ROBBIE: Dude, every morning I wake up now,
Mom is sending me pictures of her new dog.
MIKE: When did she get a new dog?
ROBBIE: Like two weeks ago.
MIKE: What's the dog's name? ROBBIE: It's Gus.
MIKE: And what kind of dog is it? What does it look like?
ROBBIE: You know when you had your beard?
MIKE: Yeah. ROBBIE: That's what the dog looks like.
MIKE: Oh you mean when I was looking like Serpico?
ROBBIE: Yeah, exactly... (Mike laughs)
ROBBIE: ...except you can't see this dog's eyes--
MIKE: So it's a handsome dog.
ROBBIE: Well... I don't know, Mom keeps trimming him up
and that's what she sends me pictures of.
MIKE: I'm going to call her right now and ask her
why she doesn't send me pictures of the dog every day.
ROBBIE: Well, I can send them to you if you want them, you know.
MIKE: No, I get them that you're getting them, but I'm not getting them.
(Robbie laughs)
MIKE: I'm her oldest son.
(phone ringing tone) MIKE: You'd think she would
want to celebrate the fact that she has a new dog...
She's not picking up.
ROBBIE: Dude, she always picks up when I call.
(scoffs)
(rock music)
(phone ringing)
MIKE: Dani D, what's up?
DANIELLE: Oh good morning, how's the West Coast treating ya?
MIKE: You told us to head towards Sonoma,
so we're on Main Street, it's amazing,
not a cloud in the sky.
DANIELLE: Oh, perfect. Hey, I'm sending you guys to see Rafe.
So Rafe has not only been collecting his entire life,
but he's been an aviation photographer for most of it.
MIKE: Oh, wow. DANIELLE: Yeah, his father was a photographer
during World War II. MIKE: No kidding!
DANIELLE: He hung around his dad his entire life,
they were tight. And so he kind of got into photography,
militaria, and crafted his eye at a really young age.
Oh, hey also, in 2000,
he bought an airplane hangar to stash his collection.
MIKE: Dang! ROBBIE: What?!
DANIELLE: ...how baller is that? And this place is packed full,
you're going to have trouble getting around, I can promise you that.
ROBBIE: Wow. DANIELLE: It's nuts. And he sent me a selfie.
He looks like the Baron of the Sky.
And I have to tell you, this man has the most
beautiful curly mustache I have ever seen in my life.
I mean, this dude's going to be a character.
ROBBIE: Alright, alright. (laughing)
ROBBIE: I love airplane hangars.
This is the nicest airport I've ever been in.
MIKE: Where do you see the addresses on these hangars at?
ROBBIE: Right here, yeah, yeah. MIKE: Yeah, there's a plane.
ROBBIE: Oh, let's ask these guys, maybe these guys will know.
MIKE: Look at that plane, man. That is killer.
MIKE: Check out the Texaco sign,
this has got to be the right place.
(honks horn) MIKE: I think that's the dude.
Let me get the flyer. Hey!
RAFE: Hey!
MIKE: You got to be Rafe.
RAFE: I am Rafe, welcome to the Sonoma Skypark.
MIKE: Okay, we heard a lot about you.
ROBBIE: Nice to meet you, Rob. RAFE: Good to meet you.
MIKE: Hey, I'm Mike, here you go. RAFE: Thank you.
(overlapping chatter) ERIC: I'm Eric, nice to meet you.
MIKE: Is this your plane, Rafe? RAFE: No, this is Eric Preston's plane, my buddy here.
MIKE: Wow! What year is it? ERIC: Well, it was designed in 1934 in Germany,
but this one was built in '51 in Spain.
ROBBIE: Wow. ERIC: And it's painted in a World War II scheme,
and it's a Germany aerobatic primary training airplane.
A Bücker Jungmann. They started in the early '30s
and lasted through the end of World War II.
MIKE: Why did make this one design for so many years?
Because with aviation, I mean, doesn't technology
change so dramatically every year?
ERIC: It does, but this airplane was such a nice flying airplane,
it was really hard to match it. And this one was surplused
in 1976, it was in the Spanish Air Force
currently operating 1976. ROBBIE: Really!
MIKE: No kidding, this same design from '34.
ERIC: Yeah. MIKE: Wow!
ROBBIE: So this was a training plane, though?
ERIC: This was a military training airplane for aerobatics.
MIKE: Who flies this? Do you fly? ERIC: I do, yeah.
MIKE: I'm a motorcycle guy, I'm a car guy,
but at the end of the day, I'm into transportation history.
And that is a big beautiful world
with a lot of incredible things.
MIKE: So what's the oldest plane you have?
RAFE: My oldest airplane would be 1929.
MIKE: Really! RAFE: Mm-hmm. But not in flying condition like this.
But soon to be restored.
MIKE: So how did you get into all this?
RAFE: Basically, I was a poor college kid,
worked at the airport for flying time,
and then started taking-- MIKE: Oh, you worked at--
They didn't pay you, you did it for flying time.
RAFE: Two dollars an hour against $16
to fly in the Piper Cub.
RAFE: The freedom of flying,
it's hard to describe what it's like,
the beautiful things we see in the air.
We kind of leave all the foibles
and troubles of the world behind when we're up there.
RAFE: My dad was a photographer in the Marine Corps
in World War II with Pappy Boyington and the Black Sheep.
MIKE: Wow! ROBBIE: Really!
RAFE: So I grew up with cameras.
I guess the photography was in my DNA.
RAFE: After I soloed and started flying other airplanes,
I wanted to take cameras.
RAFE: So basically my photography career
started with old Jennys,
and toward the end, included SR-71s stealth fighters.
RAFE: I even did the air-to-air photography
for NASA and photo Learjet...
MIKE: Uh-huh. RAFE: And on the X-29 project,
which was great fun.
RAFE: I was very privileged to have this viewpoint
and to never forget it, to always show people
that didn't have the opportunity to go flying
what it would look like. And that's something
I've always thought about, and always tried to do.
RAFE: Over the years, I've collected quite
a few things, and I have a lot of extra stuff.
Easier to show you guys, so let's take a walk next door.
MIKE: Okay. ROBBIE: Alright. Appreciate it.
ERIC: I'll see you guys. Take it easy.
