:50They were putting all their money on steam.
10:52Yeah, I think they thought that steam was going to just carry them through.
10:56Yeah.
10:56They should have gone electric, right?
10:58Well, I mean—
10:59Or at least gas-powered.
11:01Electric cars didn't make it back then either.
11:02Yeah.
11:03I mean, they had a dead end.
11:04I mean, technology could only go so far.
11:06Yeah.
11:06But still, it's such a unique car.
11:08Oh, look at this, Jersey.
11:09Because it's steam-powered.
11:10Jersey, look.
11:11Somebody converted this to propane.
11:13Oh, yeah.
11:13But Stanley Steamer, yes, is propelled by steam, but you have to heat the water.
11:18Some smart dude came up with the idea, okay, let's get rid of the pressurized gas tanks.
11:23With a little conversion, the propane tank does the same thing, and that's much safer.
11:29That was the fuel system.
11:30That was the fuel for the fire.
11:31Yeah.
11:31And there was actually a pump pan.
11:33Yeah, you had to pressurize it.
11:34Imagine having a pressurized tank of gasoline in the back here, and this is like firing a
11:38big boiler in the front.
11:39Fun stuff.
11:39I mean, this is like a grenade on wheels.
11:43You know?
11:44This thing is crazy if you don't know what you're doing.
11:46And that's what people love about them.
11:47And that's what's cool about it.
11:48That's what excites me about them.
11:50Steam power was always dangerous, but it was especially dangerous when it came to the
11:54automobile, because the average person wasn't an engineer or a mechanic.
11:59So there were accidents, and some were deadly.
12:02So once the internal combustion engine came out, it was more practical.
12:07It was easier to operate and a lot safer.
12:10And because of that, it appealed to the masses.
12:13So think about it, Mike.
12:14I mean, we're in the thick of World War I when this car was made.
12:16It's amazing that it's even here.
12:18Well, what's incredible about it is the amount of cost during that time period, you know,
12:23too.
12:23This is the epitome of a luxury car in 1917.
12:27I mean, you could buy a Model T for $250.
12:29This car was $2,500.
12:31You know, the cost of a car like this was, like, incredible.
12:35Is that burned?
12:35That's what I'm thinking.
12:36I mean, yeah, this looks like there was a fire in here.
12:39Yeah, this is charred.
12:40This is all charred in here.
12:40Look at this.
12:41This is all charred from a fire from the rear, from the fuel source in the rear.
12:44Probably the fuel source car.
12:45Yeah, look right here.
12:46It's burned.
12:47Imagine you're driving down the road, and you've got a fire behind you.
12:49Like, you're trying to go faster to put it out.
12:51That might have been.
12:52Well, I always park.
12:59This is nuts.
13:01Wow.
13:02So you've got dinosaurs.
13:03There's Christmas.
13:04I've got a dinosaur here, a pterodactyl here.
13:06This guy.
13:07I'm looking at this one right here.
13:08I'm like, what the heck?
13:09So you built this for a project coming up?
13:12Right.
13:12Well, this was built for a project, and then the project was scrapped, so I set it aside.
13:16So it's going to, at some point, find new life.
13:19Nothing here goes to waste, or nothing here.
13:21This is not like a graveyard for these fiberglass figures.
13:24We've got molds of some of these characters.
13:26Up there, you'll see in the corner, molds of some of the Muffler Men series.
13:30There are other guys in the country doing what Mark's doing, but when you look at what Mark's
13:35quality of his work and his craftsmanship, you know that he's an artist, not just a fiberglass
13:40guy.
13:41I mean, this would be one I might be interested in, just because of who it is.
13:44Well, he has a whole body that goes to him.
13:46Oh.
13:47Like I said, I have people just sometimes just interested in the heads.
13:50Oh, yeah.
13:51So this one's an unfinished piece, and we originally were going to make this descend
13:55to a guy out north, but we manufacture these here.
13:59So, I mean, if you're interested in an unfinished piece, certainly this could be for sale.
14:03The Native American head is a rare piece, and I just feel that the more of those that
14:09go out there, the more stories that they'll be able to tell.
14:12And, I mean, I can always make another one, and I will make another one.
14:15This was brought to me as an original piece that was around in the 60s.
14:19Yep.
14:19I made a brand new mold off of it.
14:22Okay.
14:22And then I was able to make duplicates.
14:24Okay.
14:25So this is what this is.
14:26People bring Mark these giants, and he has the ability to make the mold off of them.
14:31Now, he has that mold.
14:34That's as close to an original as you're going to get.
14:37It came off an original giant.
14:39What are you thinking?
