I have met both Mike and Frank in my travels for a former employer. Spoke with Frank at great length in Kewanee, IL. I won't give away what he was trying to buy...but he has been trying to buy it for almost 20 years...without success! They are very genuine guys...but parts of the show are pre-arranged. They do have buyers for most of the items before the show airs...other wise, they wouldn't show the pricing side of things (it would obviously hurt their ability to negotiate the re-sale if you really knew their purchase price).
I actually semi-caravaned with them for 150+ miles of one of their Midwest trips. We were going the same way, so we ran together and stopped for lunch together. This was completely out of camera view, of course. They were very down-to-earth and their personalities were very close to that of their TV personas. They got a real call from Dannie-D (Oh, what a woman! But, I digress...) and I got to talk to her for about two minutes (she was gushing about my "Southern Gentleman accent"!). No one at the little diner knew who they were, so lunch was very peaceful and laid back. At that time, their Sprinter did not even have the sticker on it or the front license plate from their retail store.
As to the reply about their impact on sign costs, I mostly agree. I have been in the sign "hobby/business" for many years. Prices were really on the rise for the small signs (think no bigger than 3' x 5') before AP even came on the air. It is their impact on petroliana, as a whole, that has affected many of us. It is akin to the "Barret-Jackson Effect"...every man's piece of coal now seems to have diamond pricing...just because "did you see how much they sold it for on 'Pickers'?"
For example, I had brokered a deal for a visible gas pump, one of the last Wayne visible models, from a guy in Georgia. We made the deal on Monday of one week, let's say. But, it was going to be two weeks before I made it down to pick up the pump. By the time I was ready to leave on the following Friday, he reneged on the price...wanting to triple it! His reason? "I saw this same pump on American Pickers for $XXXX...I think you are trying to pull one over on me!" The funny part? HE is the one who set the price in the first place! I even offered an extra $50 so he would hold it the two weeks...he declined...
Anyway, just thought I'd toss in my $0.02...most people could care less about either of those stories, so it is nice to get to share it!;D