The 15-Year-Old American Pickers Collector Who Owns 3,000 Vinyl Records
"I've heard people say that too much of anything is not good for you, baby," Barry White tells us on an album probably owned by this kid named Nick who showed up on a bonus episode of "American Pickers." "But," Barry White continues, in all likelihood echoing the sentiments of that same kid named Nick re: collecting vinyl records, "I don't know about that." But here, let's backtrack.
It was Season 19 of History's hit series "American Pickers," and the shop was serving as a temporary home to a Victrola phonograph. If you don't know phonographs, just imagine a record player that runs on elbow grease and a can-do attitude. If you don't know record players, don't worry; you're probably smart about other things.
Needless to say, the contraption had some miles on it, as implied by how audio technology has progressed in the years since its invention, up to and even beyond the advent of the iDog speaker. That didn't seem to phase a phonograph specialist who came rambling on by, though. Imagine the surprise on "American Pickers" cast member Lauren Wray Grisham's face when she discovered that said expert was a scant 15 summers old or that he boasted a collection of enough vinyl to humiliate a Funko factory.
A kid named Nick and his 3,000 records
So here's where the blood really started pumping through this bonus episode of "American Pickers." In walked Nick, a strapping young lad with a penchant for phonograph repair. Astonished by the rabble rouser's scant few years on this mortal plane, Lauren Wray Grisham questioned her own senses. "I thought he was the delivery boy," she told the camera. "Turns out, he's here to fix it," with "it" here meaning "a handsome Victrola phonograph machine." By way of credentials, and when specifically asked, Nick explained that he owned an extensive old vinyl collection. "I got about 3,000 records," he proclaimed. "I look for the rarer stuff, like the early jazz artists."
Nick went on to explain in some detail not just the make and model of the phonograph but also the components that would need replacing and the amount for which it could be expected to sell — around $600, lower than it could be, but not bad, considering the state of the paint job.
Three thousand records. Can you imagine? A 15-year-old with 3,000 records, running around fixing phonographs. What a world we live in, and what a place to be an American Picker.