[country music]
[phone rings]
Mike: Dani D, what's up?
Danielle: Hey Mike, what's cooking?
How's your time in Peoria?
Mike: I just landed here and it is raining cats and dogs.
Danielle: That's actually not a bad thing
because you're gonna be picking indoors.
Mike: What do you got for me?
Danielle: I got a good one for you today.
Mike: Okay.
Danielle: I'm going to send you to a family business
that's been around for three generations.
Mike: Wow!
Danielle: And the building you're gonna be digging in
was built in the 1840s.
Mike: That's early, man.
Danielle: These buildings on this pick
are older than all of us combined.
Mike: I mean, that's really early for this area.
Danielle: You're gonna meet Maria.
Mike: Okay.
Danielle: Her grandfather started
the George O. Pasquel Company.
Mike: Okay.
Danielle: Maria's granddad was also a collector.
I mean, like, if a business closed up in Peoria,
he'd just come in and take it all.
Mike: Dang!
Danielle: He loved Peoria history.
Mike: So he must have a lot of room.
Danielle: They own four buildings downtown.
Mike: That's awesome! Danielle: Oh yeah!
Mike: Alright, so send me the address.
Danielle: Hey, make sure you get an umbrella or something.
The air is precious.
Mike: [laughs]
Danielle: [laughs]
Mike: Okay, thank you so much.
Mike: Peoria, Illinois is an hour south from where I'm from.
It's a river town, it's always been a manufacturing town.
There was money here, there was trade.
Over the years, I have driven by so many old buildings
and warehouses here that I wished I could pick.
That's what my business is all about.
That's what I'm all about.
Mike: Hey, hey!
Dan: Oh, hi! Maria: Hey!
Mike: Is Maria here? Maria: Yeah.
Mike: How are you doing? Maria: How you doing?
Mike: Hey, I'm Mike. You talked to Dani?
Maria: Yeah, I did. Hey Mike.
Mike: Hey, what's your name? Dan: Dan.
Mike: Dan? That's easy to remember.
Maria: Yeah, that's my husband. Mike: Hi.
Here, she probably went through some of this stuff.
Maria: Yeah.
Mike: God, this place is massive!
Maria: Yes.
Mike: So, this is 1840s?
Maria: Well, the building on the corner certainly is.
Mike: Okay. That's what Danielle said, it was 1840s.
Maria: We talked to her about that one, yeah.
Mike: That's got to be really early for this community.
Maria: That is considered the oldest
three-story commercial building in the area.
Mike: Really? Maria: Yeah.
Mike: What was its first use?
Maria: Uh, it was a grocery store.
Mike: No kidding?
Maria: Lambert's Grocery Store back in the 1800s.
Mike: And then you guys
are dealing in this kind of equipment.
Maria: We are a commercial wholesale
food service distributor and equipment distributor.
Mike: So, she was saying that your grandfather
was into Peoria history.
Maria: Very much so, yeah.
So, he was from Springfield originally and growing up,
he moved to Chicago and landed here in Peoria.
Maria: Peoria was good to them, they were good to Peoria.
They really made a great life here and a great business.
Mike: So, three generations?
Maria: Three. And four.
Four has worked here as well.
Maria: George, my grandfather, started the business in 1946.
His son, my father Peter, worked here for 68 years.
I started here at age 13.
Maria: We just finished up
selling off the last of our inventory
of our wholesale food items.
It took a beating with COVID, of course,
because our main clientele was restaurants.
Mike: Yeah, because you're dealing with restaurants.
Maria: Restaurants, right.
So, we're in the process of remaking ourselves
and so we're focusing -
coffee is one of our biggest sellers still today.
Mike: Really?
Maria: The thing we sell the most.
Mike: No kidding.
Maria: It's our own branded coffee.
We're getting back to the roots of how our business started,
that's what we're working on today.
Back to the old roots when my grandfather just
started selling coffee out of the back of his car.
Mike: He was?! Maria: Yeah.
Mike: Really, that's how he started this place?
Maria: Yeah. Dan: Yep.
Mike: That's amazing!
Mike: God, this is huge.
Did you guys ever utilize all this space?
Maria: We did. We had this - I mean - full.
Mike: Really?
Maria: All of these buildings chock-full of stuff.
Maria: Before my grandfather purchased it,
the building was back in the late 1800s
a Lambert's grocery store.
And then after that, it became Mailer variety store.
Maria: This would've been two businesses.
There would've been a candy store from the 1900s,
and then there would've been a restaurant.
Dan: There was a dentist office upstairs
in the narrow portion of the building,
and below that was a pharmacy.
Mike: Oh wow.
Dan: This is a Mills War Eagle from 1931.
Mike: Looks like someone put a playing card
in there or something.
Maria: Well, this was our toy as kids.
Maria: My parents, I believe, are the ones who found that
and I grew up with that being down in our basement
and that was our toy.
That's what my three sisters and I would play with.
Mike: I've got an old slot machine
and my daughter plays with it.
Yeah, her and her friends come over and-
Maria: Yeah, it's cool.
Mike: Some parents don't like that.
Maria: [laughs] Anybody got a nickel?
Dan: I have a nickel.
Mike: You got a nickel? Alright, here.
This is it.
Dan: Alright.
Mike: There you go, man.
[whimsical music]
Mike: Oh, it's working!
Maria: Look at that! Wow.
Mike: So, it's great that it works
but it'd be really cool
if you could see your fruit selection here.
Maria: Yeah.
Mike: But it's a great piece though
because look at that graphic.
You know, it's the War Eagle wings on it and everything,
and this is all intact.
Mike: Peoria is just a couple hours outside of Chicago
so at one point in time,
there were a lot of slot machines in this town.
During prohibition,
slot machines were linked to speakeasies
and other illegal activities.
So, the state government outlawed them,
started rounding them up,
and smashing any slot machine they could find.
So, when it comes to value,
slot machines like this War Eagle,
the Bird of Paradise, the Little Duke,
are highly sought after.
Mike: What do you see them going for?
What did you look up?
Dan: 1600 to 1900.
Mike: That's the retail on it?
Uh...
1300 bucks.
Maria: I'd like 1500, Mike.
Mike: Yeah, but if you're at 16 to 19 -
see, the thing is, this is an issue.
All this glass is an issue.
But, what you do got going for you is this.