MIKE: Hey man. Thanks, appreciate you.
ERIC: No problem. MIKE: Alright, cool.
RAFE: So this airport started in the '60s,
and they set it up for 60 hangars.
RAFE: And each of us individually owns our hangar
and collectively, we own the 35 acres of the real estate.
MIKE: Awesome. This place is huge!
Wow...
Wow, my gosh!
Wow! What year is the trailer?
RAFE: It's a 1947 Curtis Wright trailer,
designed by Wally Byam.
MIKE: Wally Byam was the mastermind
and the creator of Airstream trailers,
but when World War II started, he shut down Airstream.
MIKE: We're going to... (laughing)
MIKE: Curtis Wright had three things going for it.
One, it had the skill. Two, it had the material.
And three, it had the employees.
What they needed was Wally Byam
to help him with the design.
RAFE: It's 20 feet long overall.
ROBBIE: This looks all original on the inside.
RAFE: It is pretty original.
MIKE: Wally Byam designed trailers for a very short time
for Curtis Wright, before he opened Airstream again.
So this is unbelievable. Very cool.
MIKE: So you're going to sell this?
RAFE: No, not so much. I would like to restore it.
'Cause my big dream is to drive it around Canada
and the US, and with-- MIKE: No kidding, that's a great dream!
RAFE: ...with a vintage 1947 truck.
MIKE: Oh, wow! ROBBIE: Or a Woodie!
RAFE: It's been quite a big effort to keep all of this,
and it is expensive to keep it.
MIKE: You're obviously not working on airplanes in here.
RAFE: Well... MIKE: I mean, there's no room.
RAFE: Not presently. Right now it's like
a cosmic collection of...
(Robbie laughs) ROBBIE: Cosmic collection.
RAFE: Yeah. I mean, it's like Fibber McGee's closet
visited by Terry and the Pirates.
(Mike laughs)
MIKE: Dang, man.
ROBBIE: This is snail trails.
Everywhere you look,
it's piled shoulder high.
There's actually a plane in here somewhere.
RAFE: This is a 50-year accumulation.
MIKE: Every inch of this place is stacked.
And you can see where there's some organization
and some things that are repetitive,
but then it just kind of exploded from there.
ROBBIE: So, Rafe, what's up with this sign?
RAFE: Well, this is, this is a vintage...
ROBBIE: Oh, yeah, Mobil. RAFE: ...Mobil.
ROBBIE: Yeah.
RAFE: SOCONY stands for Standard Oil Company of New York.
ROBBIE: Let me see here. RAFE: It's not...
ROBBIE: It's got the original bracket, I think, on the top.
RAFE: It's not in bad shape.
ROBBIE: Any type of advertising, I don't care what it is,
if it has an animal on it, it could be a cat or a dog,
a bear or a cougar, people want those.
ROBBIE: This, it has the Pegasus horse,
the red horse, the most iconic
gas-and-oil sign in the industry.
ROBBIE: This is... Mobil red horse.
RAFE: It is Mobil red horse.
ROBBIE: The Pegasus. It's got the bracket on the top,
it looks like, you know...
RAFE: It needs a little repair down there, for sure.
ROBBIE: Yeah, the whole side of that... right there,
the tips, they always got broken off.
ROBBIE: A few little whammies in it everywhere,
I mean, is that something you want to sell?
RAFE: Yeah, I'd be interested in selling this.
ROBBIE: I think the retail number on it,
in this condition's probably...
16, 1,700. RAFE: Okay.
ROBBIE: Um...
RAFE: Talking about... what, somewhere around 850, 900?
ROBBIE: I'm thinking like 950. That work?
RAFE: Broke the ice. ROBBIE: Alright, awesome.
RAFE: I didn't really know it was quite that valuable,
but I appreciated his honesty.
MIKE: Dang, man.
ROBBIE: So much stuff. MIKE: This is crazy cool too.
RAFE: Oh, this is an original
airmail beacon from the 1920s that...
MIKE: Does that work? RAFE: It's all restored,
and it plugs in, revolves, lights up and everything.
MIKE: No way! RAFE: The pilots flew
from beacon tower to beacon tower in the night.
MIKE: Think about flying at night from light to light.
There was no radar, you had goggles on,
you had a scarf on, a leather skullcap
and you're looking for a light.
RAFE: C'mon back, let me show you an airplane over here.
MIKE: Okay.
No, wow, man! ROBBIE: Wow.
MIKE: Look at the engine on that, Robbie!
Look at that radial engine. ROBBIE: Look at the radial.
MIKE: Whoa. RAFE: This is an all original
1930 airplane that came from San Bernardino.
It was last flown just before Pearl Harbor.
MIKE: Really. RAFE: And when Pearl Harbor
was bombed, civilian flying on the West Coast was banned.
RAFE: So this stayed in the hangar the whole war,
and never flew again.
So I saw this for the very first time
when the owner took me back, and we were always going
to refinish it and...
I desperately wanted to take him flying in it one last time.
RAFE: Well, unfortunately, he got cancer and died.
RAFE: But he left it to me.
MIKE: Oh, wow. ROBBIE: Really.
RAFE: And so, half of the people love it just the way it is...
MIKE: Yeah. RAFE: The engine has bright yellow oil,
it's got new compression, and it basically--
MIKE: So basically no hours on it.
RAFE: Very few, they made three of these
at the factory in Los Angeles.
MIKE: That's all they made was three. RAFE: Only three.
RAFE: At the end of World War I,
the American government sold surplus Jenny airplanes.
The old Jennys were big and kind of clunky,
and people wanted smaller, faster, more sporty airplanes.
And Populair was built in 1930
and answered that call.
MIKE: Oh, wow, I like the gauges and everything.
The wood dash. Look at this headrest right here,
that's leather, Robbie.
RAFE: Unfortunately, the Populair
came on right at the beginning of the Depression
and the big stock market crash.
So the company failed in 1931 or '32.
After just manufacturing three airplanes.
RAFE: The one that I have is the only
remaining of the three.
RAFE: Flying something like this,
unmolested, is as it was. MIKE: Gosh, amazing.
RAFE: I think the last registration up in the front
cockpit is dated 1938.
