Antique Archaeology Le Claire

Stopped in for a quick peek on a recent road trip, spent 2 hours... Great curation of antiques and new branded items for Antique Archaeology. We picked up some swag and got back on the road. They have two buildings full of stuff and most of the antiques were for sale and mostly one of a kind or harder to find items. Some of it was NFS. Parking can be a little scarce. Great stop for us and worth going a few minutes out of the way.

Such an awesome store. I've watched American Pickers since the beginning so it was neat to see the store and get some souvenirs. Staff was engaging and energetic. Definitely recommend and will definitely return

A few years ago, while traveling through the Midwest, I found myself in Central Illinois and decided to make the two-hour drive to LeClaire, Iowa to visit Antique Archaeology—the home base of the TV series American Pickers. Although none of the familiar faces from the show—Mike Wolfe, the late Frank Fritz, Danielle, or Robbie—were there during my visit, it was still a fun experience. The shop is definitely geared toward fans of the show, with lots of souvenir-style merchandise and a handful of antiques featured on the series available for purchase. There are also some cool collectibles on display that aren’t for sale, which adds to the museum-like vibe. LeClaire itself is a little river town, and the Buffalo Bill Museum nearby makes it an even more worthwhile stop. If you're a fan of American Pickers, it's definitely worth checking out. And hey—maybe you'll get lucky and run into one of the cast members when you go!

Friendly, knowledgeable staff. Well worth a visit. We were able to check off our bucket list. The whole area has a lot of different shops & places to explore in Le Claire, IA. Highly recommend.

We made a point to stop here on our travels through Iowa. There are two buildings of stuff yet it seemed smaller than on TV, but still cool and exciting to see things you recognize from the show! Parking seemed scarce, but we didn't have a problem. The big white Antique Archaeology van is sitting right outside, so cool photo op! They have plenty of souvenir items, but were weirdly out of large t-shirts the day we were there. Overall, a cool place and if I ever pass near it again, I WILL stop!

I love this show, Must stop to take a look at their shop!!!! Drove from MI to CA, stopped by IA to check off a destination ive been wanting to go for at least a decade. You guys paved the way in my brain to eventually become a full time picker. RIP Frank 🙏 Mike, please Keep on Pickn!!!!

I had a great time visiting the shop and reminiscing about some key items from the TV show. It’s an antique shop with some swag for fans, nothing more. Keep your expectations reasonable and you’ll get a real kick out of the shop and local scene. We went straight to the river and had a great lunch.

Just like TV! The staff is super-friendly and really engaged with our kids. Lots of interesting historical memorabilia.

To be REALLY honest the Antique Archaeology shop in LeClaire is kind of a tourist trap... But it's a cool tourist trap if you're a fan of American Pickers...! The shop itself (divided between two buildings) is much smaller in person than it appears on TV. There's a lot more Antique Archaeology swag for sale than actual antiques... The staff we encountered were just regular run of the mill retail workers...none the TV personalities. Not that I really expected to run into Mike. Lol For me the best part of the visit was a photo op with the old car out front branded with the business logo (a dilapidated 1950-1951 Nash Statesman Super). And with the motorcycles and other larger antiques on display... LeClaire, situated along the Mississippi River, is a nice little area in and of itself... There are MANY other shops, antique stores, restaurants, and attractions in LeClaire to check while you're there! Along with LeClaire... Clinton, Muscatine, and the Quad Cities aren't far and it's an easy trip to visit aspects of them in a single day or in an overnight trip. Please know I'm sure not trying to discourage you from stopping and checking out the Antique Archaeology shop...! Far from it! It's pretty cool for what it is. Especially if you are a fan of the show...! Just trying to help you manage your expectations a little... Don't put it on a 5 star pedestal before you get there.

A couple of months before the Nashville store closed i hand made a military shadow box to Mike Wolfe. The reason I did that is because we shared a similar story about his dads purple heart as was mine. I thought it was a good idea to pay it forward. ever since then I've never heard anything. I've left all my information with it. I've haven't heard anything, as of November of 2024. bednarzco@gmail.com / Dennis B

As seen on TV. When we realized that we would be passing through the very cute town of Le Claire and this was the home of this shop we knew we needed to stop. Both buildings were much smaller than expected. They did have an interesting collection of antiques and plenty of AA & American Pickers gear. The trinkets and tee shirts were the only things remotely affordable. I am not sure who could afford the outrageous prices for these collectable items. I am guessing these might be rare finds compared to your average antique store or priced due to TV fame. It was a quick stop not sure I would go out of the way to visit.