14:40What are you thinking?
14:42What's he going for?
14:43I sell a finished piece for $2,800.
14:46Right out of the mold, if you want to do the work yourself, I'd say $1,800.
14:56I'm interested in this, but I did see one thing that I got to ask about.
15:00What's up with the ghost?
15:01The ghost?
15:02Bring them on over.
15:04Yeah, here we go.
15:04All right.
15:05Who are you going to call?
15:06Is that what this was for?
15:08No.
15:08I owned a ghost tour, and we had this up on a building at some point, on a billboard.
15:12I take people through the streets of Lexington, Virginia, which is a Victorian town, and tell ghost stories.
15:18I've been doing it for 28 years.
15:19And this was just hanging on a building down there?
15:20This was hanging on a billboard that we had when we advertised it, yeah.
15:24But I can make just about anything out of this fiberglass.
15:26I mean, I know how to dance with it.
15:28Look at this.
15:29How about that?
15:31Do you still have the mold to make this?
15:34I think if I have the mold for it, I'd be interested in selling it.
15:38If not, I'd like to keep it for sale.
15:39Then you had to make a mold for it.
15:40Yeah.
15:40So if I don't have the mold, he's not for sale.
15:42But in fact, we can look in my boneyard and see if we can find the mold for it.
15:47I would typically sell this for about $800.
15:50I'm interested in it.
15:51So if we need to go dig around and find the mold, that's fine.
15:56Him and I both love the routes of transportation.
15:59So it's like when you said you had a Stanley steamer.
16:01I'm like, oh, that's cool.
16:02And I've seen some really early ones.
16:04Yeah.
16:04The last time I was in front of a Stanley steamer that was possibly for sale
16:08was six or seven years ago.
16:11The guy had three of them in different states of repair.
16:14And, you know, we couldn't get it done back then.
16:16We couldn't buy the cars.
16:18Some of the early motorcycle manufacturers were trying to consider steam.
16:21There was a gentleman by the name of Roper.
16:23Yeah.
16:24They made a steam powered bicycle at the turn of the century.
16:27He took a Columbia bicycle and put a steam engine in it.
16:29And rode it around the Charles River track.
16:30Yeah.
16:30And had a heart attack and passed out.
16:32He was like 70 years old.
16:33He was running it.
16:34He ran out of steam.
16:35Yeah, there you go.
16:37And he ran out of steam.
16:39Imagine building your steam cycle.
16:42There's thousands of people there.
16:43You're pacing cyclists.
16:45And you decide to go for an extra lap.
16:49And that was the last extra lap of his life.
16:52His contribution to early motorcycle history is legendary.
16:57I love the burner.
16:58Like how this goes, dad just down under the car.
17:00Look at that.
17:00Yeah, that's the exhaust for the burner.
17:02Yeah, yeah, I know.
17:03I just love that it just scoops down there.
17:04When you look down here, it's like looking inside of a locomotive steam chest.
17:07So it's not just a steam powered vehicle I'm excited about.
17:10I mean, it's the history of steam.
17:11The fact that we were able to harness boiling water and make power out of it.
17:17Civilization got away from an agricultural based society and went into the industrial age.
17:24And steam was the power behind it.
17:27Oh, yeah.
17:28Look at this.
17:28I got the open wind in my face.
17:30Oh, yeah.
17:31Here we go.
17:32Got your rear view mirror.
17:33I mean, this thing was moving.
17:35This car could do some serious power.
17:37No, it wasn't moving.
17:38It was percolating.
17:39Yeah, like a steam pot.
17:42Like a steam kettle.
17:43I mean, I'm looking down into the tubes.
17:45That's where the pressure is being made in this boiler.
17:47It doesn't look rotten.
17:48It looks really in great shape.
17:50You know, it's mind blowing when you see these things restored and running.
17:53We go to the Hershey car show and there's steam guys running around in beautiful old Stanley steamers.
17:58And it stops you in your tracks.
18:00It gathers a crowd.
18:01People are fascinated to see them because they're so unique.
18:04I mean, I know this is going to humane society and I really love that.
18:08But if you got the number that you wanted to would be happy with, would you consider selling it today?
18:15Yeah, we'll talk.
18:16It's a beautiful car.
18:17It's cool.
18:18But it's also a dangerous car.
18:19Glenn was very specific to the Stanley steamer on how dangerous steam was.
18:25Jersey's expertise being on steam, you know, he was the obvious choice for someone who would be a good steward
18:33of this car.
18:34Dick Chappie, he's the guy.
18:35He's been a friend of ours for a very long time.
18:38This is his world.