This stand looks like that was made for a slot machine
so that was probably with it.
How about 1400?
Maria: Alright.
Mike: Okay. Maria: Okay.
Maria: Even though I loved it
and it was fun growing up as a kid,
it was time for that piece to have a new home.
I was ready.
Mike: Oh wow! This is a big space.
Maria: There's some gems in here.
That's where most of my grandfather's collection is.
Mike: Oh, wow.
Maria: So, this is from a bar on the north side of Peoria
called Chantilly Lace.
Mike: Okay. Maria: So, the dancing legs.
Mike: What's behind this? Here, let's peel this back.
Is there anything...
this looks like -
here's an old Coke sign that's on a door.
Let's see.
This is an old Coke sign.
And then there's another one,
there's a Hires Root Beer one under that. Look.
Maria: Oh my gosh. Both metal?
Mike: Yeah, they're both metal
so you have to pull these two pieces of metal,
pull this off, this off.
Then you get to the Coke sign.
Mike: I have no idea where this door came from
but it was definitely on the wrong side of somewhere.
I mean, it's literally got plate steel in it,
metal bars, beadboard, plywood,
and then the last ditch effort, two soda pop signs.
Mike: I don't know if this is a complete sign.
Maybe it's just half a sign.
Mike: The value here obviously is in the advertising
and what condition it's in once you get it off the door.
Mike: I'll take a chance on the whole shooting match,
200 bucks.
Maria: Could you do 250?
Mike: I'd do two and a quarter.
Maria: Okay, sold. Sold.
Mike: Because after I take it apart
then maybe I can just sell the door to somebody too.
Maria: Okay. The door will be worth it.
Mike: Thank you for working with me.
Mike: So, all of these glass cases,
like even these wall units,
these were all out of businesses that had closed in town here?
Maria: They were here. They were out of this...
Mike: Oh, okay.
Maria: These properties,
the stuff that's in here are out of these properties.
The restaurant and the confectionary next door?
Mike: Okay.
Maria: They would've been on premise here.
Mike: I love digging through this stuff
because it's about entrepreneurs,
it's about commerce.
Mike: How much is this?
I'll give you - I'll give you - there's no lid on this...
75 apiece.
Maria: Settled.
Mike: Alright, we're doing it.
Mike: You know, these are people that made their living
from the items that we're looking at right now.
Maria: 30 bucks. Mike: It'll look good on a wall.
Mike: There's literally anything and everything in here.
From syrup dispensers, meat cleavers,
cast iron Griswold frying pans.
Mike: How much for the rusty Schlitz?
Maria: 400 for that piece.
Mike: Yeah, I'd do 3.
Mike: Schlitz neons.
Maria: Alright, thank you.
Mike: A Coca-Cola curb sign.
Maria: I love that sign. Mike: You love it?
Maria: I do love it. Mike: You love it?
Maria: I really do.
Mike: I'll give you 250 for this and 100 apiece on the skillets.
Maria: Okay.
Mike: Because there's so much variety here,
you can literally walk through the town's history.
The business community of so long ago under one roof.
Mike: So, did he put everything -
your grandfather put everything in these cases?
Maria: Yes. Mike: Okay.
Maria: Yes.
He spent his - especially his later years -
bringing things over and setting them up.
Mike: What's this say? Time for your...
...portrait!
Maria: Yeah, that - now that's worth some money.
Mike: Of course, it is. Maria: That's worth some money.
Mike: Okay, but there - there's no juice around here is there?
Maria: Uh, in the next room we've got juice.
Mike: Okay, here.
Let's pull it out here, let's see if we can fire it up.
Maria: That's worth some - that's...
Mike: Okay, we're gonna - I'm bringing - I'm getting it.
Maria: Alright. Mike: You got the cord?
Dan: Want me to take a part?
Mike: This is the Cadillac of clocks.
The can, the main metal body of it, is not rusted.
Dan: You need me to take an end of that?
Mike: No, I got it.
Mike: That tells me that this has never been outside.
Maria: When he lifted that up,
I could tell that was a special piece.
Mike: Where am I going?
Dan: Ah, there's one on the wall.
Maria: It was exciting, wasn't it? To get that out?
Mike: This is a great clock.
But obviously it's better if it works.
Maria: Yes! Mike: Whoa! Oh yeah!
Maria: Yes, yes, yes! Mike: Look at that.
Dan: To plug it in and see it light up...
Maria: Oh my gosh. Dan: The neon.
Maria: To see the colors, to see it work.
After all these years?
Mike: We'll put it right here.
Maria: Oh, it's starting to spin.
Yes.
Mike: Let's take a look. Look at that!
The neon working is great.
The fact that the face lights up and this still spins freely,
you know, all that stuff.
It matters.
Mike: There are actually three separate tubes of neon
that light up at one time.
Then the face lights up.
And then, the biggie, is the spinner.
Mike: You want to get really crazy
and set the time
and then come back in a little bit, and see?
Maria: We can.
Mike: This clock has been preserved.
Someone lit this thing up for 50 years
and then it was stuck on a shelf.
Maria: I think if it tells the right time,
it has more value, Mike.
Mike: [laughs] Okay.
Mike: I'd say this is mid-to-late-1940s.
Mike: Let's come back and see what it says.
Maria: Alright.
Mike: Then we check the time. Maria: Okay.
[gentle rock music]
[phone ringing]
Jersey Jon: Dani! Rob: What up, Dani?
Danielle: I've got a pick that both of you are gonna love.
Jersey Jon: Alright, cool.
Danielle: I'm gonna send you to meet John.
This dude was working in a factory as an inspector
probably making some pretty decent money,
and then one day just decided,
nope, I want to open a BSA dealership.
Jersey Jon: Wow. Rob: Oh, that's cool.
Danielle: This dude's been flat track racing
since back in the day.
Rob: Yeah. I love all that. Jersey Jon: Yeah.
Danielle: Super passionate about motorcycles.
Jersey Jon: Sounds great.
Sounds like a real interesting guy.
Danielle: So, I've been talking to his daughter Laura.
Rob: Send us the coordinates.
Danielle: You guys have fun. Not too much fun!
Rob: We love you. Jersey Jon: Thank you so much.
Danielle: Later, guys.
Rob: Motorcycles, Jersey. Right up your alley.
Jersey Jon: Oh yeah.
[rock music]
Rob: That it right here?