I came to Bettendorf Iowa for work and decided to check out other towns nearby. Surprisingly, the town of Le Claire was the home of the famous American pickers on the history channels- Antique Archaeology store. When arrived, there are two stores and their van was outside. Very quaint and cute shops filled with antiques, lots of sports memorabilia, gas vintage signage, more of Americana history, and lots of souvenirs of t- shirts and key chains. Customer is very welcoming too. I love this hidden gem of Le Claire.

My family and I came here for the tourist attraction side of the business. For that, it did not disappoint. The car out front with the logo on the door welcomes you into the parking lot. The van from the show was parked out front. They had so many antiques which were so cool to see in person. So much history. As for souvenirs, they had so many choices at decent prices. The people working were very friendly. If you like American Pickers visiting is a must.

Located in the small town of LeClaire Iowa along the Mississippi River. This store is the home to the TV series American Pickers. You will see many items featured in the show that are either for sale or just in display. Most items were not for sake but it was fun to look at and browse. They sell many souvenir items such as tshirts,keychains,etc.

If you've seen American Pickers on TV you'll get a kick out of visiting this shop where they sell all the junk they pick. They also have quite a bit of their own souvenir merch for sale. Friendly service.

Stopped in while in the area - my coworker loves the show and was super excited it was near where we were staying. There are 2 buildings to walk through. One has tshirts and show memorabilia you can purchase and the other was full of antiques. My coworker got a shirt and some things for her son. I thought the merch was a little pricey so opted for a fly swatter they had their info printed on so i would get some good use out of it back in Texas. It was cool to check out and walk thru and if you are into antiques it would be something you should check out.

Stopped. Was closed. Easy to find. Clean surroundings. Good photo ops. Peeked into windows. Been there. Thank.

The store is literally 5-10 minutes off the interstate and very easily accessible. This is a TELEVISION SHOW location! There are souvenirs for the show and some items they've picked that are for sale. If you are looking to pick through lots of rusty gold go do what Mike & Frank do... this is more of an homage to the show which I enjoyed immensely with my 7 year old daughter.

Full disclosure I know nothing about the show. But even to my uninitiated eye I can tell I am seeing a piece of Americana once unappreciated now recognized. To some people this is junk, but properly presented or restored - to term the cliché - a work of art and/or history. These pieces are not the ones usually fund in an antique place. Their pieces are mostly auto/ cycle related - if I can be permitted to say - guy stuff(yes gals too). Is it worth traveling from 3 hours away? No - but if you're close or a fan of the show, this place is a class in it self.

Really enjoyed my time here! Lots of neat and unusual items to browse through, cute vintage items, and souvenir style shopping if you're a big fan of the show.

Came here for the first time. I watched a few episodes of American Pickers, but my friends are fans of these guys so we had to come check them out and bring back some souvenirs. This place is a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be. They have 2 shops across each other filled with awesome looking antiques and old school merchandise. The souvenirs have decent prices, but because I don't know the value of these antiques, they just look like expensive a$$ junk to me lol, but to the right collector, it's treasure. Overall, such a cool experience. The parking lot is small, but they also have some street parking along the wall. Located in beautiful Le Claire. The staff here are very friendly and helpful. Lots of near things to bring back home.

Must see for fans of American Pickers! Really cool to see sites and items from the show in real life & some available for sale! Lots of merch available as well - though most of it was pretty pricey. Surrounding area (giant hill right next to the Mississippi River) is neat and very pretty, but can be difficult to navigate and find a spot to park. We travel in an RV and had an especially difficult time, but were able to park along the street in front of a few houses and just made sure we didn't stay too long.

Interesting finds. Lots of antique merchandise as well as their own shirts, hats, magnets and such.

Stopped on our road-trip and got lucky to catch Mike at the shop.It was so cool to meet and talk to him. We took pictures and was definitely the highlight of our trip after watching the show for so many years. He's so genuine and such a regular guy it makes you like him and the show even more.