ROBBIE: I can't fly it. MIKE: I love that logo on the side, what does that say?
RAFE: It says Populair, which is the name of it,
and then it says Earl Aviation Corporation.
MIKE: Dang, this is so cool.
MIKE: Over the years, I've seen a lot of things
in their natural state.
Something that stood the test of time,
it's been untouched.
This has got to be one of the top five.
MIKE: Wow... just standing so close to this thing.
Can you imagine this going and the valves clacking
and smoke coming off of this thing, man?
RAFE: You gotta grease the valves
every time you fly it.
MIKE: Looking at an airplane that hasn't been flown
since before Pearl Harbor,
it's just very cool.
MIKE: So you've said you've known about this plane since 1969.
RAFE: Right, it's the first time--
MIKE: So did your dad know about this plane too?
RAFE: No, no, he didn't know anything about it.
RAFE: My dad had a photo processing plant,
and I had a camera, I mean, at very early age,
I don't know, maybe five or six years old.
RAFE: It was just magical.
RAFE: I never wanted to be like a portrait photographer
or anything like that, I mean,
the airplane things really interested me.
I started going to the Reno Air Races,
and I was sitting in the media trailer,
and a man came in in a suit and he asked me
if I had the pictures of the four winning airplanes.
And I said, yes.
He gives me his card and it was from J. Walter Thompson
in New York, the manager of the Champion Spark Plug account.
MIKE: Wow. RAFE: That was the door.
MIKE: Yeah. RAFE: And I got through the door.
Then I met the Snowbirds up in Canada in 1980,
flew with them, did not get sick.
This is one of my signature pictures
with the team that Kodak reproduced...
MIKE: Oh my gosh. RAFE: ...in a poster.
And I'm in a tenth jet, shot on Kodachrome.
MIKE: Wow. RAFE: And this lasted for 33 years.
MIKE: Oh my gosh!
MIKE: This was Rafe's moment.
Everything that he ever did
added up to a brilliant career
and a 33-year gig.
MIKE: Would you even consider selling this?
RAFE: I-I would, I mean, I want it to go to a good home.
I-I would consider it, yes.
'Cause I would like to do some of my other projects in here.
I've always wanted to have a little Gilmore gas station.
I have the gas pumps.
I want to get the trailer finished,
I'll have space in here to, you know, do a project.
MIKE: Yeah, you'd definitely have some more space.
RAFE: Yes guys, really I need some space.
I've had this airplane for 42 years.
MIKE: Okay. RAFE: And I mean, it has been
a joy to preserve it and save it like I have,
but it's time for someone else, I think.
MIKE: Like the person I'm thinking of...
I'm thinking Rick. ROBBIE: Yeah.
MIKE: This guy's got a museum
and it's a motorcycle museum,
but it's really evolving more into transportation.
So he's got like, a lot of cars...
MIKE: And he's got all these things, but he's built
these massive buildings
and he mentioned to us, probably...
I don't know, a year ago or something,
he was wanting a plane. ROBBIE: Yeah.
MIKE: You know what I mean? ROBBIE: But he did say
it'd have to be the right one. MIKE: He's a patina guy.
I think it would be preserved the way it is now, you know.
RAFE: Yeah, so I think that, I think that would be outstanding.
MIKE: So if I could take some pictures of it.
RAFE: Sure, let's do it. MIKE: We are huge fans
of Legends Motorcycle Museum in Springville, Utah.
Over the years, we've sold Rick a number of things
that are on display in the museum.
ROBBIE: May I introduce you to Madam X.
Rick: This is great. I think it shows better
than I expected from the pictures.
ROBBIE: And he told you 100,000.
Rick: Right.
ROBBIE: We're at 100.
MIKE: This will be by far
the largest piece that we've ever connected him with.
MIKE: I'll send him all this. RAFE: Oh, excellent.
MIKE: Transportation history covers anything from airplanes
to automobiles to bicycles
to motorcycles. He's always understood
that all of those things
are connected to each other.
MIKE: What about this bomb back here,
this green bomb. Just the shell of it back here.
RAFE: Yeah, this is the tail fins.
MIKE: Yeah, how tall is that?
RAFE: And it's about four feet tall.
ROBBIE: Get this out of the way there.
Let's see how heavy this thing is.
RAFE: It's not too bad.
ROBBIE: Ugh, hold on here...
Ugh!
MIKE: You got it? Is it heavy, Robbie?
RAFE: Whoa... MIKE: Whoa, whoa, whoa!
You about smashed his foot...
RAFE: That's okay, no, no, no, no harm.
ROBBIE: Alright. MIKE: Here, here.
Ugh, yeah, this is heavy.
ROBBIE: Yeah, heavier than it looks.
MIKE: God-dang. ROBBIE: It's the end of a bomb.
RAFE: My thought was, I would mount it up on my roof,
so it looked like a bomb kind of penetrated through.
MIKE: I love the fact that it's still got so much
of the stenciling here. RAFE: Mm-hmm.
MIKE: I've bought practice bombs before,
that's not what this is. This is the tail section
of a serious piece of hardware.
RAFE: Could you do 500 on it?
(Mike exhales)
MIKE: I mean, I'd do 400.
RAFE: 450?
MIKE: 425.
RAFE: 425 it is.
MIKE: Shake his hand, Robbie.
ROBBIE: I'm here. MIKE: Here, give me...
(laughing) Thanks. It's a beautiful piece.
It's industrial art, it's American history,
it's brilliant. I love the green.
(laughs) RAFE: Yeah, green's good.
MIKE: Hey, what about this? RAFE: It is Shell.
MIKE: it is Shell, okay. RAFE: And it's original.
MIKE: Yeah. RAFE: Um...
MIKE: So what about that, is that original?
RAFE: You know, it's hard to say.
But I would like to bundle that
with the original old Shell sign.
MIKE: I saw that sign over there.
RAFE: Yeah, I mean, that's an old one, it's original.
MIKE: What are you thinking on that and this?
RAFE: I don't know, Robbie, what do you think--
ROBBIE: I'd have to look at that Shell.
MIKE: So why don't we do this? We'll park this right here.
RAFE: Okay. MIKE: For now.
MIKE: This is a very rare sign,
because it is the most polite no smoking sign...