No.
Jersey Jon: There's a motorcycle shop right there.
Rob: Look at that thing.
No, this is it right here.
Jersey Jon: Ah, this is cool! Rob: Look at that.
Jersey Jon: This is great. Rob: That's really cool!
Jersey Jon: This place reminds me
of my dad's lawnmower shop in Stelton Road, New Jersey.
A highway shop where everybody comes
to like get their stuff fixed.
My dad had motorcycle guys running through there
to get their dirt bikes fixed or road bikes, whatever.
Jersey Jon: Triple.
Rob: I know, I saw that. It's a triple.
Looks like a 500.
Jersey Jon: Hey!
John: Yes sir, what can I do for you?
Rob: You John?
Jersey Jon: You talked to Danielle? Antique Archaeology?
John: Oh, yeah! My daughter told me about you guys.
Jersey Jon: Yeah? John: Yeah, she - so what's up?
The place, look, the place is a mess. But-
Jersey Jon: Well, we like that.
Rob: That's alright. Jersey Jon: That's alright.
John: I apologize, but yeah, you can look around.
Rob: Well, you lead the way.
John: My name is John Swartz.
I'm a motorcycle enthusiast.
I love motorcycles, anything with motorcycles.
And that's my problem in life.
Jersey Jon: So, how long ago
were you working on bikes in here?
John: Maybe three or four years ago.
Jersey Jon: So, when did you start it?
When were you starting working on bikes?
John: Well, I started working on bikes in '49.
Jersey Jon: In '49?
John: After the end of World War II,
I'm pulling my wagon
down the dirt road that we lived on in a farm,
and these veterans who were discharged from the military
would ride their bikes by with their foreign brides
from England and Italy and all that,
and hoot and holler.
It just burned my brain. I saw the freedom of those guys.
And I told myself
walking down that dirty, stinking road with no shoes on,
"Someday, that's gonna be me on a motorcycle."
That never left my mind.
John: My first place was in Peoria, Illinois.
Jersey Jon: No kidding. Rob: Oh yeah? TT?
John: TT, yeah. You know? Yeah. TT, yeah.
Jersey Jon: So, you were flat track racing.
John: Flat track. Rob: What was your back?
Jersey Jon: With the chute?
Jersey Jon: Flat track racing is dirt track racing.
These guys are wearing a steel shoe
and they're like sliding their bikes into the turns.
It's skillful racing.
John: I was racing a Harley KHK,
I just took headlights off
and we made a racing bike out of it.
But back then, I didn't know any better.
I mean, I knew nothing about racing.
Jersey Jon: KHK is a fast bike. Rob: Yeah.
Jersey Jon: This is like farmer's field racing.
You got an empty field and you're a farmer,
you wanted to like, race on a Saturday night,
you made a racetrack out of clay.
And you went, you did flat track racing.
So, it's a special breed.
The flat track racers were the great-great-grandfathers
of motocross racing.
John: So, then I ended up with a gold star.
Rob: Alright.
John: But then I - I was winning races all the time.
But they're amateur races.
Rob: Yeah.
Jersey Jon: John is obviously a real humble guy.
He's not bragging about his racing career,
but to me, there's something hiding here.
Jersey Jon: I like racing too. I've been on the track a bit.
John: Oh, okay! Jersey Jon: Yeah.
Mostly board track racing stuff.
John: That's where we differ
because you're more of a skilled racer on the board tracks.
Jersey Jon: Well...
John: I like the horse tracks in Wisconsin and Illinois
because they were rough.
John: I talked to Jersey and - can he race.
Now we connected.
Because he raced.
John: The secret of a rough track is to go faster.
John: When you're on a rough track,
you let the bike do its thing.
You don't try - if you control it, you go down.
You let the bike dance.
John: You steer into the turn, man.
You drive into the turn on those bikes.
Jersey Jon: Dude, it's the art of racing.
Rob: [laughs]
Jersey Jon: It's the art of racing.
You know what I'm saying?
John: That's what we did, yeah.
Jersey Jon: You did it without even thinking about it
because you're a racer.
John: Well... I wanted to be a racer.
Jersey Jon: There's something special about John.
I'm gonna try to dig it out of him.
Jersey Jon: Well, listen. Rob: John.
Jersey Jon: We're here to buy stuff.
I mean, that's the idea.
Rob: Let's see it.
Jersey Jon: You mind if we look around?
John: Well, here.
There's the bones and bones, and...
Jersey Jon: What about this king and queen seat, John?
This is cool.
Jersey Jon: This is the quintessential easy rider
king and queen seat.
Jersey Jon: Chopper stuff, man.
John: I think Freddy Shure made this.
Out of Kenosha.
Jersey Jon: Who did?
John: Freddy Shure, I think, made this.
Jersey Jon: Freddy made this? Rob: How do you know?
John: Out of Kenosha. That just looks like his work.
Jersey Jon: That's his style of carpet.
Jersey Jon: It's a chopper seat, you know.
It's a king and queen.
You're gonna bring your girl, put her on the back.
It's a cool stylistic way to ride your motorcycle.
John: My wife wouldn't want to sit on that,
but maybe with a girlfriend would, you know.
Jersey Jon: I mean, but it's a cool seat.
Rob: [laughs]
Jersey Jon: You want to sell this?
John: Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, make me, make me happy.
Jersey Jon: 75 bucks.
John: Oh my gosh. Yeah.
Jersey Jon: Alright. Thank you.
John: Alright.
Jersey Jon: Also, what's cool about this
is that this vintage chopper stuff, it's coming back.
Guys like this stuff.
John: Yeah, it's cool.
[gentle music]
Mike: Ooh, look at those.
Maria: These would've been from the original candy store,
the 1900s.
Mike: This is like the Historical Society,
the Chamber of Commerce,
and the Rotary Club all rolled into one.
Mike: Let me get these pictures off of here.
Let's see what these are.
American Greek Society. 1922.
Maria: See, these are from these guys
that had this property here next door.
Mike: Okay. Okay.
Maria: The candy store. And that's him.
That is James Basil,
the original owner of the confectionary.
Maria: James Basil was from the early 1900s
and he was the gentleman
that had the confectionary and candy store.
Maria: So, that needs to stay with the soda fountain.
Mike: Yeah, for sure.
Mike: I love that Maria knows the history
of all these different businesses.
