Robbie: I like big barns.
Danielle: We're going to get dirty.
Mike: Think about the life this has had.
Maggi: Oh I know it.
Danielle: Oh... It's gorgeous.
Robbie: Holy cow.
Danielle: Now we're finding really fun stuff.
These will be super fun for kids to buy.
Maggi: You're not going to find them anywhere else.
Mike: How about $1,000?
Maggi: Oh no, it worth more than that.
Mike: [chuckles]
danielle: Whaaat!
Ray: These are all the original crates.
Danielle: This is like indiana jones, man!
Maggi: Keep looking, honey.
Mike: I know, I'm looking, I'm looking.
Maggi: Keep on looking.
Robbie: The wolf whistle, right there.
Mike: This.
Maggi: Yeah.
Mike: I'm seeing it firsthand, in person.
Ray: I mean, you break it, you buy it.
[clicking noise]
[pounding]
♪♪
mike: I'm like 10 minutes away from there.
Danielle: Bell buckle is absolutely adorable,
and I'm sending you to meet maggi vaughn.
Maggi's a poet, author, songwriter.
I mean, this woman has done it all.
I mean, she's been collecting her entire life.
Mike: That sounds incredible.
What kind of stuff does she have?
Danielle: She's got music memorabilia,
but she also loves art.
I've been talking to maggi for months,
and she has something that I'm just dying to
get my hands on for a friend.
So can you please, please sweet-talk her
and just see if she'll sell it?
Mike: Of course I will.
Danielle: Alright, honey, bu -bye, thanks.
Mike: Bye.
Mike: Hey-hey!
Shirley: Hey.
Mike: You maggi?
Shirley: Uh no, I'm shirley.
I've been helping maggi about 10 years-
mike: Oh.
Shirley: -I was expecting danielle.
Mike: Oh I'm sorry, she couldn't make it. I'm mike.
Shirley: Okay. Good to meet you, mike.
Mike: She probably went over some of the- I don't know if
she's talked to you on the phone or she talked to maggi.
But this is some of the stuff that we're looking for.
Shirley: Okay.
Mike: Shirley is working hard to help maggi organize stuff and
start to begin the process of what she wants to sell
and what she doesn't.
Mike: So dani said she had a lot of eclectic stuff.
Shirley: Yeah, she has a lot.
Mike: Whoa!
Shirley: Now you can see what I'm dealing with,
it's been a little bit overwhelming.
She has 2 more barns full of stuff.
Mike: I get it, I do.
A lot of this stuff doesn't seem that old,
it's like contemporary household stuff.
Ugh... Looks like a garden gnome...
This is cool...
This isn't really old, but I mean in the scheme of things,
it's 44 years old.
Bicentennial year piece.
She's got $5 on it.
Shirley: Right.
Probably bought it 40 years ago.
Mike: Oh yeah... Designed by george little.
And it's not signed anywhere.
It's colorful, it's got a lot of history.
You know, it's got everything from
the grand ole opry to memphis.
It's got some age to it, obviously, it's 1976.
And then the frame looks handmade.
Shirley: Yeah it is.
Mike: What do you guys got to have for it?
Shirley: She's priced it to a couple of people for 150 bucks.
Mike: You think she'd do any better?
Shirley: It's possible, let's go see.
She's over here in the office.
Mike: Yeah. Is it air-conditioned in there?
Shirley: It's cool in here.
Mike: Alright, good. I like it already.
Hey-hey!
Shirley: Maggi.
Maggi: Hi.
Shirley: This is mike.
Mike: I'm definitely in the right place.
There's all this art.
Maggi: Hey mike!
Mike: I work with danielle.
Maggi: Oh great!
Mike: Yeah, you got great stuff.
We've been digging around the shed out there.
Maggi: Oh well thank you.
Maggi: My name is margaret britton vaughn.
I was born in murfreesboro, tennessee,
but I grew up in gulfport, mississippi.
And people call me maggi.
Maggi: Oh well I've been talking to danielle. I- I...
Mike: That's what she said.
Maggi: Yeah.
Mike: Well she was telling me that you're an author,
and a poet, and a songwriter.
Maggi: Yeah, yeah.
I wrote the official bicentennial poem for tennessee.
It's hanging in the capitol and everywhere.
Mike: Really.
Maggi: Well, for years I was in the advertising business,
sold advertising.
But a little over 25 years ago, I moved to bell buckle
and started writing for a living.
And oh that's hard, but it's the love of the job.
Maggi: Yeah, I write every day, practically.
Mike: Do you really?
Maggi: Yeah.
Mike: So when you say writing, are you still writing songs?
Maggi: Well, I still write songs.
But I'm working mostly on the books.
I- I've got a lot of songs written that I need to
pitch somewhere to...
Mike: Okay.
Maggi: Loretta usually sees everything I write first.
She wants to...
Mike: No kidding. Maggi: Yeah.
Mike: You got that kind of relationship with her.
Maggi: Oh loretta and I go back to 1961.
Wilburn brothers signed me to write and...
Mike: Okay.
Maggi: ...Put me with her.
Mike: Oh wow.
Maggi: Said we wrote a lot alike.
I wrote my first country music song in the third grade.
I took it to mama and I said,
"mama I want to be a poet and a songwriter.
And here's my first song."
and it was titled "here I sit alone at the bar."
mike: [laughs]
maggi: Country music is poetry.
Mike: Yes it is.
Maggi: It's stories.
Maggi: I tell young children when I speak to a lot of
schools, follow your dreams, follow what
you're supposed to do in life.
And recognize that everybody's born with burning in the belly,
you just got to figure out what it's about,
and make sure no one pours water on it.
Maggi: My favorite building in the whole world,
mike, is the ryman. And my first-
mike: Yeah.
And when you sit in those pews and there's not a
bad seat in the house.
Maggi: Oh no, no.
My first book was about the ryman.
It was the ryman speaking about all her children. And-
mike: Oh it's from the voice of the ryman.
Maggi: The- the ryman, yeah.
