How Much A Monster Movie Squid Actually Sold For On American Pickers

The great thing about "American Pickers" is that you're never entirely sure what the gang will stumble upon next. Mike Wolfe and whoever his partner is in a given episode might take a gander around someone's garage only to discover a rare, vintage vehicle. A little way down the street, they may come across some old toys still in remarkably good condition. Audiences are often amazed at what kind of items retain their value, so it's always a treat to see what the pickers manage to find in each episode. 

While cars and toys are par the course on "American Pickers," sometimes even Wolfe and his partner are astounded at what they find. That was the case with Season 23's "Movie Magic Picking" when they came across a house belonging to a family that's been in the movie business for decades. As such, they've acquired all kinds of incredible props, including one that Mike Wolfe just had to make an offer on.

The seller's family has been in the movie business for a long time. They've amassed quite the impressive collection, and one item that catches Mike Wolfe's eye is a prop squid laying out in the backyard. It's in reasonably good condition despite a bit of wear and tear, but it's easily fixable. As it turns out, the squid was used for the filming of the 1996 made-for-TV movie, "The Beast," based on the novel "Beast" by Peter Benchley. Taking inspiration from "Jaws," the film follows a killer squid as it goes on a rampage after its food supply dwindles. 

The repairs needed to fix the squid are minimal, and Wolfe's incredibly interested in taking it back to its shop. Wolfe's interest only increases when he finds out the alternative plan for the squid is to chop it up and sell the tentacles in pieces to potential collectors who want a part of movie history. No one wants to see that happen, so Wolfe winds up paying $500 for the whole squid.

It's unclear how much Wolfe could feasibly get out of the prop, but he must be confident someone out there will shell out big bucks for it. He just needs to ink the right deal first.