Mike: Ah, look at all that glass underneath.
Look at that glass underneath there.
Maria: Oh my gosh.
Mike: Look at that stuff. Look at the light.
Can you see how red?
Maria: Ooh! Wow. Mike: Look at the light.
Dan: That's pretty. Maria: Wow.
Mike: So, this could've been somewhere in the confectionary.
Mike: This is probably one of many things
that Maria is gonna find in this building
that directly connects it to the business that was in it.
I mean, I'm just gonna call this confectionary glass.
I can imagine this in the transom window
above the doors on the facade.
Mike: If someone's serious about restoring the building,
this is the kind of thing that would really connect them to it.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is,
I would buy these but I think they need to stay here.
Maria: And you know, that shows a lot of character on his part.
It's not just all the dollars and cents.
Mike: More meat cleavers. Look at that.
Just in time for Halloween.
Dan: [laughs] An old cleaver.
Mike: Oh yeah.
Maria: Oh, wow. That's got some weight to it.
Mike: And then you got this one.
Oh yeah.
Mike: Anything from the Gangs of New York to Sweeney Todd
have made the art of cleavering a household name.
Mike: And then you've got this one.
Mike: Some of these cleavers
can be from the turn of the century
and there are people out there that still use them
and painstakingly restore them.
Mike: I would like to buy these.
Maria: What do you think?
Mike: Because there's a guy in our town
that's opening up a place, it's like a bar.
But it also has a butcher shop in it.
Dan: Oh, that's cool.
Mike: So, we can hang those on the wall.
Look at this.
Mike: If you're into cooking, high end cutlery,
or just the butchering arts,
these are brilliant.
Mike: Look at that.
Maria: That's a limb cutter.
Mike: You could saw a cow in half with that.
So we got three meat cleavers and two saws.
125.
Dan: Can you do 150?
Mike: I'm gonna do it.
Dan: Alright. Thank you. Maria: Thank you.
Mike: They're perfect!
They were sitting there and it was meant to be.
There's nothing random, you know.
Maria: Those are gonna have a nice new home.
Maria: There are just moments being with Mike
as we were going through drawers and opening cabinets and things,
discovering these things,
like kids in a candy store, really.
That's how we felt.
Mike: The Jefferson Hotel Motor Inn.
Maria: Yeah, that was in Peoria.
Maria: It was really cool to share those moments
with somebody who also has that passion
and that love and knows things,
and those old things that were people's history and livelihood.
Maria: That's a lot of his personal history.
Mike: Look at that, that's Peoria.
That's great that he was fascinated with his community
and wanted to collect a lot of the stuff that was local.
Maria: Yeah, it was special. It was really special.
Maria: See, because originally,
they were gonna set this up as a restaurant museum.
Mike: Oh, really? Maria: All of this.
That's why he was collecting.
Mike: So, like all the old equipment and everything,
the soda fountain...
Maria: That's why he was collecting all of this,
was to make it a restaurant museum.
Maria: They were working on that and setting it up in the 80s.
They thought that would be
a wonderful addition for the community
and to carry on showcasing memorabilia
from all these businesses' past,
and especially the restaurant businesses.
Mike: What do you think slowed him down?
Because it looks like they have enough stuff to do it.
Maria: Back in the day,
they were also busy running the business
and trying to keep that operating
so they were full on with that,
and then they would do this, you know,
just on the off hours.
Mike: It was a passion project. Maria: It was a passion project.
Mike: When her grandfather and her father
started collecting all of these things
from all the buildings and the different businesses,
it wasn't about the antique value,
it was more about they didn't want
the story of the business to end.
That's why they were accumulating all of this stuff,
they had plans to open up a museum
and tell the story
of all these different businesses in Peoria
and how important they were to the community.
But they never got there.
Mike: Look at that.
Richardson Root Beer.
Look at that.
10 bucks.
Maria: 15. 15.. Mike: Alright, I'll do it.
Mike: Maria talks about her grandfather and her father
knowing all the history of all these different businesses.
Maria: Those are the old soda dishes from the ice cream store.
Mike: Oh, really? Maria: Yeah.
Mike: But as we walk through here, open drawers,
opening cabinets,
it's like I'll pull a glass down,
and she's like, "Oh, that's from this bar!"
And then I'll pull a coffee cup out,
she's like, "Oh, that's from this place!"
Mike: I love all these -
these glasses here, The Whistle glasses.
Maria: That was from a place in town here.
Mike: Oh, that was a place called The Whistle?
Maria: Yes.
All this stuff came from places in Peoria.
Mike: She was listening,
she's just as much into all of this stuff as they were.
Mike: Look at all those. Oh my God.
Maria: It was a restaurant.
Mike: Like, what do you want apiece for those?
Maria: A dollar?
Mike: A dollar apiece? Maria: A dollar apiece.
Mike: Alright, I got to take it. I got to do it.
You're making me buy them.
Mike: Oh, look at this.
Maria: Oh...
Maria: The Greek banner I imagine
would've come through Gus Yutakis
who owned the confectionary and the restaurant.
Mike: Is there still a Greek society here?
Maria: I don't think so.
But there's still a Greek church here that's very active,
and a Greek community here.
Maria: I just didn't want to let that go
because I'd like to explore in the region here
where that home should be.
Mike: Look at that.
"Old Crow."
"The greatest name in bourbon."
Maria: Hm.
Mike: 20 bucks.
Maria: Okay. I'll give it to you for 20.
Mike: Okay, thank you. Maria: Alright.
Mike: Here, catch this.
[rock music]
John: I want to show you my outbuilding.
Rob: Alright.
John: Sorry about all this crap, but anyway, that's just the way-
Rob: Look at that!
Jersey Jon: Wow! Look at all the trophies, man!
Rob: You're acting like you weren't winning anything.
Jersey Jon: Now the light goes on.
This guy is a serious racer.
This is stuff that John won.
I mean he was on the track every week.
John: That's me, that's Coffee Cup Dan.
I'm on a gold star there, on that Sycamore.
John: I raced early '50s, '54,
until I got my AMA license,
and then hung it up in the '70s.
Jersey Jon: No kidding.
John: Me and the other guy, uh...
Rob: That's a... John: Indian.
That's a Scout. Indians are fast bikes.
Jersey Jon: They are a fast bike.