Mike: Oh wow.
Maggi: It was called "50 years of Saturday nights"
it was when, it was the 50th anniversary.
Mike: My connection to maggi right away is music history,
especially nashville history.
Mike: Alright, so you got...
Maggi: Okay.
Mike: Out there, in the shed...
Maggi: Okay, yeah.
Mike: ...I pulled out a bicentennial piece.
Very colorful, a handmade frame.
Maggi: Yeah.
Mike: She said you priced it at 150.
Maggi: It's worth that to me, you know.
Mike: Yeah.
Maggi: And I collect country music stuff and- and history.
Mike: Yeah.
Maggi: It's hard to let go of it.
Mike: I understand.
Maggi: But I'm trying to put out some more books.
Mike: Okay.
Maggi: And I need money.
Maggi: I'm selling a lot of these things because
I self-publish my books.
I've got 4 books I've written since I've been
cooped up for months.
Maggi: You got $150?
Mike: So you want 150?
Maggi: 150.
Mike: I'll do that.
Maggi: Alright.
Mike: I very much appreciate you.
Maggi: Thank you.
Shirley: I'm glad you guys got together on that,
and I'm going to get back out before it gets
too hot and sort some more.
Mike: Alright, thank you!
Maggi: Okay.
Thank you, shirley.
Mike: She's awesome.
Maggi: Oh yeah.
She's been so helpful.
Maggi: The community in bell buckle is family.
Everybody looks after everybody.
Maggi: I moved here and honey, I'll die here.
This is it for me.
Mike: It's beautiful.
Maggi: And I became poet laureate when I was here,
and wrote my books here, except the one grand ole opry book.
Mike: When you're a creative person,
you're always somewhere else in your mind.
So when you find that special place that like,
cradles your thoughts and your heart,
that's when you know you're home.
That's how she felt about bell buckle.
Mike: You're pretty clever with your space.
Maggi: The paintings on the ceilings, and...
Mike: Yeah.
I saw this painting on the ceiling here,
it's like a cut-out.
Maggi: Yeah, hee haw.
When they were in the corn field.
Mike: Buck owens?
Maggi: Yeah.
Mike: Yeah, and roy clark?
Maggi: And roy.
Mike: I remember watching that when I was a kid.
Maggi: Yeah.
Mike: Hee haw was one of my favorite shows.
I remember coming home and watching that because it was
funny, it was a variety show, there was a lot of talent,
there was music.
It had everything to me when I was a kid.
But if you think about the ripple effect of hee haw,
it's huge.
Green acres, petticoat junction,
dukes of hazzard, beverly hillbillies.
All of these shows have one thing in common -
and that is southern charm.
Mike: Okay yeah, I see grandpa jones is right here.
Maggi: Yeah.
Mike: And there's minnie.
I mean, what are you thinking on those?
Those are cool.
Maggi: Oh I don't know.
Mike: It'll be cool to keep them as a set.
Maggi: Well I don't know, you- you're the buyer.
Sellers, honey, you know, we- we won't know what we can get.
Mike: Well you- but you- you- it looks like you've
been buying and selling a lot.
I mean, there's a lot of stuff in here.
Maggi: You know, people know I collect grand ole opry...
Mike: Yeah.
Maggi: ...And bring it, and sell it to me.
It probably came from opryland when they closed,
I don't know.
Mike: Yeah.
Maggi: Or it could be when uh hee haw shut down.
Mike: Wherever they came from, I mean,
they've got some age to them, and they're done really well.
Buck owens, roy clark, minnie pearl,
grandpa - they're incredible.
They're more than I would have expected here.
Maggi: You're not going to find them anywhere else.
Mike: No I know.
How about $1,000?
Maggi: Alright.
That'll work.
Mike: That was easy!
Maggi: That was easy.
Mike: [laughs] we do the deal at $1,000 and there's still
plenty of stuff to look at in that room.
Maggi: Keep looking, honey.
Mike: I know, I'm looking, I'm looking!
Maggi: Keep on looking!
Robbie: Where are we going today?
Danielle: We're going to go see my little ray of sunshine.
Robbie: Ray of sunshine?
Danielle: Yeah, guy named ray.
He used to work in the government, ex-military.
Robbie: Yeah?
Danielle: This property he inherited from his
uncle who passed away.
Robbie: Okay.
Danielle: There is a massive barn stacked with like old
ford cars and...
Robbie: I'm getting jazzed right now...
Big barn.
Danielle: Yeah. I cannot wait for you to see this barn.
Robbie: Right here.
Danielle: Whoa, whoa, whoa...
Yep, yep-yep-yep.
Robbie: Holy cow.
Danielle: I know! It's so big!
Robbie: Wow, this place looks amazing.
Danielle: I know, look at it.
Robbie: Wow, see what's in there?
Danielle: Yeah. [honks horn]
robbie: Man, look at the size of this friggin' barn.
Danielle: Nuts, right? Hello!
Robbie: Hello!
Robbie: As we're walking in, I see a world war ii jeep,
I see a model a, there's a 1950s truck in the back corner -
this is going to be a good day.
Danielle: This place is outrageous.
Ray: Hey dani, how are you?
Danielle: Nice to see you. Robbie: Wow!
Ray: My pleasure.
Danielle: This is robbie.
Ray: Hey robbie.
Robbie: Hey, thanks for having us out.
Ray: Ray.
Robbie: So this was your uncle's place.
Ray: Yeah.
Ray: My uncle was, he was a really interesting guy.
I didn't realize how interesting he was until after we
inherited all of this and I started looking through it.
Robbie: Wow.
Ray: He was a world war ii vet, he did 2 tours out in
the philippines as a medic back in the army air corps.
Danielle: Wow.
Ray: And came back here, started his own garbage business
with my other 2 uncles.
This was his first garage, which is why he cut all these beams
out of here, so his trucks could fit in here.
Robbie: Yeah.
Ray: After he retired from that business back in the early '80s,
he started working on his passion which was model a fords.