18:39He knows this stuff inside and out.
18:41Dick Chappie restores cars from, you know, the turn of the century all the way up into the 50s.
18:46He's been a friend for a very long time.
18:48So let me send some pictures to him.
18:51Sure.
18:51He's going to establish a value of what this car is actually worth.
18:55He'll dial us in like where we need to be to make the right decision here to be fair to
19:00the cats and dogs.
19:01Yeah.
19:02And I think, you know, that's what it's all about.
19:04That's why we're here.
19:08Are all these projects that are sold already?
19:11No, some of them are new.
19:12This was going to be a giant.
19:15This is a 14 footer.
19:16Right.
19:17Yeah.
19:17This one is going to go to Texas.
19:18Okay.
19:19So she's going to be.
19:20Yeah.
19:21Yeah.
19:21She's going to be a cowgirl.
19:23People with these roadside attractions always needed something that was going to draw people in.
19:28Who doesn't love a giant?
19:29They were very popular for a while.
19:31What happened though is times changed.
19:33People's tastes changed and their vacationing changed.
19:37Then they weren't going out as much to these roadside attractions.
19:41So these figures, they survived for a little while, but then they ended up being thrown in the backyard or
19:47out in the woods and they were forgotten.
19:49What is that?
19:51Part of a hot dog sculpture I made.
19:54Oh, there it is.
19:56There it is.
19:56There it is.
20:01There it is.
20:03And remember, it's always hard to spot a ghost.
20:08Okay.
20:09I like that.
20:10And we didn't even have to do a seance.
20:11I know.
20:14All right.
20:14So now you found the mold.
20:16The ghost is 800.
20:17Right, right.
20:18You're at 1800 on the Native American.
20:232600 for the pair.
20:25Does that sound like a fair deal?
20:26The fact that the ghost mold is here is in my favor.
20:30Because now I can bundle two things together.
20:33I think that Mark wants to let this thing go.
20:35Because he did dig deep to find that ghost thing.
20:392350 for the pair.
20:4325.
20:46We'll just split it.
20:47Keep it at 24.
20:50Well, let me get over to you.
20:54While you're there, pull me across.
21:00All right.
21:04You got the vet over here.
21:05Look at that thing's got the 454 in it, Jersey.
21:07Ah, cool.
21:08I can see Glenn driving this.
21:10Four speed.
21:11Do you think he was going to convert this to steam?
21:15That'd be cool, wouldn't it?
21:17Jersey's face.
21:18What?
21:191970 Corvette.
21:21They had this body style from 1968 to 1982.
21:25Period correct slotted aluminum wheels.
21:28454, 390 horsepower, four speed, power windows.
21:33This thing is sick.
21:34This would be a good car if you guys are thinking about an auction.
21:38I mean, this would bring some people into it.
21:40But, you know, I mean, as far as, like, a different type of crowd.
21:43Because, obviously, the Franklin and the Stanley Steamer, those are...
21:47Specialized.
21:48Oh, absolutely.
21:48Highly specialized cars.
21:49And it's going to be an older crowd that's going to want those touring cars, you know.
21:52You said you're an auctioneer and you guys are thinking about going that route.
21:54It's like, it's just going to be a completely different person that's interested in this.
21:58Absolutely.
21:59Yeah.
21:59If this car was running down the road, beautiful restoration, numbers matching, it's a $60,000
22:05to $70,000 car.
22:06But you have just about that much in the restoration to get it to that value.
22:11I'm just spouting off a few things to George just because I want him to be educated in regards to,
22:17you know, what he's got here.
22:18If this is going to be in the auction for the Humane Society, I want George to have his guns
22:22loaded in regards to exactly what this car is and the specifics of it.
22:27Because all of those details add up to more money when it comes to the auction.
22:36These are pieces from various projects or parks that I did.
22:41Here, let me ask you, is this thing for sale?
22:44Oh, yeah.
22:44I mean, I kind of like...
22:45Yeah.
22:46You know, to me, it looks like I'm gremlin.
22:48Well, this...
22:49You could hang him up.
22:49This is a sentimental piece.
22:51When I had my studio open back in the 90s.
22:53Yeah.
22:54And I had a big windmill.
22:55Okay.
22:56And he was hanging on the windmill.
22:57And just like you got your butt kicked on the bike.
22:59Yeah.
23:00The windmill was coming around kicking him in the butt because a giant was holding him over the feet.
23:05Oh, wow.
23:05There were feet on the end of the windmill.
23:07So it was kicking him in the butt.
23:08We got a lot of butt kicking around here.
23:10Dang.
23:11I like this one and this one right here.