Rob: [laughs]
John: In the beginning, starting a race,
our races were on grass tracks
in a county in Wisconsin, Kenosha County area.
They had just grass racetracks with line bag markers.
Jersey Jon: I like that trophy with the racer on it,
the small trophy right there.
John: That's just the way it was.
We started on grass.
And then I just graduated up into dirt.
And then I wanted to go professional
because I thought I rode on grass,
I thought I could do alright.
So, I went to Peoria.
Rob: It says... Jersey Jon: Scramble.
Rob: BJCR Scramble, second place, 1958.
Jersey Jon: Second place trophy, just like in the Wild One.
John: Brando. Jersey Jon: Yeah!
He had a second place trophy on top of the bike.
John: I don't think I got out of the heat at my first race.
Some guy flew.
Jersey Jon: Well, I mean, I love this trophy.
This is just - I just like the style and design of it.
I mean, also, that you won it.
John: Well, yeah, well - second place, you know.
Jersey Jon: Who cares. Doesn't really matter.
You're out there-
John: What year is on that? What year was on that?
Jersey Jon: '58. Rob: '58.
Jersey Jon: I just love it.
It's got the look, it's got the style,
plus you told the story.
That's always with it.
50 bucks.
John: I'll take it.
Jersey Jon: You'll take it? John: Yep.
Jersey Jon: Thanks buddy. That's really cool.
Means a lot to me.
Jersey Jon: I didn't even know this guy
when I walked in the door.
And now I'm finding out he's a legend.
Jersey Jon: What do you got there, Robbie?
Rob: 45.
John: Real leaded - that's real lead by the way.
Jersey Jon: Yeah. John: That's real lead.
Jersey Jon: That's how they did body work.
Rob: That's how they did body work back then.
John: That's not Bondo. That's a WR tank.
Jersey Jon: Yes, it is. Rob: Yeah.
Jersey Jon: You got the other side of this one?
John: That's what this one's for.
Cut that in half and made it this size.
Jersey Jon: Wow.
These WR tanks are rare. You know that.
Rob: It's only got this...
John: I was going to make this into a WR tank too.
Jersey Jon: Mhm.
So, this is a Harley 45 frame, they took a 45 cubic inch motor.
This is the later frame.
John: Right, right.
Jersey Jon: It's got the third bolt transmission.
John: Yes, yes.
Jersey Jon: The earlier just didn't have that,
it had the two bolt transmission bolted in.
John: At first, I figured, "Well, what do they know?"
But when he started dissecting them WRs and racing bikes
and they knew all the - everything.
Jersey Jon: This is probably the front end
that was with this thing, wasn't it?
Jersey Jon: They extended it, man.
That's what the chopper idea was.
John: That's right.
Jersey Jon: They took Ford radius rods
and stuck them in there.
John: I couldn't get two words in
because they knew more than I did about this stuff.
Jersey Jon: There's a primary cover. Ah!
There's the transmission.
And this is the extension.
They use this on a three-wheeler.
John: That's right! Jersey Jon: Yep.
John: You guys are genius.
Jersey Jon: Well, I'm not a genius.
That's just the way it is.
John: But nobody knows that.
John: I don't know where they get their experience
or how they learned that.
John: What do you got to say about them two levers?
That's a brake.
Jersey Jon: Well, one was a brake, and one was a clutch.
Rob: Yep.
Jersey Jon: It was just like an automotive-style clutch.
It was up and down, up and down.
John: But the same as...
Jersey Jon: Yes, exactly. Same as WR.
You got it, brother.
Rob: Yeah.
Jersey Jon: That was your plan, to make this into a WR?
Rob: Make this into a WR? John: Yeah. That was it.
Only you would know the difference.
No one else would know the difference.
John: They're on top of it. Unbelievable.
They're so young to be that way, you know.
Jersey Jon: So, anyway,
your plan was to build a WR out of this.
John: Yes.
Jersey Jon: This was your WR kit.
John: Yep.
Jersey Jon: The WR is the ultimate factory racer.
They are extremely rare.
The strategy here is, like,
he's got a WR project
but it's not really a WR frame.
It's a 45 frame that he's modifying and using for a WR.
He's got a WR tank, a real one, which is pretty cool.
A half a tank.
And the other half is a Harley 45 tank
that's going to be modified to match.
So, this project needs a lot of work.
Jersey Jon: What's the plan now?
Is it for sale?
John: Could be.
Jersey Jon: I mean, for what we have here...
I could go 3500 bucks for this pile here.
John: Okay, let me - I'm thinking in my head.
Jersey Jon: Listen,
we don't have to make this deal right now.
I'd like to look around some more and see what else you have.
But I'm just gonna put that in your head
and maybe we can make a deal with something else too.
John: Yeah.
Jersey Jon: But just so you know where I'm at with this.
John: Okay. Jersey Jon: Okay?
[thunder]
[country music]
Maria: That looks like it would've been one of the awnings
off of one of my grandfather's client's restaurants.
Maria: We know we've got our work cut out for us.
This is the tip of the iceberg as we try to dig in.
Maria: That was the top off of the restaurant next door,
off the candy and confectionary.
Mike: How much would you sell this for?
Maria: I think I'm gonna hang onto that piece.
Maria: As we're going through things,
I really looked at items
and the pieces that were really personal
I wouldn't sell or couldn't sell.
Mike: How about that?
Maria: Uh, you know why I can't sell that?
You know why?
Mike: [laughs] No, why?
Maria: Because that's what my grandfather started selling
at the very beginning.
Standard brand.
Mike: Oh, this was his first brand that he handled?
Maria: I kept some of those pieces
that had all those really important stories
related to my grandfather and father.
Maria: Uh, here's an old gas mask.
Any interest in this?
Mike: No, no. The gas mask market sucks.
And then here is coffee.
Maria: Up here is coffee, right.
Probably won't sell that.
Mike: Because you're in the coffee business.
Maria: We hope to incorporate those into the business here.
I want to be able to share those and relay the stories.
Mike: I think these -
these might've been from a butcher shop.
Maria: 150 for three.
Mike: Woo!
I can't do 150 for three.
Maria: Oh my gosh.
Mike: Here's a University Club Championship...
Maria: Yeah, that's cool. Mike: Golf tournament.
Maria: That was a club in Peoria which is no longer.
Mike: Yeah?
Maria: But I need to see if that's silver...