Ray: I would like to have the collection go to people who have
the same passion for the history that's involved
in these things that he had.
Danielle: So were you guys close?
Ray: When I was in college back here,
back in the late '70s, early '80s,
yeah we were talking all the time.
Ray: I had an old 1948 ford f-1 pickup,
find out that the motor is shot.
I took a flathead out, I put a 289 in there.
Fortunately for me, the valve guides were cracked,
and I had a 1970 302, and I just plopped the heads on there.
Ray: And I got it all fixed up, I got it all painted,
so proud of it, I took it up to my uncle's garage,
all 3 of uncles are there, and they come out and they're like,
"oh my god, you destroyed this truck!"
danielle: [laughs] purists.
Robbie: Yeah.
Ray: You destroyed it!
Except for my uncle carl, he comes over,
leans on the hood and says, "so how did you do that?"
and so you know, I explained how I did it.
And then fast forward to my 20 years in the state department,
come back here...
Robbie: Yeah.
Ray: ...To the states, my uncle had passed away 3 days after
I came back from my last posting.
Robbie: Yeah.
Ray: I uncover this...
Danielle: [laughs]
ray: ...And here we have a 1952 with a 302 slapped in it...
Robbie: Dude.
Danielle: That's awesome.
Ray: He had gone ahead, and he had started to do
the same thing that I was doing.
Danielle: Aww...
Robbie: He built one.
Ray: He built one himself.
Robbie: Yeah.
Danielle: He left a little message for you.
Ray: Yeah.
Ray: Wow, you know what, that is cool.
That was a message to me from him.
Ray: I wouldn't mind finishing this thing up
and getting it running.
Robbie: This '55 truck, I'd love to have it.
But this is a project that his uncle started,
and ray needs to finish it and drive this thing.
Danielle: Let's check out the rest of it.
Ray: Okay, let's go.
Ray: There's a lot to look at...
Robbie: Yeah.
Ray: ...An awful lot to look at here.
Danielle: Ray, what's up here?
Ray: I have no idea.
This place has been here since 1841.
Danielle: The thing about a building that was built in 1841,
is that it holds all kinds of secrets.
Danielle: Ooh, at least the floor's not squishy.
Danielle: You don't know what's in the rafters ever.
This is the ultimate treasure hunt.
Danielle: Whoa -ho-ho-ho-ho...
Robbie: This was the guy's work area.
He was putting these projects together.
There's gaskets, there's door handles,
there's so many parts.
I could fill the whole van up with fenders.
Danielle: Find the deepest, darkest nether regions, right...
Robbie: You know, we're not an auto parts store.
We can't sell carburetors or manifolds.
Not too many guys are walking in our store going,
"hey, you got a door handle for a model a?"
but accessories?
Those are the things that people are looking for.
Robbie: Hmm.
Robbie: This lens is an accessory.
This is a piece that makes your car different.
Robbie: There's 2 of them in here. Hey ray.
Ray: Yeah.
Robbie: These are like new-old stock.
Robbie: You unscrewed your lens and put this lens in there.
Robbie: 14. This would be a...
That would be for a model a.
Yeah, that would fit.
So it'd be model a.
That's pretty cool.
Ray: Yeah, I did a little research on those.
Robbie: Yeah?
Ray: And uh the company macbeth was based in
pittsburgh at that time.
Robbie: Right.
Ray: Apparently there was a- a problem with the lights,
there were a lot of complaints about the glare from headlights.
Robbie: Yeah? Yeah.
Ray: So they needed to make something with
a little hood on it.
Robbie: Yeah.
Ray: So they decided to come up with these.
Robbie: That something you want to sell?
Ray: Absolutely.
Robbie: 25 bucks, for the set.
Ray: Make it 35.
Robbie: 30.
Ray: You got it.
Robbie: Alright.
Ray: It's yours.
Robbie: Appreciate it. Thanks.
♪♪
mike: There's just too much to look at in here.
Maggi: Well, I collect.
Mike: You look around the room, you can obviously see
that she's into folk art, but it's more contemporary,
it's artists that are working now.
I'm more into the older stuff, and I'm not seeing any of that.
But I mean, peeling back the layers,
there's so much cool stuff here.
Mike: How about this banjo right here?
What about something like that?
Oh yeah.
It says, "fat" f-a-t.
That might have been someone's initials.
Maggi: I have no idea.
Mike: That's a maybell.
Maggi: Maybell, I mean, they're kind of rare.
Mike: Yeah, it's 1930s.
Maggi: Yeah.
Mike: Okay.
Maggi: I just collect old instruments.
Mike: I love them, I love them.
Mike: A lot of the instruments are rough.
But I'm not looking at them the way a
musician would look at them.
I'm looking at them from a perspective of whoever's
going to buy this, they're not going to care
that there's a hole in the back of it.
They're going to want to just put it on a wall.
It represents like how they feel about music,
how it makes them feel.
Mike: In this condition, what do you think it's worth?
Maggi: 200. Best to go with 200.
It's worth more than that, I think, but...
Mike: I mean, I think you're right on the money.
Maggi: Yeah.
Mike: I'll pay the 200 for this.
Maggi: Uh -huh. I'm a nut.
Mike: Let me go- let me go, can I come behind there with you?
Maggi: Sure, you come on.
Mike: So is this original?
This piece.
Maggi: Yeah, that came from the ryman.
That's priceless.
Mike: Damn right it is.
Maggi: Yeah.
I love the grand old opry.
Mike: Oh my gosh, is that- that's got to be you.
Maggi: That's- mike: Look at that.
Maggi: Yeah. That's-
mike: What year was that taken?
Maggi: Oh my god, that was '60s, maybe '70s.
Mike: Tell me about this moment.
Maggi: Well, we were at minnie's... Office.
A photographer was there.
Mike: Yeah.
Maggi: And snapped those of us.
Mike: What are you doing here, what are you doing?
Maggi: That's cutting up.
Mike: Yeah. [laughs]
maggi: Cutting up.