23:12Like this guy.
23:13I mean, look at this guy's face.
23:15Yeah.
23:16And these are...
23:16Half his head's blown off.
23:18These are...
23:18These are sentimental pieces to me.
23:20This was in my original park when I first opened in the early 80s.
23:25Yeah.
23:26He was here.
23:26I understand that Mark's a little leery about selling a couple things.
23:30But these two dudes, they're laying outside in the rain.
23:33They look like they've been there 100 years.
23:35500 for the pair, Mark.
23:37500 for the pair.
23:38You're asking me to sell out my old friends?
23:41I like the way they look.
23:42You have more projects in this place than you're ever going to get to.
23:45You're not going to rebuild these.
23:47300 a piece.
23:50I mean...
23:52I'm doing it.
23:53They...
23:54Okay.
23:54They're cool.
23:59So, he must have been collecting stuff like this because he had the car.
24:03Or maybe...
24:04Who knows?
24:05Maybe they came with the car.
24:06These are the same engines that are in that Stanley steamer.
24:08This is what drives the rear wheels.
24:10This one here's got a lot more going on here.
24:13Got the jacket on it.
24:14Which is cool.
24:15Just like an insulating jacket.
24:16Yeah.
24:16They've been sitting outside for a long time.
24:18This is the same exact thing that Jersey and I would do.
24:21If we have a rare motorcycle and we're coming across parts that would fit on that bike,
24:26we're going to acquire them.
24:27You know?
24:27We're going to gather them up because you never know what you're going to need.
24:31They're double action.
24:32It goes pressure this way and pressure that way.
24:35It's got some bronze pieces on it which are really cool.
24:37Which...
24:37This one's got stripped off.
24:39This one's stripped down pretty good.
24:40You see, Mike...
24:41Yeah.
24:41Oh, yeah.
24:41This one's got...
24:43Pretty...
24:43Almost complete.
24:44I mean, we'll see them once in a while at their swab meets.
24:47And when they're in really nice condition where they're like almost ready to run,
24:51they're like $2,500, $3,000.
24:53This is not the case here.
24:55These things are in really poor condition.
24:57They're froze up.
24:58Hey.
24:59Hey, here's Carrie, our executive director.
25:01Hey.
25:01Hi, guys.
25:02How are you?
25:03How are you doing?
25:03Awesome. How are you doing?
25:04Hey, thanks for having us.
25:05Absolutely.
25:05It's a pleasure.
25:06Nice to meet you.
25:07I'm Carrie.
25:08The Humane Society in Danville primarily works with keeping pets in their home.
25:14The goal is to keep them out of the shelter.
25:15Glenn came in with a couple of his Samoyeds.
25:18We got to know him.
25:19And he trusted us.
25:21And after we developed the relationship, he realized that we could take care of his beloved animals should he pass.
25:28You guys said that you had a relationship with him over five years prior to the donation.
25:32Did he share with you anything about any of the cars that was specific?
25:36Well, I think he knew that I wouldn't understand any of it.
25:38Okay.
25:39So we kept it kind of, you know, on the surface.
25:42But he was certainly really technically minded.
25:44100%.
25:44When he introduces himself to anybody new, he starts out with, um, I'm autistic.
25:50And you need to tell me if I'm talking too much because I won't read your cues.
25:54Okay.
25:54Which is really one of the most fascinating things about him that he would just put that out there.
25:59He was autistic?
25:59Seriously?
26:00Wow.
26:00On the spectrum.
26:01Yeah.
26:02It may have been asked for him.
26:03Highly functional, obviously.
26:04Oh, yes.
26:05But he was diagnosed with autism.
26:07Correct.
26:07So that's his fascination with all the mechanical things.
26:10Yeah.
26:11And music.
26:12He was very musical, too.
26:13Really?
26:14Again, from here to here, you know.
26:17But how sweet is it for him to want to make anyone feel comfortable and just say, hey,
26:23if I'm talking too much or if I'm doing this, let me know.
26:25That's very sweet.
26:26Very sweet.
26:27Glenn's donation was very different than anything we've encountered before.
26:30And, you know, it was an incredible gift.
26:33But it kind of puts us in a weird situation because we handle animals, right?
26:37We take care of animals, take care of our community.
26:40I personally have never been in a situation where we would have to auction off all these
26:45fabulous things.
26:46We have interest in these extra engines here.
26:48We're looking at them more like, you know, shop decoration.
26:51Yeah.
26:51That's what I think is going to happen here.
26:53Somebody might need a part of a Stanley steam engine like this.
26:56Who knows in the future?