Mike: The silvering is coming off of it.
Here. See how this is brown?
Maria: The silver plate you're saying?
Mike: Yeah, silver plate. That's what I'm saying.
Maria: Okay. What do you want to offer?
Mike: What are you thinking?
Maria: I loved the shape of it. I loved the engraving on it.
I thought it was just absolutely stunning.
Mike: The newest name is 1934, the oldest 1921.
Maria: Well, I'm guessing
you probably only want to give me 50 for that.
Mike: No! No, no, no.
Maria: [laughs]
Mike: Any trophy tells a story.
This one is from 1921 to the 1930s
and it's got everyone's name on it.
It's got the name of the golf course.
I mean it's an open book.
Mike: I'd pay 150.
Maria: Okay. Mike: We doing that?
Maria: Yeah. Mike: Okay.
Maria: For 150. Mike: I love it.
Mike: Anybody that golfs or collects anything golf related
would love a piece like this.
Maria: Let's go check the clock.
We haven't checked it for a while.
Let's see what's going on with that.
Mike: Okay.
Oh...
Maria: Oh, no...
Mike: Look what happened...
The spinner fell off...
Maria: Initially, we were so excited about that clock
and thought, oh man, this is gonna be a great item.
And then we saw that a piece had fallen down.
I'm like, "Oh... there goes the value on that."
Mike: So, what time is it though?
What do you got? Here, let me look.
Maria: 4:05? Mike: 4:07!
4:07, it's 4:07.
Maria: But then he pivoted a little bit though
because he was excited because it kept time.
It kept the right time
and we were - we were all pretty jazzed up about that.
Mike: 2300.
Maria: 25.
You can do it.
25, it's a nice, round number.
Easy, nice, round number.
You go from there.
Thank you, thank you, bud.
Mike: Thank you.
Maria: Appreciate it.
[rock music]
John: You guys gonna come down to the catacombs
and see my stuff down in the basement?
Jersey Jon: Yes! Rob: The catacombs?
Jersey Jon: Love the catacombs.
John: Well, uh, mice and stuff down there
so I call it the catacombs.
Rob: Oh.
John: Got to go through the house.
Rob: Alright. Jersey Jon: Let's get to it.
John: Follow me, guys.
Jersey Jon: Alright.
John: I'll take you down to the basement here.
Jersey Jon: Awesome.
John: I call it the dungeon or catacombs
or whatever you want to - whatever makes you comfortable.
Rob: Alright. Catacombs.
John: Catacombs, yep.
Rob: I like the catacombs. Jersey Jon: I'm liking it.
Rob: I like catacombs. Jersey Jon: I'm liking it.
John: Yeah, we're coming down.
Rob: Take me to the catacombs.
Jersey Jon: Catacombs, baby.
Rob: Here we go. Wow.
Rob: So, this was actually the garage?
John: I apologize. Yeah, this was the garage.
I used to have it full of cars, now it's full of crap.
Rob: Well, I don't know about full of crap.
Jersey Jon: No, it's a machine shop down here!
Jersey Jon: Oh, cool!
Jersey Jon: Oh, neat!
John: California Jay - Jim McMurren,
and all those kind of guys from California.
John: Those are pictures of the guys that rode out of my shop,
won races, and I have them hung on the wall in my shop.
Jersey Jon: What's this guy doing?
He's jumping cars?
He's Evel Knievel?
John: No, it's not Evel Knievel,
but he's better than Evel Knievel
because he jumps these cars without another ramp.
He lands flat ground.
Rob: Flat on the ground? John: Yeah.
Rob: See this, Jersey? Grand Ice Champion.
John: Yep. Rob: '74, '75, '76.
Jersey Jon: And he's got - he's got like a little
sidecar wheel on for ice racing?
Rob: The CC Power equipment Jamesville, all on Yamahas.
Jersey Jon: And they're all girls.
Rob: They're all girls. It's the Moto X team.
Jersey Jon: Oh man! John: We sponsored her. Yeah.
Jersey Jon: That photo is getting damaged down here, dude.
John: I - I can't help it.
Jersey Jon: They're getting moldy,
they're getting decrepit, they're falling apart.
John: Dust and rust corrupts everything.
Jersey Jon: To me, it's sad to see his racing career
just turning to dust and forgotten in his basement.
John: And that is Jim McMurren, and that one, he-
Rob: Right here. Santa Fe Speed Wagon.
Jersey Jon: Let me see that. Rob: 1966.
John: That's Jim McMurren right there.
John: Those guys are all championship guys.
They rode - those bikes I sold, they rode the bikes.
We were all nice to them, make sure they had -
we give them a free t-shirt and stuff like that.
Jersey Jon: Did you collect these photos
from different people, or...?
John: Well, I sold this guy that bike.
Jersey Jon: Alright, so-
John: That's one of my racing bikes
and I sold it to him and it says "Catch me, John" on there.
Jersey Jon: This is his whole life laid out before us
on the table here.
Rob: Look at that one. Ice racer?
John: Ice racing there.
Rob: Yeah. Jersey Jon: I love the photos.
This is all from the '50s?
John: Yes.
Jersey Jon: From '58 to... John: On up to '86.
Jersey Jon: It's a shame.
These photos are getting damaged down here pretty bad.
I mean the dampness down here is killing these photos.
John: Yeah. Rob: Yeah.
Jersey Jon: You know what I like about these photos?
They're so in the moment,
they're so - like, they bring you right back to that time.
Jersey Jon: 1950s flat track racing.
That is a special, iconic racing period.
John: I think that's Hershey, old Hershey there.
Jersey Jon: He's flat tracking. He's got the steel shoe on.
John: Yeah, and he's got - he's got -
he's a California guy.
They came in from California, raced at the shop.
Jersey Jon: This collection of photographs
represents John at his best,
when he was a young man racing on the track.
All his buddies are around him and the comradery -
you can feel it in these photos.
Jersey Jon: I mean, I got to ask you.
Do you want to sell these photos?
I mean, either that or get them upstairs
and put them where they're supposed to be.
John: Well... I'm not gonna be able to do that.
Rob: Let's put them in a box.
Jersey Jon: But - I'm interested in buying them all.
Jersey Jon: I mean, for period racing photos
from the '50s to '70s,
there's not only this guy's life here,
but each one of these photos has a monetary value.
Rob: 15 of them there, Jersey.