Awesome place if you're a fan of American pickers! Great souvenirs and antiques, friendly staff.

5% antiques 95% American Pickers tshirts, stickers, socks, etc. They have two buildings so I was hoping one was their stuff and the rest antiques but nope. What a waste of a trip.

My dad is a fan of the show so we ended up making a quick pit stop here while winding our way along the Great River Road. Despite not being into the show I was hoping to at least see a fair number of antiques, rather, this store is more like an American Pickers souvenir store...shirts, key chains, stufffff. The wild thing is, the people who are there seem to really be into it. Parking is somewhat limited but they have a small lot or you can park on the surrounding streets. The surrounding historic community of Le Claire is worth a visit as you're winding your way along the Mississippi River. Bathrooms are not available.

I've watched American Pickers TV show religiously since the beginning. Other reviewers call it a huge souvenir shop. Yes it is. There are a few antiques for sale. The staff were super friendly and girl updated us that Danielle lives in Puerto Rico now. I bought some shop rags and stickers. Stuff I probably don't really need. It was cool.

I was very skeptical on making the trip to see the shop because of all the negative reviews online, But I decided to go anyways to make that decision for myself. Yes they do sell a lot of gift shop trinkets, but there is so much more than that, like things I've seen on the show for sale on the shelves. Yes a lot of the stuff is high price but there are a lot of smalls for sale that anybody can afford if they want a keep sake that they saw on the show. I did and purchased it. Thanks antique archaeology for a good time and a great experience. A.C. from Wisconsin

tl;dr - This is a FAKE antique store. The antiques are not really for sale. They are just set pieces for Mike's merch store. In this story, you'll lean how a guy who cares NOTHING about pinball is HOARDING a machine and letting it RUST rather than letting a Nintendo fan like myself purchase it to restore it. A friend of mine shared a picture of a 1992 Gottlieb Super Mario Bros. pinball machine he saw at this store. My friend knows that I love old Nintendo artifacts and would appreciate it. It turns out that this is the one machine I want to own. The pictures he took weren't very detailed, but it looked like the machine was in good condition. I called and asked how much it was and was told $4,000. $4,000 is on the higher end for this machine but it's not unheard of for a Mario Bros. in FANTASTIC condition with mods. I would soon learn than $4,000 had nothing to do with this machine's condition. The machine is actually broken. I sat on it for a week and decided that it would be a good buy. So I called again saying I was interested and got more details. The person I talked to was friendly and told me everything wrong with the machine. The flippers don't work, it's rusty, the coin door doesn't work. It was almost like she was swaying me not to buy it. But I'm a Nintendo nerd who is not afraid of a soldering iron. This sounded like a fun restoration project. I told her I was going to come up and check it out from 6 hours away. I thought that perhaps if I showed her the sale prices of clean and working machines ($2,500-$3500) that she would understand that the broken machine was worth around $1,800 - $2,000. I love Nintendo artifacts and was prepared to offer a GENEROUS $2,600 for it. If you're a pinball collector, you know that's a crazy high price for a BROKEN Mario machine. I drove up there with my tablet in hand loaded up with historical data and links to working machines for sale. I asked for the person I talked to on the phone. She said that the person was busy and that she would be happy to answer my questions. I showed the clerk there my data and asked her if she thought $4,000 was a bit high and what she thought was a fair price for a working machine. She said, yeah based on this probably $3,000 is fair for a working machine. I explained that this was a broken machine pointing out all of the problems with it and said that if a working machine sells for $2,500-$3,000 then a broken machine should sell for less. She said that she'd see how much wiggle room they had. A few seconds later, the person I talked on the phone with STORMED towards me and seemed rather annoyed. She said, "I'm [her name] and I TOLD you that this was a firm price over the phone and tried to warn you of all the problems." I'm guessing she meant to tell me that it was firm earlier, but she did not. I calmly tried explaining the situation, but apparently she was trained to NEVER NEGOTIATE and to shoo away customers who do. She said, "I'm not a pinball appraiser. I can't change this price. Whatever you're showing me won't make sense to me. Mike prices things to what he wants to price them and can run his store however he wants!" I asked if I could speak with this Mike guy. She was aghast that some nobody like me would dare ask to speak to mega superstar cable TV guy Mike whatever his last name is. I've never watched (or heard of) the show, I just like Nintendo and Pinball and wanted to buy the machine. I attempted a few more times to start negotiations, but she just walked away. So there you have it. A rusty Super Mario Pinball machine is going to rot in a fake antique store rather than be brought back to life by a huge Nintendo fan. Mike doesn't care about Pinball. Mike doesn't care about Nintendo. Mike really doesn't care if it actually gets sold. I wonder how he would feel if I abused a rare motorcycle by putting it in a fake antique store, let kids stick garbage in it, and then price it for over double what it's worth (firm). I talked to my wife on my long 6 hour trip back home on why someone would willingly do this and the best theory I came up with is that it was NEVER meant to be sold. It's just there as a decoration to give the illusion that this was an antique store. So if you're a superfan of this obscure cable TV show, I guess you can get cool merch. But if you're a nobody like me who wants to buy an antique to restore, go to a real antique store.