Mike: It's loretta lynn, her, and minnie pearl.
And maggi looks the same.
She's got the same glasses, the same haircut,
you know, same smile.
What a life.
Mike: What was the industry like then?
Maggi: Oh well the industry back then,
everybody was friends and knew each other,
and we were family.
Minnie was like another mother to me, and mentor.
Minnie got my first book published for me.
Oh I loved that woman.
Mike: I think when people are around other people that they
can see realize their dreams, and they realize that they're
not just dreams, they can come true.
I think that's what nashville is like,
and probably this town.
Maggi: That's right, yeah.
Mike: Whether they're a songwriter,
actors, musicians, nashville is a place where they come to
realize their dreams, because there's collaboration there,
there's mentors there, and the city is just on fire
with the energy of creativity.
Maggi: I used to be upstairs at tootsies
with them every Saturday night.
Mike: Uh-huh, yeah.
Maggi: You know, we'd go between the shows...
Mike: Who's everybody?
Maggi: All the grand ole opry people.
Mike: People like loretta lynn, minnie pearl,
little jimmy dickens, porter wagoner.
I mean, that was the circle of people that she hung out with.
She was talking about how close-knit the opry family was.
And so seeing these photographs brings all of that to life.
Mike: You know what I'm going to say to you that
you've probably heard a million times.
Thank you for sharing.
Maggi: Well thank you, thank you for asking.
Mike: Yeah.
Mike: Maggi wasn't just hanging out with the giants
of nashville music history, she was one of them.
Maggi: This is an old dobro.
Mike: Yeah, old dobro mandolin.
Maggi: Yeah.
Mike: This is obviously, had some issues, and then...
Maggi: Yeah, yeah.
Mike: It looks like here the- the neck has been broke.
You can see it's all been bolted together.
Maggi: I don't know, you know.
Mike: But still, I mean, that's a great piece to hang on a wall.
Maggi: Yeah, yeah...
Mike: Think about the life this has had.
Maggi: Oh I know it.
Mike: These instruments are worn out,
but in a good way.
They've got a story to tell.
You can just look at them and you can imagine the front porch,
you know, or the stage, or that smoky bar room.
I mean, that's what I see when I see these.
Mike: 150.
Maggi: Alright, 150 sounds great. Alright.
Mike: Alright, we're doing it? Okay.
Maggi: You like that, you need to come in the house.
Every room has a theme.
Mike: Alright, I want to see that.
Robbie: Ray...
Ray: You like my firestone sign?
Robbie: Yeah I do. 500.
Ray: Would you do 6?
Robbie: 550, that's it.
Ray: Now we're talking, 550, you got it.
Robbie: Alright.
These 2 '29 plates, and these 3 porcelain plates.
Ray: Um-hm.
Robbie: 2-and- a-quarter.
Ray: Alright, we'll do 2-and-a-quarter.
Robbie: Alright, thanks.
It's like christmas around here.
Ray: It is.
Danielle: Oh I'm getting excited,
now we're finding really fun stuff.
Robbie: Robots are popular.
Danielle: For all 4, how do you feel about 200?
Ray: I feel good about it.
Danielle: Yeah!
Danielle: I have a love for smalls.
I get to see the faces of the kids that walk in the shop.
Danielle: Basket of goodies here.
Danielle: And I get to see the faces of younger collectors
who are just starting out and can't afford the big pieces.
Danielle: I like this stuff because kids can come in with a
$5 bill, $20 bill and be able to walk out with something fun.
Ray: Yeah.
Danielle: It's important that you pay attention to the smalls,
you pay attention to the things that are maybe
not super high dollar.
Robbie: 10 bucks.
Ray: You got it.
Robbie: Alright.
Danielle: Make sure everybody has an opportunity
to experience the joy of just collecting antiques,
and learning about history.
Danielle: What do you want for this box?
Ray: Throw me a number.
Danielle: I'll give you 30.
Ray: That sounds reasonable.
Danielle: Perfect.
Robbie: Check these out.
All n-o-s in the boxes.
They call that chevy owl.
It went on the front, and his eyes glowed.
Robbie: These things are an extension of who you were,
or who you are.
Danielle: The color of my soul right there.
Robbie: There it is.
Robbie: They made your car, your truck,
your motorcycle stand out.
Robbie: Ahoo-hoo-hoo...!
Danielle: Ah, it's a bulldog!
Robbie: So dani, you know when you were leclaire and you used
to walk down the street, you hear the [wolf whistles].
Danielle: Yeah.
Robbie: Yeah, that was a guy driving by with the
wolf whistle right there.
There it is.
Danielle: That's the woo-woo whistle!
Robbie: That's it.
Danielle: What! This is great.
Robbie: Ray, the whole box... 800 bucks.
Ray: Sounds good to me.
[wolf whistles]
♪♪
ray: Hopefully we'll be able to get this door open.
Danielle: Woo...
Robbie: Holy cow.
Wow, look at the floor here, dani!
Ray: Yeah, this was an old bowling alley.
Robbie: Hey... Hey...
Danielle: Heh, the impalas definitely made
an impressions on it.
Robbie: This is a '64 impala ragtop.
Danielle: Gorgeous.
Danielle: It was incredible.
I think all of us were drooling.
Ray: My uncle bought this car new,
it's got 61,000 miles on it.
He got this right after he got married, and he
parked this thing in here in the early '90s, I think?
That was the last time it was out.
It's a cool car.
You just can't look at that car and go,
that's not cool.
It is beautiful.
Before his knees got bad, he would come in here,
and he would crank it over.
You can see, I think he's got the plugs out...
Robbie: The plugs are out, dani.
Ray: ...So his old trick was to put a mixture of
transmission fluid and kerosene in there.
Robbie: Oh he's...
Robbie: To keep it loose. Robbie: Yeah.
Robbie: The only thing better than a '64 impala,
is the '64 ragtop, and that's what this is!
Everybody wants a convertible.
Ray: As you can see, he oiled up all the chrome and everything...