Jersey Jon: [sighs]
I'd go 500 bucks for all those photos.
John: Yeah, you got them.
Jersey Jon: Yeah? John: Yeah.
Yeah, because they'll just deteriorate down here.
Jersey Jon: Exactly.
And I'm gonna - we'll go through them
and we'll write down who each one was, and we got them.
Rob: Yeah. John: Okay.
Jersey Jon: And we got to preserve our history.
Jersey Jon: I love talking to John.
I love to hear his racing stories.
The way he was on the track.
How he was winning races,
the bikes he was winning them with.
Mike: As soon as I came in here, I saw these gas globes.
Dan: Yep. Maria: Yeah.
Mike: The one that actually says Globe on it.
Maria: Yeah.
Mike: That's a really good globe.
Maria: At one time back in my early days of starting here,
there were, just caddy corner here,
there were three different gas stations
just all on corners nearby here
and they may have come from nearby here.
Mike: Look at that.
Maria: That's a nice original.
Mike: Yeah, absolutely.
Very cool.
I'm just looking to see
if there's any cracks or any kind of chips in it or anything.
So, your dad was even collecting petroliana because it was local?
Maria: Yeah, because it was local.
Mike: Yeah. Here, you want to grab that one?
Here you go.
Dan: Got it.
Mike: High Compression...
This to me looks like something somebody made.
Or it's been touched up a lot to say the least.
That one...
the Gasoline Globe one, I'd pay uh...
1700 for.
This one, just the globe itself
I think would probably bring, to the right guy, $1000,
because it's an early globe
and there's no chips or cracks in it.
So, with that said,
I'd want to be at like 7, I mean,
to at least make that, because I'm gonna ask a grand,
and somebody's gonna be like, "I'll give you 9."
Maria: Okay. So, if you do 7 on that,
could you do 2000 on this?
Mike: I could do 18 on that and 7 on this.
I mean this is really a blank slate.
Maria: Okay, 2500 then for both.
Mike: 25? Maria: 25.
Can we do fist bump?
Mike: Fist bump! Alright.
You don't like this?
[laughter]
Mike: Here you go. Schlitz, baby.
Plastic Schlitz.
Plashtic Slit...
Plashtic Schlitz...
50 bucks.
Maria: Just that alone is worth 75.
Mike: 60 bucks.
Maria: Give me 75, come on. Mike: 60 bucks.
Maria: We haven't done 75 yet today.
Mike: Oh my gosh, 75 for this?
No, no, no.
Maria: We have not done 75.
Come on, you can sell it for 100 and make 25 bucks.
Mike: No... Oh my God, really?
Maria: Don't get down from there!
Don't get down!
Mike: I'm not getting down.
Maria: Are you just going to think about that then?
Mike: I'm not getting down. I'm walking over here.
Maria: You're just thinking about that?
[whimsical music]
Are you looking at this?
Mike: Yeah. Maria: I'm not selling it.
Mike: You're not selling this?!
Maria: You know why I'm not selling it?
I got a picture - a picture of George and Pete around it.
Dan: With that in the background.
Mike: Oh, with this in the background?
Maria: With George and Pete, the two of them together.
Mike: I love that. Maria: I just love the color.
Mike: It's a really - it's a really -
and think about the time period.
You get two quarts of ice cream for 50 cents.
Maria: Yeah.
Mike: The reverse painted glass ice cream soda piece
I feel was on the front of this building.
I think it was a transom window.
Mike: So, it would've been a window
above a plate glass window.
Maria: Yes.
Mike: Sundaes are 10 cents. That's great.
And the colors, man.
The gold gilding, the green, the red...
Mike: She's right.
It needs to stay in the family.
Mike: How about this?
Maria: That I will sell.
But that's gonna be a pretty penny too.
Mike: Okay. What's a pretty penny?
Maria: 650.
Mike: Well, I was gonna give you 7.
Maria: Okay. I'll take 7. I'll take 7.
[laughter]
Mike: I'll do 650 though. Maria: No, I'll take 7.
I like 7 better. Mike: [laughs]
[rock music]
Jersey Jon: Let's see what else you got back here, John.
John: The Stooges were in Kenosha in '66.
That's off the marquee of the theater up there.
Rob: Really?
John: On the Orpheum marquee.
Rob: Huh. They're on Masonite. The bottom is-
John: They're awful faded -
they're awfully faded, but uh...
Jersey Jon: Really well done, Robbie.
John: They're not very heavy.
John: Not very heavy. They're very light.
Jersey Jon: I mean, they're really well done.
Rob: 750.
John: Yeah, you guys can have them.
Jersey Jon: Thanks buddy.
Thank you.
Jersey Jon: Here's a 45.
This is the bike.
You can see it had to go yet.
But I mean... this thing's ready.
John: Oh, it'll start.
Rob: He said it'll start.
[motorcycle starts]
Jersey Jon: Sounds good, man.
Rob: [laughs] You haven't started this in two years?
John: No.
Jersey Jon: And it starts up on the first kick.
Rob: It's a WL. It's a 48.
Jersey Jon: 48 WL? Rob: Yeah.
Jersey Jon: It looks like it's an all-original bike.
John: No, I bought it as a pile of parts.
Jersey Jon: Oh, you put this together?
John: Yeah, my wife had Alzheimer's
and I built it in my front yard on a picnic bench.
Jersey Jon: John says that his wife goes ill, and man,
there's nothing like, you know, putting a bike together
as a therapy project to get your mind into a different spot.
Rob: Is this something you're gonna sell?
John: For the right price, it'd be for sale.
I'd sell it for the right price.
Rob: What do you think about doing a package deal
on this 45 and that 45 that's in pieces?
Jersey Jon: The pile? Rob: The pile.
Jersey Jon: This is what I'm thinking.
John: Okay.
Jersey Jon: For the bike,
the frame, the front end...
Rob: The parts.
Jersey Jon: The parts in that box we talked about earlier...
10 grand.
John: No. It'd be 12.
Jersey Jon: Hm. Rob: Okay.
John: So, the 45...
Rob: You're at 9 and 3, then?
John: Yeah.
Rob: Basically. Jersey Jon: Hm.
Jersey Jon: The Harley 45 is a really cool bike
but it's a real common bike
and we're about as tall as we can go on this bike right now.