My son and I stopped here on our way out west just to say we did. Most items were NFS but it was cool seeing some of the things they purchased on the show. Rumor is that they moved most of the antiques to the Tennessee Shop to save on taxes. We checked out both buildings, got some pictures and souvenirs and got back on the road. Very limited parking. Masks required for entry with social distancing not really being practiced. Friendly staff. High prices. If you're traveling thru it's worth a stop.

Of course the main reason for our visit to this shop was because of the show. We love American Pickers and love to support any Iowa business. There's two buildings to this location. Both are stores that sell the same items but are decorated differently. Each building is decorated in cute antiques but the antiques were expensive (which is to be expected). This location has a lot of variety of souvenirs from match boxes, fans, t-shirts, baby bibs, books, calendars, stickers, koozies, towels, aprons, etc. Parking is very limited. There's about 6 parking spots in front and 3 spots on each side of the location. There's more parking on the side streets but its not as close as parking out in front. We went on labor day weekend and asked the cashier if it was usually this busy. She actually said "yes" and that it didnt matter that it was a holiday weekend because they were pretty busy every day. Thats job security for ya!

Of course I like the show and we were visiting a nearby city so why not stop by? I am glad I did not make a special trip as it would have been a disappointment. This is definitely a tourist trap with some good knick knacks.

Great place to visit, take pictures and chat with kind staff. 2 small seperate areas to review merchandise. Main location area has one stall restroom. Takes credit cards. Kid friendly but alot of small items so parents please keep close eye on them. Average price point for souvenirs. Parking is limited. Location is great.

Fun place to visit if you're an American Pickers fan? Absolutely. The #1 place to go to if you are looking to purchase antiques? Heck no. There are plenty of other antique shops in Le Claire that offer way better options and have more for sale than Antique Archaeology. The shop primarily hosts merchandise for American Pickers television show. Many of the items on display are not for sale but are interesting to preview. I wouldn't detour to visit the shop but if you are already in the Davenport area and want a 10-15 min stop, Antique Archaeology is a decent place to visit.

This place is really cool. They have a good variety of stuff and are very friendly. A must stop when you visit Nashville.

Great little stop-think of it as a small museum of items from Pickers with plenty of fan memorabilia to purchase. If you are in the area, it's a very quick stop but fun!

I have to admit I'm a big fan of the show and had to see myself. A lot of the coolest pick are on display, but outside of hats, rags and can or bottle cookies there wasn't a lot that you could buy. Lots of NFS tags (not for sale). I had to buy a hat( some neat ones) and some cookies, they have shirts too, but didn't buy any. They let you take pictures. Oh some of the stuff has both Leclaire and Nashville on it mass marketing, I guess. Oh no charge to look. I guess after visiting Savannah last year, Frank's place had a lot of smalls for sale, I was expecting some of Mike's smalls. Still a cool place to visit.

Enjoyed seeing the real life Antique Archeology's shop. Lots of cool finds displayed that we see on the tv series. A must see place for the junker's heart. And of course yes we bought tshirts LOL.