(laughs) ...that I've never seen.
On top of that, it's Shell,
it's gas-and-oil related,
it's porcelain, and it's in very nice condition.
RAFE: Can you get through there? Or I have to go around this way?
MIKE: I think we can get through here this way.
ROBBIE: I'm going to move the bomb end here.
RAFE: You guys have a bomb disposal crew
that'll come and pick this up? ROBBIE: Yeah.
(Mike laughs)
MIKE: How about this Delco, man? Look at that, Robbie.
You see that? Look at the shape this is in.
ROBBIE: Self-framed. MIKE: This chair's pretty cool.
ROBBIE: Yeah. RAFE: The chair's way cool.
MIKE: What are you thinking on that?
RAFE: Uh... MIKE: Is this aviation?
RAFE: It could be.
(group laughing)
MIKE: Is this out of the cockpit?
RAFE: It could be a...
an old air traffic controller probably sat on that chair.
MIKE: What are you thinking on it?
RAFE: But... uh 275.
MIKE: Two-and-a-quarter. RAFE: 250.
MIKE: How much is this? RAFE: Um... could we do 750?
ROBBIE: 500 on that and 250 on the...
RAFE: Deal. ROBBIE: Yeah, yeah.
MIKE: Alright, cool.
Alright, what else? what about this?
RAFE: I honestly, I don't know.
I've only seen another one in pictures
from other collections in... ROBBIE: Yeah.
MIKE: So this is an Associated Gas and Oil.
ROBBIE: Yep. RAFE: Right, Flying A.
ROBBIE: That sign right there probably retail, honest,
about 3,200. The only downfall to that sign is size.
ROBBIE: The Associated Gas sign would be the marquee
going across the gas station.
The Flying A sign would be above that.
So they were the same company, basically.
MIKE: What are you thinking on something like this?
RAFE: Like 2,000?
ROBBIE: How bad is it? Is there any...
On the edges, Mike, down below? MIKE: No, it's not bad.
ROBBIE: Yeah, that's nice. MIKE: Okay.
ROBBIE: But what's the other side look like?
The other one down there. MIKE: It's pretty much the same thing.
ROBBIE: Just got a couple of chips on it.
MIKE: Got a whammo right there. ROBBIE: Yeah, that's about it.
ROBBIE: But it'll clean up. Has good color to it.
MIKE: Alright, shake his hand, Robbie.
ROBBIE: Two grand. Awesome.
RAFE: Amazing. MIKE: Cool.
RAFE: I'm glad to know that there are still
a lot of people that are eager to collect petrolania.
ROBBIE: What are these? There are a whole stack of them right here.
RAFE: Okay, um...
Back in the old days, those were runway markers
and they often were painted bright yellow on a grass field.
ROBBIE: They're actually pretty crude made, that's just lid.
RAFE: Well, it is a lid, there was a jar on the top,
so they could put an electric light bulb,
and it would be weather-proof.
ROBBIE: Alright, I see. RAFE: Mm-hmm.
ROBBIE: Huh. RAFE: And so I thought,
well I'm going to paint those yellow someday,
when I have more floor space,
I'll probably have them set up around an antique airplane.
ROBBIE: You know, I love that idea too,
but I'm looking at them as a repurposed piece.
These would make awesome lights hanging.
RAFE: Oh well... ROBBIE: Like that.
RAFE: Uh-huh. ROBBIE: I mean, literally,
look at the size of that.
RAFE: Yeah, it's a... it's pretty big.
ROBBIE: Can I throw you a number at them?
RAFE: Well, sure, go ahead. ROBBIE: I think there's six of them here.
275.
RAFE: Could you do 3?
Wrap them up, last opportunity, Robbie.
ROBBIE: I'll do it, I love stuff like this.
RAFE: 300, $300. ROBBIE: 300 bucks, I'll do it.
RAFE: Done. ROBBIE: I'll do it.
RAFE: Shake hands, sir. (laughs)
ROBBIE: Alright, appreciate you, man. Thank you, thank you.
RAFE: You're welcome.
RAFE: I was going to paint those yellow,
and then I thought, are you going to get to that soon?
No. If it's not going to happen soon, let's move it,
and that was what changed my mind right at the time.
ROBBIE: Let's keep looking 'cause there's a lot of stuff to look at here.
(upbeat music)
MIKE: Where's that Shell sign at you were talking about?
RAFE: Oh, it's right back here.
MIKE: What are you thinking on this thing? I mean, it's rough.
RAFE: It is rough, Robbie what do you think?
ROBBIE: It's missing the brackets on it right here.
ROBBIE: It's got a little big bend in it too.
There's no way you're going to straighten that out.
RAFE: Aw, you can't...
ROBBIE: Well, this is one of the signs
that doesn't have a frame, you know, a round one
you could put it in a frame, boom, it straightens right out.
But this sign actually hung right here.
RAFE: Right, I got it.
ROBBIE: I'd say retail number on this, in this shape,
Shell's one of those ones that's very popular,
probably 1,400 bucks. RAFE: Okay.
ROBBIE: Would be retail. RAFE: Yeah, retail, so...
MIKE: You had that other sign over there.
RAFE: So, okay so if we did 7
and I threw in the other two, including those?
MIKE: Okay, so I'll give you 8. RAFE: 8? Okay.
That's a good bundle. That's a good bundle.
(Mike laughs) MIKE: Alright, thank you.
MIKE: Alright, I appreciate it. ROBBIE: It's cool.
DANIELLE: Hey guys, I'll be right back,
I think the appraiser might be here. Adrian?
ADRIAN: Hey, you. DANIELLE: Hey!
You look so good for being on the road.
ADRIAN: Well, not too long of a drive,
big long flight, though. DANIELLE: Aw... good.
ADRIAN: It was still... finally glad to meet you.
DANIELLE: Ah, so nice to meet you in person.
Yeah, I love your jewelry.
Southwestern is the theme of the day.
ADRIAN: Yeah, I hear. DANIELLE: Mm-hmm.
ADRIAN: You got some amazing Dude Larsen paintings,
postcards, I don't... how did you get all this?
DANIELLE: Wait till you see. ADRIAN: Okay.
DANIELLE: C'mere, I'll show ya. I'll tell you the whole story.