26:57That's why it's nice to have an inventory like this on the shelf.
26:59But it's also cool just to have, like, I love to have, I have a ground steam engine
27:03in my shop just sitting there.
27:04It's from, you know, around 1910.
27:06I just love looking at it.
27:07Yeah.
27:07I love looking at these.
27:09The mechanical, it's like a piece of mechanical art.
27:11And if it's really a nice greasy motor that's running, like you can push it back and forth,
27:15they would sell for like $2,500, maybe $3,000.
27:17You would see them that much.
27:19Okay.
27:19But that's not the case here.
27:20Well, I'm thinking like 500 bucks a piece.
27:24What do you say, George?
27:25Up it a little?
27:26What about 12?
27:29Yeah.
27:29He's a man.
27:30I'll do $1,200.
27:30Sure.
27:31For dogs and cats?
27:32Excellent.
27:32Excellent.
27:33Thank you so much.
27:34And thanks for sharing stories about Glenn with us.
27:37Yeah, thank you so much.
27:37That means a lot.
27:38Because we've been walking around and we, you can get to know someone through their collection.
27:42Yeah.
27:43But this is such a unique experience for us.
27:47I mean, it really touches my heart.
27:49Mm-hmm.
27:49Not just because I'm an animal person, but just like, just how selfless this is.
27:54Yeah, absolutely.
27:54You know, just like.
27:55He understood, I think, he understood the ripple effect.
27:59And that's what we all want.
28:00100%.
28:01You know what I mean?
28:01I mean, they're like one life, this touching so many others.
28:05So that's cool.
28:06Well, I'm glad y'all appreciate it.
28:07Yeah.
28:07Because it's a pretty big deal and we really care about Glenn, so.
28:13This is where we actually build the stuff.
28:15This is where we do all the fiberglass work.
28:17This is where we get nasty, dirty, filthy, and have a ball while we're doing it.
28:21I can smell it.
28:22Oh yeah, the fumes.
28:23Oh yeah.
28:23This is a piece of the actual fiberglass.
28:25And what we do is we mix up resin with hardener to it and then lay it in here.
28:30Okay.
28:30So once this hardens, we can demold it.
28:33Yeah.
28:33And after it demolds, it'll take whatever shape.
28:37So these guys are making a gas pump top.
28:40And this, once it hardens and it pops out of the mold, this is how big it will be.
28:43Okay.
28:44So this gas pump is going to be how big?
28:47Um, over 20 feet.
28:4920 foot tall.
28:50Yes.
28:51So, you know those antique gas pumps with the globes on top?
28:54Yeah, with the globes on top.
28:54Right, right.
28:55So this is going to be the rounded.
28:57That's the top piece.
28:58Yeah, the top.
28:58And then the globe goes here.
28:59And this is going where?
29:01Oh, he's going with the giant that's out front.
29:04The big guy right there.
29:04Yes, yes.
29:05And he is going to be standing underneath that Route 66 sign and he'll have both these giant
29:10pumps flanking him.
29:12These giants have gotten so crazy.
29:14I've seen them sell from anywhere from $20,000 all the way to $100,000.
29:18But this year, the Gemini giant hit $348,000.
29:23It's the only one ever built.
29:24He's a gigantic 22, 23 foot tall spaceman.
29:29You're talking about the 60s.
29:30What were we trying to do?
29:31Get to space.
29:32And it's still standing in its original town today.
29:35When they first came out with these UniRoyal gals.
29:38And it was for the UniRoyal Corporation, of course.
29:41But they made them with the bikinis.
29:42And then some purists, I guess, they started complaining.
29:45So they started making the dresses that snap over top.
29:48Okay.
29:48Hey guys, bring the dress in.
29:52I can snap this on right now and just show you what it looks like.
29:54Okay.
29:59I'm going to paint her name.
30:00On it right here.
30:01I don't know what it is yet.
30:02Yeah.
30:02Paint her name across there.
30:03And then hand her a...
30:05Oh, and then she has her notebook.
30:06She has a little notebook right there.
30:08That's right there.
30:08Goes right in there.
30:09So what are you putting in the hand?
30:10Oh, you'll love this.
30:12This is a...
30:12We're putting this pie.
30:14Gigantic apple pie.
30:15Yes.
30:16The UniRoyal gal was the brand, basically, for UniRoyal Tire Company.
30:20They came, they commissioned International Fiberglass to build these UniRoyal ladies.
30:24There's still a lot of these UniRoyal gals around the United States that are standing
30:28in front of tire stores everywhere.
30:30We have one in Peoria, Illinois, that's world famous.
30:33That's what I'm talking about when you brand.