I loved this show for years! Frank and Mike and Danielle D are great hosts! I love seeing old treasures. Some of which I have also. BUT I never thought they would be in south florida. Last year I contacted the show asking if they would be interested in picking my fathers home. Dad will be 94 this september and I consider him a hoarder of artifacts from the 50's to the 90s. Some stuff is junky BUT to Frank and Mike it may be a "find". Last night I received a call from the producer of the television show and low and behold American Pickers are coming to south Florida in February and they inquired about my dads treasures. This weekend I am gathering the items on their long list minus the shelby (lol) and sending the final photos to be considered for the "pick". I am definitely a fan of the show and watch it whenever its on and always have imagined them picking the house. I may get that chance this year! Fingers crossed they choose my home to pick through. I will update when I finalize the date for the pick! Pretty good start to 2018 and I am looking forward to seeing them pick through all the treasures dads collected through his life. Stay Tuned...I may get picked!!!!

It's primarily overpriced marketing doodads for the show. There's a few decent antiques thrown in but it's not the focus of the store. If you're a fan of the show, absolutely stop by! You'll enjoy yourself. If you are hunting for your next cool piece, pass this one up.

July 2015, I visited the Antiques Archaeology with my parents while on our 14 day road trip out west from West Virginia. We were celebrating their 52nd wedding anniversary and this is a show that they like to watch on television American Pickers. We stopped and looked around. Things were way to expensive to purchase. I told them it was the same way at their Nashville TN store which I have been to various times since I used to live in Nashville for 8 yrs. We had a lovely visit though and they were very happy. Besides that is all that matters, the celebration of their life together and they enjoyed themselves...

This place is great. My girlfriend and me went here for a day and had a blast. The girls that worked with us are the best! They gave me the true pickers experience. You have to find the rusty gold that is not always what you may be looking for but what is there at the time. It's like going to the best yard sale! There's something for every budget if you just look and yes they have merchandise if you want something to just say I was there. Left with two super items to ad to my collection and they even gave us a good idea of the value of an antique boat model my gal had. Have fun there and really look around it's truly a trip worth taking! And thanks again to all the girls working there and all the fun we had!

If you're a fan of the show and in the area it's an interesting stop. It's basically selling souvenirs like t shirts, hats, etc. But there are a few iconic finds from the show. Don't plan on a long visit. 15 minutes pretty much covers everything.

They sell nothing in this store. It is full of advertising for their store. It is a trove of magnets, t shirts, beer coozies and other misc crap advertising the store. Reality it's worse than Disney world.

Kind of a bust I think, lots of tv fluff and yes it's a real spot 'as seen on tv' but it's basically just an overpriced t-shirt shop staffed by regular old retailers. Most items are Not for sale, or very rare and cost way too much for us regular joes. Shop merch is overpriced (to be expected) but it's still neat to see if your a fan of the show.

The store is beautiful..this man has come up quite a bit off the coattail of the show..the one issue is most of not all of the merchandise is advertising for his store and brand .not a whole lot of what you see picked on the show..seems he has become very commercial and money driven and some what of a big head..for example frank pushed out..and you now control the show with your brother at the helm..tis tis tis ..

Okay. So. We were on a road trip and remembered that this shop was near the path we were following. It was only about a 30 minute detour so we excitedly made the trip. Very disappointed. The shops were neat, but it is basically a gift shop for the show and everything for sale is just show merch. I love antique stores, but this is anything but that. If you are looking for an antique store with stuff along the lines of what they pick on the show like I was, move along. If you are looking for a gift shop based on the show, man is this the place for you. They have everything from stickers and matches to dish towels and ceramic trivets. Don't get your hopes up too high.

I didn't think to read the reviews before I came here otherwise I probably wouldn't have been so surprised with what I saw. It's right next to a gas station - so close you could throw a rock at someone pumping their gas. And the property itself is not very big at all. Maybe the size of an average home on a small lot. I'm an avid American Pickers watcher and so it was cool to see everything in person. There were quite a few tourists like me checking the place out as well. They had the van out front for photo ops and their antique car with their logo on it as well next to the new building they completed in the last season. I was disappointed that Danielle wasn't there because I expected her to be an actual employee but by the looks of other ratings, that's not exactly the case. No Frank or Mike either but I didn't expect that really. It was a Sunday after all and they probably aren't at the shop often anyways. Both of the buildings are pretty similar in what's inside - which is mostly souvenirs with decorations of 'picked' items that are for the most part NFS. I didn't really expect to buy any of their antiques though but it would've been cool if they had more antiques than souvenirs. I had researched their site in advance and had my heart set on a magnet and left with one as well as a cute tank top. While the shop wasn't what I expected, I didn't leave disappointed. My parents live 45 minutes away so I'll probably be back next time I visit them.