So if you take a right here...
Here we go. So as you can see, there's quite a lot.
ADRIAN: Oh, wow... Oh my God.
DANIELLE: Yeah. So as we kind of went through
the place that we picked, we realized like,
there's just endless amounts of artwork in here.
ADRIAN: Where did you get all this? DANIELLE: New Mexico.
TEAKO: I bought the entire estate of Dude Larsen.
He was a famous western painter,
back in the late '30s,
all through the '40s and the early '50s.
ROBBIE: We want to do a deal with ya.
I just think we have to be at $10,000.
Dillon: Wow. Teako: I'm a happy guy.
DANIELLE: Yay! (clapping)
We love them! TEAKO: We're there!
ADRIAN: His stuff, it's hard to find.
DANIELLE: We were trying to find anything we could
on his history, so I'm just glad to have you here,
not only to tell us the value,
but to also just give us a little bit of his story.
ADRIAN: Dude Larsen was a part of an estate that I liquidated
out of Woodland, California for his son.
Whenever you have somebody's personal property
and you're responsible for selling it,
you have to know what you're selling,
you have to absolutely have a value
before you can even market it.
ADRIAN: He was just a really interesting guy.
In 1933, his family had a ranch Kanab, Utah.
And him and his dad got busted for cattle rustling.
They went 50 miles away, and then they came down
and they had about 80 cattle altogether
that didn't belong to them, they actually rebranded them.
So yeah, yeah... DANIELLE: Wow.
(laughs) DANIELLE: That is the ultimate no-no, anywhere.
ADRIAN: Yeah, it is. DANIELLE: Yeah, that's crazy.
ADRIAN: And authorities got involved, and so,
they took off on horseback, him and his dad,
and went down to a local gas station
and borrowed a car at gunpoint.
But the car unfortunately went off the road
and his dad was fatally injured, and...
DANIELLE: Wow. ADRIAN: ...Dude and him went
to the hospital, his dad died in the hospital,
and he took off.
He evaded the police for I don't know how long,
I think at least 14 days, and then from there,
it just stops. So the next thing you hear about Dude Larsen,
he's in Washington painting murals,
probably through the WPA program,
which is an important program... DANIELLE: Wow...
ADRIAN: ...that was to help beautify
and create public works. There was a lot of painters
that got their start through that program
that the Roosevelts had started.
And by 1940,
he had not only come back,
he had a thriving postcard business.
DANIELLE: Okay, so he went from muralist
to printing postcards. Why?
ADRIAN: Well, he wasn't the best painter,
because his compositions were very flat and tight,
but the were illustrative and they were energetic,
and they really captured Americana.
DANIELLE: His art makes more sense on a postcard.
ADRIAN: hmm. Yep. That's why he didn't sell his paintings.
But they were perfect for cards.
ADRIAN: Not only that, there was a lot of postcard
printing companies all over the place,
and Germany was one of the biggest.
But when World War I happened, they stopped that,
there was tariffs put on.
So that killed part of the market,
and then printing had changed, you know?
ADRIAN: And now, you could take a card like this,
look how shiny, and this was printed
in the '30s. It's gorgeous. DANIELLE: Still beautiful.
ADRIAN: That painting that's huge now is down,
and it doesn't look so bad on a card.
ADRIAN: He never sold this artwork,
there was no auction prices.
This was only for postcards.
DANIELLE: Okay. So basically, this market opened up,
and he kind of saw an opportunity.
ADRIAN: Yep. DANIELLE: Possibly or probably.
ADRIAN: And the cheapest way to communicate in the '30s,
for sure. DANIELLE: No kidding.
ADRIAN: Yeah, and then his wife, Dot Larsen,
her paintings were very similar to his,
and I think that's 'cause of his influence.
DANIELLE: Man, that just smacks of 1950, doesn't it?
ADRIAN: But these made great cards, and people loved them.
ADRIAN: And these were all made into cards.
This Pomeranian, yeah. DANIELLE: Is that a Pomeranian? Yes.
(laughs) ADRIAN: So, how many postcards do you have?
DANIELLE: We have this box right here,
which if you just pull the lid off of that one,
you see how packed that is.
And I have four more boxes just like it.
ADRIAN: It was really exciting to see all this collection
of Dude's together.
It's unique.
DANIELLE: So what would these cards go for?
What's a good price to sell them for?
ADRIAN: Depends on the subject matter.
The likely numbers for these is $5.
DANIELLE: Okay. ADRIAN: And then these ones here, 2 to $3.
DANIELLE: Okay. ADRIAN: Um... one of the things
that's going to happen when you have that many cards is,
you're going to flood the market,
it's going to take years to sell them.
ADRIAN: So you definitely, you know,
how much did you pay for the whole collection?
DANIELLE: 10 grand.
RAFE: You want to take a look at some of the wardrobe things
that I use in here? MIKE: Oh my God, yeah.
MIKE: So like, old leather coats and stuff?
RAFE: Come on back. MIKE: Oh, wow! You got a lot.
RAFE: This is what I use when I do my airmail impression.
MIKE: Okay. (laughs)
It's very theatrical. Look at you!
It's legit.
RAFE: My collection is centered around the era
post-World War I,
up to and including World War II.
RAFE: I wore this a couple of years ago
when the US Post Office came out with a new airmail stamp.
MIKE: Okay. RAFE: I played the part of an airmail pilot.
MIKE: So you're in front of the lens of the camera,
not behind it. RAFE: That's right.
MIKE: Okay. Where did you find this at, man?
RAFE: Well, I bought this from a college professor.
It's a solid cast model of the Boeing 314.
MIKE: And this is what, '30s? RAFE: Yeah, this would be late '30s.
MIKE: This is one of the crown jewels.
MIKE: This isn't for sale. RAFE: No.
MIKE: In his eyes, this is the best part
of his collection that he enjoys the most,
and he wanted to share that.
Which is really cool, because you know,
as collectors, a lot of times we don't get to talk
to like-minded people.
MIKE: So much of this stuff, whether you drive an old car
or ride an old motorcycle or put on a coat like that,
or what you're wearing now, it becomes lifestyle.
RAFE: Exactly, exactly. MIKE: It becomes part of who we actually are.