Danielle: It's real- yeah...
Ray: If you look underneath in the fender wells,
he oiled everything, greased everything underneath there,
'cause there's no rust on this car.
Robbie: Wait- wait a second here,
you're saying no rust and we're in-
ray: We're in pennsylvania.
Robbie: [chuckles]
ray: You know how rare that is?
Robbie: I don't know, we'll have to see.
I need to climb underneath the thing.
Robbie: The whole underneath of the car has got oil on it.
If I didn't know that's how he preserved things,
I would seriously think there's a problem with this car.
Ray: If you can climb underneath there,
you're doing one better than me.
Danielle: How's it look?
Robbie: From what I can see, it looks okay.
I can't see...
Robbie: It's sitting on a bowling floor that's collapsed,
so it's almost sitting on the ground.
I can't get underneath it.
Ray: The floor won't go down anymore, I'm sure.
Robbie: Well, here's the question before
I get too invested in this thing, ray. Is it for sale?
Ray: Absolutely.
For the right price, definitely.
Robbie: You have a number in mind on it?
Ray: There's no key for it, that's the only key that I
couldn't find when I went through everything.
He- he squirreled it away somewhere and you know,
maybe he took it with him, I don't know,
'cause this was his pride and joy.
Uh but... Considering the condition,
the rarity of the vehicle and the popularity of it,
I know that average price for this runs like almost
27- 26-8, something like that.
Robbie: Okay.
Ray: The low price is around 12.
I'd be willing to let it go for 20.
Robbie: Okay.
Danielle: Hey robbie.
How do you feel about calling david tennessee,
the impala guy?
Robbie: I'd say, you know, if you don't mind.
Ray: No absolutely, go right ahead.
Robbie: You know, that's all that guy does, is impalas.
I mean, anything that we can do to help you or-
and help us is a good thing.
Danielle: Yeah.
Robbie: Unless you're my brother,
you realize that you can't know everything about everything.
Dani has built relationships with people over the years that
are experts in their field, and dave is our impala guy.
Robbie: Let me take a few pictures.
Ray: Alright.
[camera shutter sfx]
robbie: Vin number tells all.
See where the paint is on here? That's the tape line.
You know, one bad thing that really stinks is
we can't open this trunk.
Ray: Yeah, no kidding.
Robbie: Why was the back end repainted?
If we can't get the trunk open, was there patch panels,
was this car actually hit and fixed at one time?
Was there some damage that's hidden here?
I don't know.
Robbie: Alright, I sent those off.
I want to look at a couple of things.
Ray: Okay.
Robbie: Dani, you finding anything?
Danielle: Hey uh...
Guys yeah, I actually found something that
I think I really am interested in.
Danielle: I found a box of vintage playsuits and swimsuits,
and beachwear.
That is my life.
Danielle: Your aunt was pretty cute with her little swimsuit
collection, wasn't she?
Ray: [laughs]
ray: My uncle's wife, she was into fashion,
especially '50s -type fashion.
Danielle: There's some really cute pieces in here.
Look at this one.
Stop it right now.
Danielle: Some of the hottest items in fashion,
especially historical fashion,
are going to be bathing suits and beachwear.
Danielle: This is a great piece.
The issue is the condition...
Ray: Um-hm, right.
Danielle: ...The condition is definitely not great.
Ray: Yeah.
It's been in the barn for a long time. So...
Danielle: Yeah.
Ray: ...I rescued it and put it in these containers.
Danielle: I'm glad you did, because these tell a really
important story about women's history.
Danielle: A lot of these came from the '50s,
they're post-war, women were wanting to express themselves.
They wanted to actually feel feminine.
Danielle: Look at this one - satin, black satin.
And that represents a pivotal moment in women's history.
Then it also kind of speaks to that time
when bikinis became popular.
Danielle: And these type of bathing suits ushered in
the sexual revolution of the 1960s.
Ray: They can see the history through the-
through the clothing, fashion.
Danielle: Through beachwear, specifically too.
Ray: Right.
Danielle: Because that was...
Ray: 'cause the social mores were changing.
Danielle: There you go.
What would you sell these for?
Ray: Throw me a number.
Danielle: For the amount of work that I'm probably going to have
to put into these pieces to get the stains out,
I'm thinking...
For this bin, I'll do 100 bucks.
Ray: You just bought yourself bathing suits.
Danielle: Yeah! Awesome!
Danielle: These bathing suits speak to
the diversity of clientele that comes into the shop.
It's not just a shop for dudes; it's a shop for everybody.
♪♪
mike: So how old is this house?
Maggi: I... I think it was built in the 1920s.
Maggi: Every room has a theme, and I have a
grand ole opry room.
I love art.
And I love things that belong to other people.
Things that have a story behind it.
Maggi: And the dining room's mark twain.
Mike: I saw that, mark twain.
Maggi: And the kitchen is new orleans.
Maggi: Bell buckle is an art town.
I try to support artists that are near here.
Mike: Look at this...
Maggi!
Maggi: Yeah.
Yeah, mannequin.
Mike: Oh my gosh, look at her.
Maggi: Yeah, she's a good'un.
Maggi: I bought it because it kind of reminded me of a
new orleans character.
Mike: Riza... Rizalina...
Maggi: Yeah, she's old.
Mike: This is a 1930s high -end, high-fashion
department store display.
This is when displays were made as art objects.
Really high quality, it actually even has
real deal, human hair.
Mike: 200.
Maggi: 250.
Mike: 2-and-a-quarter.
Maggi: Alright.
Mike: Everything that maggi collects speaks to her on
a different level than most collectors,
because she is looking at it from an artist's eye.
Mike: What about these old journals?
Maggi: I think there are several under there.
Mike: The leather-bound ledgers that are really large,
that have that big binding on the outside with the ribs,
that's what everybody's looking for, for décor,
to the point where they're actually reproducing
stuff like this, believe it or not.
People are stacking them, and then putting an item on top.
Mike: Four.