30:35Everybody knows where that store is.
30:36They're like, I know where that is because there's a UniRoyal gal standing in front of
30:40it.
30:40Yeah, most of this is spoken for.
30:42I do have some other things in my other warehouse you might be interested in.
30:45All right.
30:50Hey, Nick.
30:51It's John.
30:51Hey, John.
30:52How are you?
30:54Yes, I did.
30:55What do you think, buddy?
30:56It's a nice Stanley.
30:57I mean, it's cool.
30:58Dick, what are you doing, man?
30:59How you doing, Mike?
31:00What do you think of this car?
31:02It's got some issues, but it is a Stanley.
31:04Dick Chappie is a legend in the classic car world.
31:07He specializes in pre-1916 cars.
31:10He's someone that we have always called when we get into stuff from this time period.
31:15I can see from the photos in the rear.
31:18It seems like it was an issue with a fire.
31:20It seems kind of charred in the back.
31:22Yeah.
31:22I mean, that was from a previous owner, but the structure's not damaged like so bad.
31:27I mean, it's just, it's superficial.
31:29Yes, there's some charring there, but the frame's not like burnt through.
31:32Unfortunately, that's the kind of thing that happens when you're dealing with steam, you're dealing with fire.
31:36And it's very common for there to be fires.
31:39And not only that, you can get burnt occasionally.
31:43It's just something you deal with when you deal with steam.
31:46With a wood frame, you know, wood and having a fire in there, these are all negatives.
31:52Yeah.
31:53Yeah, I get that, man.
31:54Yeah.
31:55The common running condition, restored condition is worth around $85,000.
32:00The cost to fix the mechanicals is going to be, you're not going to want to know the kind of
32:04numbers that you're going to have into this thing.
32:06If you have to play with the boiler and the engine and that kind of thing.
32:09The car, to me, it's worth $20,000 to $25,000 the way it sits.
32:13All right.
32:14So listen, Dick, thank you so much for your help.
32:16I really appreciate your insight.
32:17You're my mentor, man.
32:18You're going to be my steam mentor, maybe.
32:20Let's find out.
32:21Listen, you're a young guy.
32:23I say go for it.
32:26Good luck with it, man.
32:27I hope you pick it up.
32:28I really do.
32:28All right.
32:29Thanks, buddy.
32:29We'll talk to you later.
32:30Take care.
32:31Bye-bye.
32:32Dick's seen the same thing that I'm seeing.
32:33I mean, there's superficial damage on this car.
32:35My whole life has been revolved around woodworking.
32:38Hey, and I've done a lot of restoration work on fire-damaged furniture.
32:41This is the perfect car for me because I can do all the work myself.
32:45So, I mean, what are you guys thinking?
32:48I mean...
32:49I'm thinking we might need to chat.
32:50Is that cool?
32:51Yeah.
32:51No, absolutely.
32:52Oh, yeah.
32:53Absolutely.
32:53Totally cool.
32:58Rob, I'd like to introduce you to Sherry.
33:00How you doing?
33:00You're the mastermind behind all this.
33:02That's what I'm told.
33:03Well, this is my wife, Sherry, and she is the best business partner I ever had.
33:08So, what is all this stuff in here?
33:09I mean, some of this stuff looks like new.
33:11Well, some of these pieces we like to keep clean because different people rent them for
33:15various projects and different things.
33:17Well, when he first asked me to dinner, I just, I thought, this guy's weird.
33:23I bet his kitchen table's a coffin, and sure enough, he had a coffin.
33:27That's a cool piece.
33:29He was actually molded off of Fred Gwynn's face when they were doing makeup tests and so
33:33forth.
33:34Okay.
33:34And this was, I did some research, and this is the actual height.
33:38That's how big he was.
33:39That Herman Munster was on the show with the boots.
33:43Typically, I sell these for about $4,500.
33:47Holy cow.
33:48But I have buyers for those.
33:50If you're not interested, that's not going to hurt my feelings.
33:53I don't know, $4,500 is a little rich for my blood on Mr. Munster.
33:56Will, are you a fan of the Munsters?
33:58Oh, yeah, I am.
33:59I've got a netty.
34:01He's smaller.
34:01He's more affordable.
34:03You see it right up here?
34:04You see him up here?
34:05Oh, I see.
34:05Yeah, I see him up there.
34:06Let me climb up here.
34:07All right.
34:08Hey, Sherry, is the insurance paid up on these people climbing around on these ladders?
34:11Right side.
34:12Okay, here we go.
34:13All right.
34:14He's not in bad shape.
34:16He's kind of cool, actually.