You might scare some people at night
walking around like this. RAFE: Well...
MIKE: They might think you're a ghost! (laughs)
MIKE: They're like, what? Did you see that guy?
MIKE: Rafe is living it, man.
RAFE: This is my squadron patch from my airplane.
MIKE: Oh, wow! RAFE: And I...
MIKE: He loves aviation so much
that he's presenting himself from a different time period.
MIKE: These are all originals? RAFE: Oh, sure, yeah.
MIKE: I know, I can tell by looking at them.
MIKE: I mean, where would you even find a poster like this?
RAFE: I'll tell you what, I have not had an opportunity
to buy a three-sheet like this in years.
But these posters are from like, 1926.
MIKE: I know. RAFE: These are silent movies.
MIKE: Okay, so... which one of these are for sale?
RAFE: Oh, oh gosh, I couldn't, I mean...
(chuckles) RAFE: These, these are, uh...
RAFE: The personal satisfaction,
it's something you don't really share with other people,
but it really pleases me.
MIKE: You had a bicycle out there with a sidecar on it.
RAFE: Mm-hmm. Sure! MIKE: Can I look at that?
(Mike grunting)
RAFE: So I bought this sidecar down at Huntington Beach. And...
MIKE: Okay, yeah, it says...
"Seaplane Corp., Madison, Wisconsin."
RAFE: Mm-hmm. MIKE: "Mohs Sidecar."
Interesting.
MIKE: This looks like a later fender though,
I mean, I know it's...
I don't know, this is off a Schwinn.
It's got a Schwinn wheel on it,
it's a Schwinn middle-weight that somebody put a heavy
gauge spoke in.
Obviously, they changed the hub out.
To me, the bike is obviously more valuable than this.
It's a Schwinn, it's original paint...
RAFE: Mm-hmm. MIKE: I mean, you can see the pinstripe
on the scallops here, you know. RAFE: Yeah, and it cleans up pretty well.
MIKE: Yeah, and it's got a Majestic head badge on it.
You know, I probably even have a tank for that.
(Mike exhales)
I don't know, on the bike, I mean, I'm like
300 on the bike. The sidecar, to the right person,
the sidecar could be, I don't know, maybe 6-700 bucks.
RAFE: Years and years ago, I paid 400,
which was the asking price.
MIKE: Yeah, I mean, what would you want for both
together, would you think?
RAFE: Could you do 5 for both together?
It's an Iowa bike.
MIKE: It's an-- Oh, the bike came from Iowa?
(laughing)
RAFE: This is the big circle, it's all going back.
MIKE: If we're able to do a deal on this,
I'm going to sell the sidecar off, and keep the bike.
MIKE: Alright, let's do it. RAFE: Okay.
MIKE: 500 bucks for the sidecar and the bike.
RAFE: ...and the bike. MIKE: If you have parts
and other accessories for this bike,
you're looking for that chassis.
Sometimes you only find frame and fork,
that's it, and then you got to build it from there.
This is a complete bike that I can really move forward.
MIKE: I like the little dainty windshield
that it's got going on here too.
ADRIAN: You have a lot more paintings here than I realized.
I think that each one's going to bring a different price.
This is about an $800 painting.
ADRIAN: I did a lot of research and found that nobody
knew anything about this guy, Dude Larsen,
except for his postcards side of his business.
What are you going to do with the paintings?
ADRIAN: Labs are always popular. DANIELLE: Yeah.
ADRIAN: But where you kind of lose it is there's this...
bad curtain in there.
DANIELLE: No, I love the bad curtain, and the geese too.
ADRIAN: Nevertheless, this is at least a few hundred dollars.
This one here is definitely going to bring some money,
just because of the subject matter.
The Native Americans. So this one here,
I could easily see getting about 5 to $600 for it.
DANIELLE: Okay, great. ADRIAN: Based on the historical reference.
DANIELLE: Yeah. ADRIAN: And actually, it's a pretty good painting.
ADRIAN: Unfortunately, the paintings aren't as valuable
as people would want them to be,
but based on the history,
along with the cards that were produced from those paintings,
that's a lot. That means a lot.
ADRIAN: Yeah, there's about 13, and I'd say, you know,
they're all going to be different,
so you got these are different priced than these,
and, of course, then the larger ones...
but I'd say you have about...
3,500 to 4,000 max worth of paintings...
DANIELLE: Wow... ADRIAN: ...in paintings, we have that.
DANIELLE: That's not a lot. ADRIAN: Yeah.
(laughs) DANIELLE: Okay. Alright.
ADRIAN: So... DANIELLE: Well, there's something to think on, right?
ADRIAN: True. But you have, you have the story boards.
These are amazing, and these were illustrated by Hoke,
and then Dude usually did the funny part of it.
DANIELLE: Okay. ADRIAN: You know, he wrote the poems,
he wrote the verbiage. These were very popular.
They always said something very edgy here,
and he had way more edgier one than this.
"How come you're through with Jim?
I heard him tell Tommy he tried Ethyl in his car last night, so..."
DANIELLE: Ha! Ethyl gas.
(laughs) ADRIAN: Yeah. So,
what makes them worth money is not only the content,
but also if they're real, if there's pixels,
and even way back then,
you could see it under a loop.
So you would just look real close,
and look for that,
and I could tell you this is definitely done
on watercolor paper and it's hand-inked.
DANIELLE: That's so exciting though!
ADRIAN: Yep. So remember, putting it in perspective,
not worth a whole lot,
but definitely these story boards are going to bring
around 75 to $150 apiece.
DANIELLE: So, okay, alright.
ADRIAN: They're like a story board.
DANIELLE: Okay. ADRIAN: You lay it out, I mean,
there's not different scenes,
but this is a scene that's going to get rendered down
to a small card. And there's a lot of them here.
DANIELLE: 36.
ADRIAN: If we were to round it to 100, and you have 36,
$3,600 is about what you can expect.
DANIELLE: We're still coming in under what we paid for it.
ADRIAN: But you have all the postcards.
DANIELLE: Yeah. ADRIAN: And you said you had like five times this amount.
DANIELLE: Yes. ADRIAN: So, you have at least what, 3,000 cards?
DANIELLE: Could be more, could be less. ADRIAN: Okay.