I was really disappointed when I got here. The building was pretty small and there weren't a lot of good finds in my opinion. It was also very pricey. It was neat to experience but yeah, I've had better. Maybe I went during a bad time. Not impressed unfortunately. Right across the street is Danielle of American Picker's own store. It's pretty cute and has some cool things. Again, pricey.

What? I love it. I have to tell you, I was a bit nervous/embarrassed when we arrived because going to the location of a TV show is a little more cheese than I can typically handle. Surprised to see the location in the middle of town and so close to a gas station and residential area. The filming of American Pickers does a good job of making it seem a little more isolated. We arrived early and it was already full of people, but its so cool checking out where Frank and Mike got started. Neither of the boys or Danielle were there, but I expected as much. I'm actually kind of glad I didn't have to deal with that because it would have upped the dork factor of going to this place. We bought an "In Rust We Trust" t-shirt and took a ton of pictures. I'd love to go back and see what new things are out. I also really want to visit the Nashville store.

Neat to visit. They do sell some of their picks. The staff were awesome! So fun and energetic and loved to share stories of what picks guests were buying. I must say the logo souvenirs are WAY overpriced.

Husband is a huge fan of the show- it's pretty much constantly on when "nothing else" is on. Both of us are pretty disappointed. We were expecting more of an antique shop then a gift store/ museum. Probably should've read the reviews before hand. We were driving through on the way home from a long weekend so no harm no foul. If we were to make a trip specifically for this- we would've been upset. $6 for foam coozie $5 for a sticker. Just seemed like a lot for a gift store.

This reminded me of an overpriced gift shop rather than an antique shop. Most the the antiques weren't for sale as they are part of "Mike's personal collection". The antiques that were for sale were overpriced.

After watching American Pickers for years I was excited to visit Antique Archaeology! On a drive, we saw that the shop was about a half an hour away so we detoured to get there. My excitement kept building as we got closer. I was out to buy antiques and I couldn't wait any longer. We pulled up and there was the van from the show. There were two smallish buildings. It looked like an old gas station or garage. In we went and I immediately saw an old Indian motorcycle... that was not for sale. There were so many things that weren't for sale. Do you know what was for sale? It was advertising for their business; things for fans to buy like shirts, key chains, and stickers. The only things that were for sale were things like gas pumps and large scale advertising items. In the second building was more promo items and a room that just had very large scale items that were thousands of dollars. None of these things would fit in someone's car! There was an upstairs but it was roped off. The worker said that they had just got a huge batch of items and that they weren't priced yet. Same answer that the worker in the main shop said. They both also said that they had been talking to and texting with Mike all day so they could price the new items. What are the chances that both people in different building would say the exact same thing? That left me hugely doubting the credibility of that statement at all. My biggest question could not be answered. Where are all of the things that they buy from people? Neither worker could answer that. Where was Mike picking from that weekend? Neither worker could answer that. With that being said, I bought a small sticker for my kid and left... horribly disappointed and an hour out of my way. The whole operation was not credible at all and really is just a glorified gift shop. Save the time and go to some of the other real antique shops.

Was disappointed, We thought this would be more of an antique store. It was not. It was a museum/expensive gift shop for the show. Over priced tee shirts, mugs, etc. Still a good bucket list stop. There were displays from picks we had watched on tv. We will stop in the Tennessee shop. At least now we know what to expect.

We don't have cable, but we catch this show quite often when we travel. The Pickers were not in town, unfortunately. I guess we missed Frank by just a few days. I don't care too much for antiques but I married someone who does (a hoarder...I married a hoarder). It's a bit more of a souvenir store rather than an antique store, but hubby still managed to find some records while I stocked up on tchotchke. Beware - the cool looking water bottles are 25 bucks! Nothing else really gave me sticker shock but that one smarts a little :) Le Claire is a really nice town right on the Mississippi. It's definitely worth the trip for photos alone.