34:17He's a little flexible, so you can kind of contour his arms around different things.
34:20In fact, he used to sit up on top of Herman's shoulders.
34:24Eddie Munster is a no-brainer.
34:26Who wouldn't want him sitting on your porch?
34:28He'd be a cool Halloween prop.
34:30$700?
34:31I see you've got two heads right here.
34:33Yeah.
34:33Okay.
34:34Check these heads out.
34:34Put Eddie down.
34:35I put Eddie down.
34:36I'm just looking here.
34:37I see two heads.
34:38One looks like Grandma.
34:39Other one looks like kind of a Superman dude.
34:42Superman-ish, yeah.
34:43All these giants sort of had that square jaw.
34:45That was that look back in there, so they do look like Superman.
34:49Can you grab the woman?
34:50She's doubled for Hillary Clinton in parades.
34:54It looks actually like Grandma.
34:56Grandma.
34:56These are great examples of a completed stage of a head.
35:00They're much smaller.
35:01They'll go up on a shelf.
35:02They are cool characters.
35:04There's a lot of possibilities for these.
35:06Let's just say if I sold everything for, including the Eddie, $14?
35:13Would that work for you?
35:16Eddie, the lady, and the guy, $1,200.
35:20I'll let you go with these.
35:21Okay.
35:22Okay, we're good with this, Sherry?
35:23Can we get them down?
35:24All right, yeah, we can get them down.
35:25So if you like these heads, we've got some huge, nice ones you're going to love.
35:30Bigger than these?
35:31If you like these, you're going to love these other ones.
35:33Yeah.
35:33All right.
35:33Yeah, they're bigger.
35:39These cars change with just club guys.
35:42You know what I mean?
35:42They go from one horseless carriage guy, one steam guy to the next guy.
35:46So it's pretty amazing that it's here and that it can be bought.
35:51Yeah, right.
35:51Mike makes a great point.
35:52These cars just aren't available.
35:54I mean, they go from collector to collector.
35:56Sometimes you don't even hear about a sale of a car because it's already done.
36:00I don't know, dude.
36:01I haven't seen you this excited in a long time.
36:03I know these guys are thinking about having an auction.
36:05I mean, I may never have another shot at buying a Stanley steamer.
36:09I think we found the right person.
36:11If we can figure out, you know, the dollar amount, Glenn would want it to go to someone who really
36:17cares.
36:17And he's really, I mean, fascinated and super excited.
36:20So it did have a fire at one point.
36:22And it definitely, I mean, it needs to be fixed up.
36:26To find someone that's as passionate as Glenn was about steam engines, that's not going to happen every day.
36:32What'd you guys come up with?
36:34I mean, I think we'd be willing to do 25.
36:37Yeah.
36:38Where are you at?
36:39I got to get this thing at a price that makes sense.
36:42And it's going to cost me $1,000 to get it up the East Coast.
36:45We're in Kentucky.
36:46You know?
36:47Yeah, we are.
36:47It's got to go to Rhode Island.
36:49So?
36:50On a low boy or something, whatever this is going to be.
36:52This is a big, heavy car.
36:55Would you do 24?
36:58Let's do it.
36:59Yeah, we can do that.
37:00You would do it?
37:01Absolutely.
37:02Yay!
37:03Thank you, sweetheart.
37:04I'm so excited.
37:05Oh, that's so cool, dude.
37:06Thank you so much, man.
37:07I think very cool.
37:08Well, I think Glenn would be pleased knowing that it's going to somebody that would really appreciate it and knows
37:14what to do with it.
37:15Love it and restore it.
37:16Get it back on the road, yeah.
37:18Get it back on the road.
37:18No, it's going to her right home, man.
37:20I mean, it's cool.
37:21And not catch it on fire.
37:24Hey, no guarantees, but you know what?
37:26Fire extinguishers, hoses, all that stuff comes in handy.
37:28I know how to use them.
37:29The money is important.
37:30We need it to do our job.
37:32But the icing on the cake is that Jersey's as excited about this as Glenn was.
37:38So it's kind of like a match made in heaven.
37:41Listen, you guys, this is a big deal for him.
37:44From the day I met him, he had to tell me immediately what steam meant to America.
37:52It's an important part of America.
37:53I mean, the steam engine, they started everything with a steam engine.
37:56From the Industrial Revolution was starting with a steam engine.
37:58You know, cars going down the road.
37:59That's something totally...
38:00Okay, see?
38:01That's what I'm talking about.
38:03There's no way of stopping him.
38:04I can see Jersey with his goggles on, his long duster flying down the road in this thing with his
38:11ponytail waving in the wind.