Mike: You have to stay relevant, you have to stay current,
and these leather ledgers are hot.
And I very rarely find original ones anymore,
because they constantly get snapped up or the leather gets
so bad that they just don't present very well.
Maggi: Yeah, they got some writing in there,
what people paid for stuff.
Mike: Yeah.
100-and-a-half.
Maggi: Oh...
Mike: [chuckles] maggi: More than that. 225.
Mike: I mean, I'm thinking 200.
Maggi: Alright.
Since you're buying some other stuff.
Maggi: I've had people come over and say,
you know, if you didn't have all this,
you'd have a million dollars.
And you, even don't even go into the rooms to see it a lot.
And I said, but I know where it is,
and I know what it is.
And it all has a story.
Mike: Ohh maggi! Ooh...
Maggi: Yeah. I think that was a circus ad.
Mike: To me it looks like something straight
out of like a...
I don't know, just a cheap motel.
But that's what's great about it.
Maggi: Yeah.
Mike: See the snake?
Maggi: Yeah.
Mike: The snake is there.
Maggi: The horse rearing up, yeah.
Mike: The snake and the horse is rearing up.
I mean, it's signed, you can't read it,
but it's signed.
Mike: Maggi's an art collector.
But the art doesn't have to be refined,
it doesn't have to be polished,
it doesn't have to be sophisticated.
This painting is a perfect example of that.
Mike: I love how they repaired it here.
Maggi: It's old.
Mike: It's a piece of masonite, the colors are great,
and it's pretty detailed.
And the person that painted it even made the frame.
How cool is that?
Mike: 550.
Maggi: 6. Alright.
Mike: Alright.
Maggi: Muah! Alright.
Mike: Thank you, god bless ya.
Maggi: You're welcome, honey.
♪♪
ray: Watch your head on the beam here.
Danielle: Alrighty.
Robbie: Look at that.
Same thing that I bought downstairs.
Danielle: They're really beautiful,
actually, they look like eyes.
Danielle: What!
Ray: These are all in the original crates.
Danielle: This is like indiana jones, man!
Ray: Yeah.
Robbie: Holy cow!
We just hit the accessory mother lode.
They're everywhere up here!
Robbie: And they're all the same?
Ray: They're probably different diameters.
Robbie: And another one.
Ray: 'cause I know that a lot of them are
8- and- a- quarter, but...
Robbie: Another one...
Ray: ...There's some larger ones.
Robbie: Anymore underneath there?
Ray: Yeah, there's some more underneath here,
let's get these shrouds off here.
Robbie: There...
Robbie: 12, I count, 13.
Man, did he like corner the market on this stuff or what?
Ray: Ugh...
Robbie: There's 2 more cases on the bottom down there.
I'm counting 15 cases, plus whatever's
miscellaneous laying around in boxes.
How long, dani, would it take us to get rid of,
you know, there's 2 in each box, so...
Robbie: This is an odd piece, all different sizes,
so any car it would go on - 1930 car,
all the way up into the '40s.
Danielle: Honestly, I think- I think we can blow through them.
Danielle: Any time we can have a steady stream of inventory
in the shop is always a good idea.
Danielle: We are such a resource for people who
are looking for exactly this.
Robbie: Right.
Danielle: And the cool part is, it's so rare to come across
this much model a inventory.
Robbie: Here's the deal, ray, I bought the one downstairs.
If I'm going to buy them, I want a better number on them
because I know that we're going to sit on these.
Ray: What are you thinking?
Robbie: Oh my gosh...
1,200 bucks, for all of them.
Ray: Can you do any better than 12?
Robbie: [sighs]
danielle: So I guess what it comes down to is how bad
do you want them and how bad do you want to get rid of
them, 'cause you need to clear this place out...
Ray: Right.
Danielle: ...For sure.
And money's good to have, for sure.
And if he's willing to take all of them,
I mean, that gets rid of a lot of stuff from here.
Ray: That's true.
Ray: I can nickel-and-dime these things out at 50 bucks a pop,
no doubt about it.
But it's going to take me 20 years to get rid of them.
Ray: You leave me a box just in case I keep a model a,
I'll take the 1,200.
Robbie: Do you mean like, this a box, no one set...
Ray: No I mean, one set, one set.
Robbie: Okay.
For 1,200...
Ray: Yep.
Robbie: ...I got all of them.
Ray: All of them.
Danielle: Yeah! Haa!
Robbie: Damn!
Robbie: I can't believe that. Danielle: It's a trifecta handshake
♪♪
maggi: We recorded on avenue south records
and were in studio b.
I used to travel with an all-girl band for about a year
and there's one of me...
Mike: How about this, look at you,
you know, you look like- a female roy orbison.
[chuckles] maggi: Yeah.
That's right.
Maggi: I've been lucky.
I don't know what happened, but I've been lucky.
Mike: This place is magical and whimsical.
Maggi: Well... Nutty.
Mike: Can I sit down?
Maggi: Sure, of course. Have a seat.
Mike: This looks like the most comfortable room.
Read me something of yours.
Maggi: Oh okay, I'll uh...
I'll read you my most- my most requested poem.
Now it's sad, it's right out of country music.
Mike: Yeah.
Maggi: I mean, I've written a lot of deep things,
but I'm going to tell you what, people don't want to hear it.
Mike: Yeah.
Maggi: They want a memory.
This book is my bestseller, because I wrote people,
people say, "you wrote my life."
this is called, "is that you, mama?"
mike: Okay.
Maggi: Ooh, country music, honey.
Mike: [chuckles] maggi: "is that you mama?
That just put a hand to my brow?
And today when I couldn't work things out,
was that you who showed me how?
Was that you, mama, who just turned on the porch light?
You always had one on to keep me safe at night.
Mama, was that you by the stove cooking beans and cornbread?
And was that you during the night,
standing watch beside my bed?"
mike: It's one thing to read poetry,
but it is a completely different experience to
have the author read it to you.
Maggi: I don't write a lot of love poems.
My love stuff comes out in the country music.
