BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — If you're a collector, you may be familiar with the History Channel show American Pickers, where a team of antiques experts led by Mike Wolfe travel around the country to see what they can find in the collections of those with a passion for all things Americana.
One of those collectors, Marc McCaslin, has been collecting rare treasures from Kern County and California history since his elementary school days. His collection, including a prop truck that showed up in Captain America: The First Avenger, has caught the attention of Wolfe and "Jersey" Jon Szalay, who brought American Pickers to Kern County to check it out.
"It was kind of an interesting day," said McCaslin. "They came out to use the property only for backdrops, so when Mike and Jersey Jon started looking around, they kind of looked at each other and said 'Why aren't we filming this for an episode?' And they looked at me and said 'Hey, let's do an episode,' and I wasn't going to say no."
McCaslin credits his collection to his fascination with local history and his desire to keep that history alive.
"Everything has a story. I remember where everything came from, how I got it," said McCaslin.
McCaslin remembers driving the truck used in The First Avenger down the Grapevine from Santa Clarita to Bakersfield. He says only 3 trucks were made for the film but 2 had been repainted since filming, making his such a rare find he couldn't bring himself to drive it any faster than 45 miles per hour all the way home.
"This is the only one left in the world, and so even the guys on American Pickers were really excited to see this," said McCaslin.
McCaslin originally reached out to American Pickers 4 years ago to feature his collection on the show, and in January they came out to film. They spent more than 6 hours on his property looking at every item in his collection and choosing which items to buy.
McCaslin says he deals with challenges making ends meet as a small family farmer, and that selling some of his collectibles eases the burden.
"They always love porcelain signs, so this one right here, the Preston Tires sign I got from the owner and I wanted to be the caretaker, they wanted to buy it, but this is local history and I just couldn't let it go," said McCaslin.
"That local history for me has to stay local," McCaslin continued. "If it gets sold and shipped off to another state, it gets lost, so I really want to keep local history here in Kern County."
McCaslin says he plans to continue collecting. The episode of American Pickers on the History Channel featuring his collection will be airing on August 2, 2023.