DANIELLE: I don't know the exact amount,
I haven't counted them out, but we do have a lot.
ADRIAN: I see about 5 to 7 grand in profit, for sure.
DANIELLE: Okay. ADRIAN: Yeah.
DANIELLE: We're going to make a profit.
ADRIAN: Yes. DANIELLE: Over the next 20 years.
ADRIAN: And sometimes, especially...
You know, that's the way investments are.
DANIELLE: Yeah. ADRIAN: Especially with art.
DANIELLE: That is the way investments are, man.
It's so frustrating. That's why Mike always told me
from the very beginning, buy what you love,
'cause you're... you could get stuck with it.
ADRIAN: You're gonna be looking at it for a while.
(laughs) DANIELLE: Right? Exactly.
ADRIAN: I know it's gonna take a long time for these
cards to be sold, to realize a profit.
The truth is, the profit on the cards
is far more than the paintings.
DANIELLE: Well, I mean, we're going to fall above,
eventually... (laughs)
DANIELLE: Someday... someday, we're going to fall above
what we paid for it.
Look, as long as I can tell him that we're coming out on top
in some way or another, I'm happy.
Even if it takes 20 years to get there.
ADRIAN: It's going to take a lot to squeak it out,
but it's going to happen.
ADRIAN: Matching these cards up
with each, and to show that provenance.
DANIELLE: Yeah. ADRIAN: That's golden.
You don't get that often.
DANIELLE: I think it's still an incredible find.
I'm still equally as thrilled to look at it
as I was when we walked in the door.
ADRIAN: It's an amazing collection.
DANIELLE: Now this has been incredible,
I really appreciate your time.
That's everything right there. ADRIAN: Hey, I'm glad
to be here, glad to help. You're welcome.
MIKE: Agh...
RAFE: Not too bad.
MIKE: Yeah, that's cool. Here you go.
RAFE: Wow, look at that.
MIKE: A lot of these areas in this building
you can't get to them unless you crawl under
something or you crawl over something.
MIKE: You got it?
MIKE: So just him coming back
there with me was a feat within itself.
MIKE: I think even in this condition,
this not being a super rare can...
RAFE: Right. MIKE: ...it's probably still worth like 450 bucks
retail in this shape.
MIKE: What are you thinking?
RAFE: Uh... gosh...
250, can we do 250? How about 225?
MIKE: How about 250? RAFE: How about 250?
(laughs) MIKE: Okay. Alright,
thank you very much.
RAFE: I'm a better buyer than a seller.
(laughs)
RAFE: I'm turning over a new leaf in this place.
ROBBIE: You're going to turn over a new leaf?
RAFE: Oh, I've already turned it.
RAFE: You guys are here. (laughs)
ROBBIE: Oh, okay.
RAFE: I made a resolution this year
that this was going to be a year of organization,
re-organization,
and getting some of these projects done.
RAFE: And...
that's what we're doing.
MIKE: What are you thinking on this, buddy?
RAFE: Make me a low offer.
MIKE: 150 bucks. RAFE: Done.
MIKE: This is an early Texaco sign.
I mean, yes, entry-level collector, but also,
somebody that wants to hang this on the exterior
of a property, not inside.
You know, it's not a super expensive sign,
but when I buy these,
the joy I get, man, is cleaning them up
and seeing what will come out of that.
RAFE: That's all uncharted territory over there.
MIKE: I know, I see that. I love that!
(laughs) MIKE: I love that.
ROBBIE: Hey, Rafe! RAFE: Yeah.
ROBBIE: Believe it or not, I got myself back in here,
I got to ask about these.
RAFE: Oh my goodness, you found the bombs.
ROBBIE: Well, there's three of them,
but they're not all the same.
RAFE: Well, I have to keep the bigger ones, but there's a--
ROBBIE: This one? RAFE: There's a smaller bomb
back there, that...
ROBBIE: There's two of these, they look like they're the same size.
RAFE: Yeah, see the little black one there?
ROBBIE: Yeah? RAFE: Yeah I could do business with that one.
ROBBIE: So, this one right here? It looked... yeah.
RAFE: Yeah, that one. That's a nice bomb, actually.
ROBBIE: Man, you're a heck of a sales guy.
You're like, that's a nice...
Is that as nice as the other two that I want?
RAFE: A better bomb you'll never find, Robbie,
I promise. (laughs)
ROBBIE: It's got a great look to it.
RAFE: It does. ROBBIE: So were these displays?
I mean... RAFE: Well no, those were practice bombs.
ROBBIE: Okay. RAFE: Yeah, and they would
either fill them with sand or water, and...
ROBBIE: But what was the hooks for?
They all had hooks on them? RAFE: Where they hooked underneath the plane.
ROBBIE: Underneath the wing. RAFE: Right, and they were
on a bomb shackle, and then the pilot could
release them and they would... ROBBIE: This one actually
says something on it here. "US Navy practice bomb."
ROBBIE: These guys were flying the airplanes,
they had to practice what they were hitting.
So they would fill this thing up with sand,
stick them up in the air, put a target on the ground
and go, okay, let's see how close you can get to it
from 20,000 feet in the air.
ROBBIE: So, what do you gotta have
out of a practice bomb, Rafe?
RAFE: Mm, that's a really nice example.
ROBBIE: Yeah, I like this.
RAFE: Yes. Could you do four?
ROBBIE: Yeah, the... I have found these before.
I want to say the most I ever got out of them
is like 4-and-a-quarter, 450.
I mean, this has got nice writing on it, though,
I mean, it's bigger. RAFE: Yes. I'll tell you what,
how about...
you guys have bought so much stuff, how about $300,
is that good?
ROBBIE: Rafe, I appreciate it, man.
RAFE: Excellent. ROBBIE: Thank you, buddy. Thank ya.
RAFE: Thank you.
MIKE: This is... this is some sort of gauge.
What's it from?
RAFE: I don't know.
It went on the top of something,
but it is cooler than cool.
MIKE: Ugh...
Oh, yeah, look at that, Electric Laboratory.
MIKE: I've never seen this piece before,
I think it was some sort of engine analyzer.
But what's really grabbing me is the look,
the design, the ring around the face itself
is nickel-plated, which is early, you know,
this is an early piece. It's different
and it's very unusual.