Mike: Okay. Okay.
Maggi: My poetry's life, my life I've lived,
and other people have lived.
Mike: I mean, I could have sat there for hours
listening to her talk.
She's an incredible storyteller.
♪♪
robbie: Hey dave, we're walking over to the impala right now.
So you got the photos that I sent you?
Dave (on phone): Yes robbie, I'm looking at them now.
Robbie: Okay.
Robbie: We're in the northeast. How much rust is in it?
Is this original paint?
Has the engine ever been taken apart?
All these are factors when you look at any car,
not just this impala.
Dave (on phone): It's a '64 impala, 2-door convertible.
You know, it was a nice car when it came out and very
much a daily driver for the average family man.
Let's just look at that engine for a second,
robbie, it looks like it's real high mileage.
One way to tell if the motor's ever been out and to a
rebuilder, you can look at the exhaust manifolds and they've
got locking tabs around the bolts going into the heads.
Robbie: Okay.
Dave (on phone): And usually if they're removed or missing,
they don't get put back on.
Robbie: That's there.
Ray: Yeah, there.
Robbie: There's 3 of them on there,
I found 3 on the one side.
Dave (on phone): Chances are, that motor's probably been
in the car then.
Robbie: And I found them on the other side too, dave.
Dave (on phone): That's a good sign.
Robbie: Because those tabs are there,
and there's paint on them, that would confirm that
the motor had never been apart.
Dave (on phone): So as far as the engine bay,
it looks pretty much untouched,
which is the way you want to find them.
Robbie: Okay.
Ray: That was kind of a...
[relieved sign] moment.
Dave (on phone): I'm looking at the interior and it looks to
be very low on options, push-button radio,
heater, padded dash, power-top.
Robbie: Yep.
Dave (on phone): The pleats on the door are original
and they have the little buttons...
Danielle: Yeah.
Robbie: Yes.
Dave (on phone): A lot of times, that lower part of that door
panel just starts to de-laminate.
Danielle: Yeah, that's what's happening.
Robbie: Yeah, you can see that, dave.
Dave (on phone): That can get costly, robbie.
I see some tape marks and some tape lines and
some over- spray on some of the moldings.
Most of these cars were painted with an
acrylic enamel repaint in the '80s.
You're not going to find too many cars that have original
paint, especially from the east coast with that kind of mileage.
Ray: It was really interesting hearing what david had to say
about the impala, because obviously he knows his stuff.
Robbie: At the end of the rainbow,
what kind of money is this thing worth running
and driving down the road?
Dave (on phone): I think you're looking anywhere between 25 and
maybe tops 30, depending on what you end up doing to it.
Robbie: Okay.
Danielle: It stinks we can't get into the...
Into the trunk.
Robbie: Without the keys, we can't get this trunk open.
Dave (on phone): Inside the trunk is important.
What we're looking for is the original grey-and-white
spackle paint from the factory.
Danielle: Gotcha.
Dave (on phone): We're looking to see if any of the moldings
were ever off the car.
If it was ever hit on the side, we'll know,
because they're never going to duplicate
that original factory finish.
Danielle: Okay.
Dave (on phone): So...
That's kind of a wild card.
Robbie: Opening the trunk is going to tell you whether or
not the back end of this car's been wrecked.
Dave (on phone): In my opinion, the way the car sits,
it's probably worth...
If the trunk is full of boiler-plate,
bondo, and tin patches, you're looking at 10,
10-5, and a lot of work to fix it.
Robbie: Okay.
Dave (on phone): And if the trunk is solid,
and it's clean, and it's got the original spackle paint,
and it's got the original spare sitting in there and the jack...
Danielle: Yeah.
Dave (on phone): It's a homerun, I say you're looking at 14.
Danielle: Okay.
Danielle: You know, not only is it important for robbie and
myself to hear all these details,
but it's really important for ray,
who is trying to sell this car, to understand exactly
why we're going to value it the way we are.
Dave (on phone): You got to get into that trunk,
robbie, you got to get inside.
Danielle: Alright dave, we got a lot to think about here.
Robbie: Thanks, dave.
Dave (on phone): Bye.
Danielle: Alright honey, bye.
We think...
Robbie: Well...
Kind of gives you a nutshell to deal with, doesn't it?
Ray: Sure does.
Robbie: Dave is right.
This is just a plain-jane impala.
But it's a ragtop impala, and it's here.
Robbie: I'm interested in the car,
probably for around 12-5.
That's where I want to be on it.
But only if I can look in the trunk.
If the trunk is screwed up, I don't even want it.
Ray: Well, you know what they say,
rob, I mean, you break it you buy it.
Danielle: Ooh...
Robbie: [sighs] I want to commit to it,
but I'm not going to commit unless we can open this trunk.
Danielle: Look, the reality of it is,
you need to know what's in the trunk,
so that even if robbie doesn't buy it,
you can sell it to somebody else.
He's not going to buy it until he sees the trunk.
So at the end of the day, really,
we got to open the trunk, right?
Robbie: The number I'm giving you,
I'm thinking that it's okay in there.
Ray: So you're saying if the trunk is good...
Robbie: Yeah.
Ray: You go 12-5.
Robbie: That's where I want to be.
Ray: And the keys might even in here.
Ray: This car doesn't have a key,
it's been repainted, it's a low-end model.
It's still really cool low-end model,
it's got low mileage, and it's in great shape.
But... You know, at the end of the day,
I need to make space.
Ray: Would you do 13?
Danielle: If the trunk is pristine?
Ray: If the trunk is good.
And we can pop the lock.
Robbie: You just don't find these.
People are screaming to find these things.
When you have the opportunity to buy something like this,
you seize that moment.
Ray: 'cause this is my uncle's-
robbie: I'll do 13. You got a screwdriver and a hammer?
Ray: Alright.
I got a screwdriver and a hammer.
Robbie: Alright.
Ray: Let's do this.
Danielle: We're doing it.
Ray: There you go.
Danielle: I don't think I've ever been so
excited in my life now.