38:13I know that's what he's thinking about right now.
38:16You have no idea.
38:17I appreciate you so much.
38:18You have no idea what this means to him.
38:20Yeah.
38:20This is the best.
38:21It really does.
38:24So a new chapter has opened up in my life.
38:27Now I own a Stanley steamer.
38:29And this money is going to a noble cause.
38:33God bless our four-legged babies.
38:39These are brand new hits that we made from the mold.
38:43Looks like you got Paul Bunyan here.
38:44Paul Bunyan.
38:45Those are, that's much bigger.
38:47Yes, they are.
38:48Yeah.
38:48That's a munchkin thing I bought.
38:50Right.
38:50When you put them side by side, you'll see a huge difference.
38:53And then the big John.
38:54That's the cowboy without the hat.
38:56Which we also have a hat, by the way.
38:58We do have a hat if you're interested in having him and taking him as a cowboy.
39:02I'll tell you what, I'm interested in the two on the ends.
39:06Okay, good.
39:07What are you thinking?
39:08Okay, so the ones on each end is 2,400.
39:12Yeah.
39:12The cowboy hat's 12 extra.
39:15So he's 24 plus?
39:1712.
39:1712.
39:18The heads to me are the most important part of any of these giants.
39:22You could put these anywhere.
39:23You could put them in a restaurant.
39:24You could put them in a museum.
39:25You could put them in your grocery store.
39:27People will remember it.
39:30And do you guys, let me ask you this, do you have any giants that you want to sell?
39:34I mean.
39:34Well, I do have one that's in the works.
39:38He's a 14 footer.
39:39It just so happened I was making up two other pieces for a company.
39:43And sometimes their deadlines get pushed back.
39:46And so I'll have these available.
39:48And he was at a stage where he wasn't, he didn't become the character yet.
39:52Okay, let's slide him over this way a little bit.
39:54Okay.
39:56These finished, I sell for $17,000.
39:58Okay.
39:59Complete.
39:59You'd have to do some work on this.
40:01All these giants that are out there, they are a piece of art.
40:04You can't go to a Walmart and buy this thing.
40:07It has to be built by a professional.
40:09And when it's painted up and it looks good, at $17,000, I think Mark's a little light there.
40:14I think I can get better money out of this piece if I take it back to Iowa and I
40:18paint it myself.
40:19A lot more impressive when he's up.
40:21Oh, when they're standing up, they're totally impressive.
40:23Yeah.
40:25Thirteen grand, that's it.
40:29I said 13.
40:30I was just going to walk away and take it or leave it.
40:34Do 5,200 on the heads and 12 on this.
40:38That's $17,200.
40:40Whatever she decides, we're going to go with.
40:45I'm probably going to get in trouble.
40:51Done.
40:53Siri!
40:54Great job!
40:55See?
40:56Hey, we did it today.
40:57I never thought when I got up this morning I was going to sell a giant.
41:01And an unfinished one.
41:02I never sell unfinished giants.
41:04If everybody woke up in the morning and looked out the window and saw a giant standing up there,
41:08handing them an ice cream cone, it would be a much better world.
41:10Make it happen.
41:11I got it.
41:11I got a giant making it happen.
41:12Ice cream cone, I don't know.
41:13Mark has made one hell of a legacy for himself, his family.
41:17These statues are going to be here another hundred years from now.
41:21And that's what's so cool about what Mark does every day.
41:24Ice creams and giants, buddy!
41:27Keep it good!
41:31Hey, Dick!
41:33Hey!
41:33Guess what?
41:35What?
41:35We bought the car!
41:37I got it, man!
41:38All right!
41:39All right!
41:39Yeah!
41:40John, you get that thing shipped over here.
41:42We'll get it running.
41:43I got a bunch of guys.
41:43I got six guys over here.
41:45We'll get that running.
41:46Dick, you just said exactly what he wanted to hear, dude.
41:49Yeah!
41:50This is a boyhood dream come true.
41:51I might be able to go across America on a Stanley steamer.
41:54I mean, that would be amazing.
41:56Hey, you're going to get burned.
41:57No!
41:58No!
41:59No, no, no!
42:00You're going to get burned.
42:01Nah, it's going to be good!
42:02Thank you, guys.
42:04All right.
42:04Take care.
42:05I'm fine.
42:05I love it.
42:06You're going to get burned.
42:08He's like the guy from the Christmas story.
42:11You're going to shoot your eye out, kid.
42:13Yeah, the Red Ryder.
42:13Here.
42:15We're going to get burned pictures just a little bit funny,
42:15And yeah, it's not
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