RAFE: I just thought this thing was the coolest thing ever.
MIKE: It is neat. RAFE: And... I've never seen--
MIKE: I mean, the gauges, this one's lost some
of its face, you know.
I don't know, what are you thinking?
RAFE: Gosh, um...
$400? MIKE: I was thinking $300.
RAFE: Okay, I paid like $250 for it 25 years ago.
MIKE: Alright. RAFE: I mean I guarantee--
MIKE: How about I do 400 if you throw in these?
RAFE: Done. But I really like those.
(Mike laughs) MIKE: I like them too.
Alright, we're doing it.
ROBBIE: Maxoil.
MIKE: Hmm...
ROBBIE: 25 bucks. RAFE: Done.
ROBBIE: Okay.
(phone ringing tone)
RICK ON PHONE: Hello?
MIKE: Hey, did you get pics of that plane?
RICK ON PHONE: Yeah.
MIKE: I know, the thing's insane, right?
RICK ON PHONE: I like it.
MIKE: So do you remember about a year ago,
when you told my brother and I
that you were looking for an airplane?
RICK ON PHONE: I do. MIKE: Okay. So now this is that moment
that we found you an airplane. (laughing)
And we're calling to see if you want it.
RICK ON PHONE: First question, will it hang in my museum?
MIKE: How many feet high is the ceiling in the museum?
RICK ON PHONE: Only 35 feet.
ROBBIE: What's the ceiling in here?
RAFE: These are like 25 here?
ROBBIE: Oh, heck yeah, Rick, this thing will go easy.
MIKE: The reason I thought of you on it
is because of the patina on it, I mean, it's like a survivor,
it's untouched. The gentleman that's...
interested in selling it, he's standing right here.
He can probably tell you something about it.
RAFE: It was made in Los Angeles, Rick, in 1930.
There were three of them made.
This one was owned by a fellow in San Bernardino,
and he left me the airplane in 1980 when he died.
It's a two-seat biplane.
It's got a seven-cylinder Warner Scarab Junior,
I think it's 115 horse.
A nice wooden propeller, and it's olive drab-colored
fuselage with yellow wings. ROBBIE: Yeah.
RICK ON PHONE: What do you want for it?
RAFE: I'm looking for 35.
RICK ON PHONE: And it's a complete airplane,
ready to hang?
RAFE: It's a complete airplane, ready to hang, that's right.
MIKE: It's pretty cool, buddy. ROBBIE: It is.
It would look amazing in your museum.
RICK ON PHONE: And I've been looking for an airplane
to hang in there for the last three or four years.
RAFE: Well, it's a pretty unique one, for sure.
MIKE: Yeah.
RICK ON PHONE: Sounds like it's got some history behind it,
I'd be interested in it.
If you could help him line somebody up
that would load it up,
and get it to Utah,
I would buy it, and then I'd hang it.
RAFE: Okay, alright, well, let me get to work
on it and see what we can do. MIKE: Alright, Rick,
I'm going to put you in contact with each other,
and hey, congratulations, man,
it's a really cool piece.
RICK ON PHONE: It does look nice.
MIKE: I know, right? It's nuts, it's nuts!
ROBBIE: It is, it's mind-blowing.
MIKE: Hey man, if I had about, I don't know,
20 feet more of my ceiling, I'd buy it.
(laughs) ROBBIE: Yeah.
MIKE: Thank you, buddy. I'll put you guys together.
RICK ON PHONE: Hey, thanks.
MIKE: Alright. ROBBIE & RAFE: Thanks, Rick.
MIKE: Okay, bye. RICK ON PHONE: Bye.
MIKE: Hey, congratulations! That's awesome!
ROBBIE: You got the space! RAFE: I think the Populair
will be a great addition to Rick's museum in Utah.
It sounds like a wonderful location
with his collection of motorcycles and vehicles.
I mean, it's a very appropriate place, and yeah...
my best wishes.
MIKE: You've done your due diligence, my friend.
RAFE: I think so. MIKE: You've given it a hell of a life.
MIKE: And I'm telling you what, you gotta go visit it.
It's the perfect place. RAFE: Oh, it is.
ROBBIE: When you get the trailer back on the road...
ROBBIE: First stop. RAFE: Oh, there you go.
ROBBIE: You can camp out in Rick's parking lot.
RAFE: There you go. MIKE: I'm just glad we were able
to put these two together.
This is perfect for Rafe, now he has the room
to do what he wants to in his building,
and that's a huge thing. That's one of the reasons he called us.
MIKE: Alright, you got the sign?
Easy, don't scratch it!
Alright.
ROBBIE: I can't imagine what Rafe is going to uncover
the day he pulls this airplane out of the hangar.
I mean, we were in snail trails all day,
there's still a ton of stuff there.
MIKE: Alright, okay.
ROBBIE: Well, it's been a very interesting day.
RAFE: It has been. MIKE: I love this sign.
RAFE: Sharing my enthusiasm
and my love of vintage items
is great fun.
ROBBIE: I appreciate your passion, man.
MIKE: Yeah. ROBBIE: Seriously.
RAFE: I mean, when someone comes in and they're interested
in that, I'm interested in them,
because they have an interesting story too.
MIKE: Thanks for sharing your history with us, buddy.
RAFE: All good. MIKE: I mean that.
RAFE: Thank you guys. MIKE: Hey, from one bicycle guy to another...
MIKE: Appreciate you. RAFE: It was a pleasure.
MIKE: Alright, thank you. RAFE: Thank you!
MIKE: Rafe is one of those collectors that understands
that his collection is bigger than himself.
He's interested in teaching.
He's a guy that's never kept both feet on the ground,
and obviously, dreams big.
(honks horn)
ROBBIE: See ya, see ya Rafe!
(laughing) RAFE: Bye-bye!
ROBBIE: Thank you!
(Mike laughs)
(sighs)
MAN OFF-CAMERA: Do it. Alright.
MIKE: So, I'm going to say this soap opera style.
This looks like...
MIKE: You still got it going on.
(laughs) RAFE: It's the mustache.
ROBBIE: That's what it is, man.
ROBBIE: It's like the golden nuggets
just keep dropping.
(laughing)