Danielle: Robbie's strength is his strength.
He's a bull in a china shop.
But that man does not know how to finesse,
so this concerns me just a little bit.
[loud hammering]
♪♪
[loud hammering]
danielle: Woo...
Robbie: It's not popping. [sighs]
danielle: Robbie, I think that screwdriver's too big. Here.
Ray: Try this one, robbie.
Robbie: Here, alright let me try that one.
[loud hammering]
danielle: Agh...
Robbie: [effort noises]
ray: Is he going to get it? It's not going.
Danielle: You want me to try it?
Ray: You want to try drilling that?
Danielle: Oh!
Robbie: There it is.
Danielle: Yeah.
Robbie: Hahahahaha! Wow...
Danielle: Alright.
Let's check this out.
Ray: You don't see any keys, do ya?
Robbie: Hold on here, freakin' mice everywhere.
They raise some big mice around here.
Danielle: Whoa!
Ray: [laughs] robbie: The jack's in here.
Ray: Look at that studded tire.
Robbie: Everything's in here, but I'm not seeing any...
Danielle: Looks good?
Robbie: I'm not seeing any patches.
Danielle: No signs of trauma.
Robbie: No.
Original speckle, look at that, dani!
Robbie: And the acorn nuts that hold the trim on,
still has the speckle paint on it.
This car has never been jacked with.
I couldn't be happier right now!
Robbie: 13.
Ray: It's all yours.
Robbie: It's been a good day.
We got a lot of lenses to load.
Danielle: Yep!
Ray: These things aren't meant to sit in barns,
they're not meant to sit in garages.
They're meant to be on the road,
and that's what he would have wanted.
Danielle: It has been...
The ultimate pleasure.
Ray: Pleasure's been all mine.
Danielle: I appreciate everything.
Robbie: I got to hand it to ray,
he's taken the bull by the horns.
He's actually doing his research,
he's doing it right, he's making his uncle proud.
Ray: Robbie.
Robbie: Hey, thank you for sharing your family's history
with us, seriously.
Ray: It's a pleasure.
Ray: Robbie, my uncle would have gotten along really well.
I think my uncle would have argued with him
a lot more than I did, um no question about that.
But they definitely were cut from the same cloth.
Danielle: I will make sure to get back in touch with you about
the impala, and we'll have somebody come out
and pick it up.
Ray: Okay, alright.
Danielle: I really loved being here.
I felt like...
We didn't just meet a friend, you know,
we met a little ray of sunshine.
[honks horn]
danielle: See ya later! Ray: See ya!
♪♪
danielle: I wonder how mike's doing.
♪♪
mike: Maggi's selling things that other people created
in order for her to publish what she's created.
Mike: So danielle wanted me to ask you about
a piece by tyree guyton.
Maggi: Oh... Okay.
Mike: You've been talking to her about it on the phone.
Maggi: Yep, it's right down there.
Mike: This.
Maggi: Yeah.
Mike: Okay.
Maggi: Tyree is an internationally
known graffiti artist.
He's got blocks and blocks of it in detroit,
of buildings called the "heidelberg project."
so he's known everywhere, he's in museums.
And he adored rosa parks.
I do too.
Maggi: And he bought a bus, same make,
model, & year that she rode on and wouldn't give up her seat,
and he painted it graffiti, and he painted-
he went to where she- the seat she would have sat in,
and he painted that on the back there of the seat,
where her back would be.
Mike: Yeah.
Maggi: It called to me because I love rosa parks,
and I love what she stood for,
and what she did for civil rights.
Her having the guts to sit on that seat with the
police saying, "get up," and she wouldn't.
Maggi: I mean, the story behind it is priceless.
Mike: Yeah.
Maggi: A friend of mine who was a big collector had it,
and I kept looking at it every time I'd go visit him.
One day I said, I got to have it.
And I made payments on it, and finally paid it off,
and he shipped it to me.
Mike: Dani has only seen this piece in pictures,
but I'm seeing it first hand, in person.
And to hear maggi tell the story, is epic.
Mike: How long have you had it?
Maggi: I've had it lots of years. 10 or more.
Mike: So danielle said you already turned down 1,500.
Maggi: Yeah, yeah.
Mike: You know, you've been talking to her a lot,
she obviously would like to have it,
she understands how relevant it is,
she understand the importance of the piece.
She is a fan of his work.
Would 2,000 buy it?
Maggi: Oh lord...
How about 25?
Mike: [sighs] well to be honest with you,
I mean, she shared a lot with me about it,
but she didn't share with me the ceiling of it.
Maggi: Well, imagine if rosa parks,
she actually sat in that seat.
Mike: That would be priceless.
Maggi: Yeah, it'd be priceless.
Mike: God, I... I enjoy you.
And I appreciate you putting a number on it,
and we're going to take it.
Maggi: Oh man, great, and thank you.
Mike: Alright, 2,500.
Maggi: And I hope danielle cherishes it, because I do.
Mike: Oh are you- she'll be beyond excited.
Maggi: It's a one-and-only.
Maggi: I can put out some books I've written.
That's the main reason I let it go,
'cause I loved it.
Mike: Alright, thank you guys so much!
Maggi: Oh alright!
Mike: I had so much fun.
Maggi: Honey, y'all come any time and see me.
Mike: Alright, god bless you!
Maggi: Alright thank you!
Mike: Alright, danielle's going to be so happy!
Mike: Sometimes you meet people in your life that have such a
bright light, it warms you and leaves you wanting
more of their words and company.
[honks horn]
mike: That was maggi.
Mike: See you down the road!
Shirley: See ya!
[honks horn]
maggi: Bye-bye!
♪♪
mike: Dani d, guess who I'm cruising down the road with?
Danielle: Mike, you did not pull maggi out of her house
and take her for a ride.
Mike: [laughs] no... Tyree guyton.
Danielle: Oh my god, I am so excited!
Mike: You are?
Danielle: Send me a picture of the seat,
thank you, thank you, thank you!