Jersey Jon: I appreciate you letting us look at it
and, you know - but we're going to pass on it.
John: Okay. Jersey Jon: Okay.
[rock music]
John: Up there is toys.
Rob: Yeah? I'll climb up there. Some toys up here?
John: Yeah.
Rob: Oh, here's a fork, Jersey.
Jersey Jon: Get that thing down.
Rob: It's a girder. Here you go.
Dude, that's a heavy one.
Jersey Jon: Yeah.
Rob: You got it? Got it?
Jersey Jon: So, here's another iconic chopper piece.
This is a long girder frontend.
It's an extended chopper frontend.
Jersey Jon: These frontends
were the chopper frontends of the day.
But those big - those big rockers on the end?
John: Yeah.
Jersey Jon: They were sticking way out there.
But it's cool.
Rob: I see some bombs.
Jersey Jon: Oh yeah, there it goes. Woo!
John: There's a bomb up there?
Rob: Two bombs. John: Two bombs?
Rob: Yeah.
John: I thought somebody swiped those.
Thank you for finding them.
Rob: [laughs]
John: I thought somebody - I thugh those were gone.
I appreciate - I'm serious,
I appreciate you finding those bombs.
I thought somebody stole my bombs.
Jersey Jon: Want to make a deal with this real quick?
John: Why not? Jersey Jon: Okay, good.
John: Really it's - I know what you're going to say,
"It's really rusty, it's gonna take a lot of work."
Jersey Jon: I'm not even gonna say that.
John: I was reading your mind.
Jersey Jon: That's what's going on in my mind,
but I'm not gonna verbalize it.
John: [laughs] Okay.
Jersey Jon: 350. John: Take them.
Jersey Jon: Yeah? John: Yeah.
Jersey Jon: Cool. Thank you, buddy.
Jersey Jon: This front fork
goes with that king and queen seat I bought earlier.
I mean, I'm building a chopper on John's property.
Doesn't get any better than that.
John: I'll sell the bomb at the right price.
Rob: You'd sell one, or you'd sell them both?
John: Oh no, I can't sell both of them.
Rob: Okay, this one says um...
what's it say on it?
Practice... uh, bomb, hundred pounds.
That's it.
It's got blue paint on it.
John: What do you want to give me for the nice painted one
that's collectible and no flaws and all that kind of stuff?
Rob: 120 bucks.
John: You can do better than that.
I love that bomb.
Rob: [laughs]
150.
John: You wouldn't go 2?
Rob: No... I think the retail on it is 2.
I'm trying to be as fair as possible.
John: Will you give me 150 for that rusty one?
Rob: No.
John: Huh? Rob: No.
160!
John: Huh? Rob: 160 bucks.
John: 175 and that's for-
Rob: Shake his hand! Jersey Jon: 175.
Rob: Oh John, what a day. What a day, what a day.
Alright.
Jersey Jon: Got that buddy? Rob: Yeah.
Jersey Jon: [whistles] It was a real pleasure.
Jersey Jon: It's amazing.
This guy's in his late 80s, he remembers everything.
It's so nice to spend the day with John.
And to bring me back to his races.
He's so excited to recall this.
I can hear it in his voice. I can feel it.
Rob: Come see us in Davenport!
Jersey Jon: Yeah, come on down to Davenport!
John: Whoa!
I'll bring my bike out there!
You guys have a great one. Hey, take care!
John: I'm at 89 years old, going to be 90.
I can say that life's wonderful...
John: Hey! Come again. [laughs]
Jersey Jon: Oh yeah!
John: If I'm alive!
John: You know, it's like going to a racetrack.
It's another adventure.
You're nervous, don't know what to expect.
Jersey Jon: Hey, keep on racing man!
John: Thanks!
John: And then once it's all over, it's wonderful.
John: Appreciate you guys!
[rock music]
Mike: What about these?
What are you thinking on the clock?
Would you sell these?
Maria: Yeah. Yeah, I'd let those go.
I'm thinking 250 apiece.
Mike: Yeah...
Maria: Maxwell House.
Mike: This is the only one with a piece of glass on it.
Too much on them. What about the letters?
Do you remember what this said before they...
Maria: I don't know. I'd like to pull those out.
I'd really like to take them out
because I'd like a strike at seeing what it says,
actually, before we talk about price on that.
Mike: C...
A...
S...
There's 19, 20, 21, 22.
There's 22 letters.
I mean it'd be -
it'd be kinda hard to figure out what exactly it spelled,
you know what I mean?
What are you thinking?
Maria: I'd like 500 for the whole set.
Mike: Okay.
And if I find out what it spells,
I'll let you know.
Maria: Oh... Mike: [laughs]
Mike: Look at this thing.
This situation.
This is a situation here that I'm kind of - kind of liking.
It's got the cabinet. Is it on wheels?
Maria: Mhm. Yes.
Mike: Oh yeah.
Oh, look!
Maria: Oh my gosh.
Mike: You put the tanks right there.
Look at this thing. Ha!
That's pretty cool.
And then it's got this sign.
Where does that go? Where's that...
Oh, I see. Right here.
Maria: Perfect.
Mike: Look at that. Look at that!
Maria: That's perfect. Mike: Oh my gosh.
Maria: I have no idea about the clown we saw today.
It may show up in a horror movie some place.
[stock woman scream]
Dan: It was surprisingly complete.
It had the compressor in there.
It even had the cover for covering the tanks.
Somebody was using it up until the point that we got it.
Mike: 500 bucks.
Maria: 650.
Mike: 550.
Maria: Okay.
Mike: Every kid goes through a phase
where helium is better than oxygen.
Mike: Alright. Here we go.
Maria: We're really thankful today that Mike came.
Maria: You're a winner. Mike: I know.
Thank you! I love this.
I love this trophy.
Maria: It's hard
when you're looking back over your history
and all the years,
grandfather's years, father's years, our years.
Mike: Thanks for sharing your family's story with me.
And the community's.
Maria: I can sense that he could feel that.
Dan: It's been a great time. Maria: Thanks, Mike.
Mike: Thank you, guys. Dan: Thank you, Mike.
Mike: Imagine,
all of this started from her grandfather selling coffee
out of the trunk of his car,
to needing building after building after building.
[honk, honk]
Mike: See you in Iowa!
Maria: Bye, Mike! Dan: Bye!
Maria: Thank you! Mike: It's incredible.