After picking up a library book on Harry Houdini in the seventh grade, Arthur Moses became enamored by the magician's skill and bravado. The book sparked his collecting bug and over the past several decades, Arthur amassed an historic and valuable collection dedicated to Harry Houdini. Arthur shares the amazing story of how a chance phone call led him to a sidewalk stand valued at $100,000, and teaches Lisa a few of Houdini's tricks with a straight jacket used in his famous escape act. Magic historian and professional magician, Ash Adams, wows Lisa with his valuation of Arthur's collection. He also offers to make a trade with Arthur - some contemporary Houdini collectibles for a piece of Houdini history.

Arthur Moses: Houdini

Lisa Whelchel

Kevin Hermann: Movie Props and Costumes

John Pedersen: Pinball Machines

Rich Correll built a successful career as a comedy actor, director and producer, but a lifelong interest for horror inspired him to collect some of Hollywood's most iconic horror, sci-fi and fantasy props and costumes.

Rich Correll: Sci-Fi Movie Props and Costumes

Steve's house is overflowing with collectibles, like the sports room, where Steve has countless signed collectibles like Mickey Mantle's baseball and Michael Jordan's jersey, and the Van Halen room, where Steve has a signed agreement from the band.

Steve Emerson: Van Halen/Sports

Katherine caught Monkee Mania as a young child watching reruns of "The Monkees" on television; now, she shares her collection of memorabilia dedicated to "The Monkees" with rare toys, signed 8-track tapes, and Peter Tork's personal piano.

Katherine McCabe: The Monkees

Since his youth, retired electrician John Pedersen has been collecting and restoring vintage pinball machines, resulting in a collection that now takes up his entire suburban basement ... and spills over into an airplane hangar. Lisa joins John for a tour of some of his favorite games - from the very rare Cowpoke, with its animated mule kick, to the first-ever Star Trek pinball machine. Also on hand is Roger Sharpe, pinball expert and author, whose life story is the subject of the new movie, Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game. Roger sets a value on John's entire collection, then tries to tempt him into an all-out three-for-one trade ... that just might notch up to four-for-one, unless something makes the trade go TILT.

Driven by his "completist" mentality, Kevin Hermann has built an impressively vast collection of movie props and costumes from his favorite films - including one of the most complete costume collections from the hit franchise, Underworld. Kevin collects what he loves - from rare Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom props to the original puppets from the animated series, Gumby - and that love has turned into a hefty investment. Expert Mark Short places a seven-figure value on Kevin's massive collection. With Kevin's appetite for complete costumes - including the accessories - Mark comes prepared to trade two costumes and a prop from a popular television series in hopes of taking home one of Kevin's more gruesome rarities.

When his collection grew too big for his home, Steve Kahn opened "Inner Child Comics and Collectibles" to contain thousands of comic books and toys. Filled with a lifetime of memories, Steve finds himself drawn to the artistry behind each special collectible. Lisa joins Steve and pop culture expert Cory Glaberson as he walks through his favorites, from one of the rarest copies of Famous Monsters of Filmland to iconic comics like Superman #1 and a vintage Micky Mouse Waddle Book from 1934. Cory brings a rare collectible and a story of seller's remorse to entice Steve into a high-priced trade. His spidey senses are tingling, but Steve's hesitant to let go of a history-making comic book.

Steven Kahn: Comic Books and Toys

Anthony Toth fell in love with aviation as a little kid and his passion for all things "in flight" has only soared higher and higher over the years. Restoring an actual 747, Anthony has made it his lifelong mission to collect airline memorabilia- mostly from the 70's and 80's and includes uniforms, meal trays and even seats. Joining Lisa and Anthony is our expert Marshall, an airline historian who will appraise Anthony's astronomical collection, and then try enticing him to make a trade. Marshall's offering our collector some vintage aviation artwork, but will the price be too sky-high for Anthony to make a deal?

Anthony Toth: Airline Memorabilia

After being born into a family who loves all things creepy, Alyssa Mayerik was destined to collect horror toys. Whether it was her brother gifting her with a Bride of Frankenstein figure or another family member who bought her a Queen of the Dark Forest Barbie, Alyssa 's collection is filled with rare and female-oriented horror items-admitting she has a special affinity for those horror collectibles that have "girl-power." Our expert Mike Tomaso, strikes just the right amount of fear in her after offering up a trade item Alyssa would love to get her hands on- but in return, she'll have to give up a treasured collectible that means the world to her.

Alyssa Mayerik: Horror Toys

You might say Linda Guillory is hooked on video games. Obsessed with them as a kid, Linda played and usually beat everyone she competed against. As an adult, she found and bought all of her childhood games and then added some more, for good measure. She currently holds two Guinness World Records for her voluminous vintage video game collection, and even became an engineer so she could figure out how they work. Linda's collection began with her Coleco Pac-Man, but she is no less passionate about Zelda and her entire set of Mattel handheld games. Linda's sister Cynthia joins us today and can attest to how competitive her sister is, while our expert, Patrick Scott Patterson, who's made a career out of video games will be forced to evaluate her entire collection, and then see if he can come up with a video game she doesn't already have so that they can possibly make a trade. Good luck with that, Scott.

Linda Guillory: Video Games

Combining his love for Hollywood and his background as director of his family-owned car museum, Brian Grams has amassed a spectacular collection of movie and TV cars. Whether it's Greased Lightning, the Batmobile, or even the iconic station wagon the Griswold's drove, Brian's brought Hollywood history to this Midwest museum. Our appraiser and pop culture expert, Kate Martin, will evaluate this multi-million dollar collection and then attempt a trade she hopes will result in a Hollywood ending for both of them.

Brian Grams: Movie and TV Cars

With over 6000 unique pieces of Garfield memorabilia, it's no surprise Cathy Kothe holds the Guinness World Record for the largest collection dedicated to the lasagna-loving cat. As a young child, she became enamored with the Sunday comic, and that love snowballed into a house filled with orange tabby cats. We're joined by Cathy's husband, Robert, who embraces life amongst the orange felines and refers to himself as Cathy's greatest "enabler." The couple co-authored a book, "Loves Garfield," documenting their collecting adventures over the years. Nancy Vega, the President of the Garfield Gathering, joins us as we explore this massive collection, and she's found one Garfield collectible that Cathy doesn't have to offer in an enticing trade.

Cathy and Robert Kothe: Garfield

Husband and wife Nick Mayor and Jen LeMasters were drawn together by their love of all things weird and wonderful. Now their home is an eccentric floor-to-ceiling showpiece of vintage toys, nostalgia items, and the occasional unclassifiable oddity. Lisa joins them for a look at some of their standout treasures - including a very rare "Alien" action figure and a spectacular Masters of the Universe ride-on Battle Cat. Joining them is vintage toy vendor Michael Tomaso, who puts a value on Nick and Jen's entire collection, then attempts to lure them into a trade for one of their most prized items with a double-barrel offer he's sure they can't refuse. Though what he wants in return might be a problem.

Nick Mayor: Weird and Wonderful

Hooked on their rugged British rock sound, Larry became entranced by The Rolling Stones at the age of six. He's now amassed a collection of over 5000 pieces of merchandise and memorabilia ranging from the band's beginnings with the first advertisement Brian Jones placed seeking bandmates to the most current albums. He's used his connections and collecting know-how to obtain one-of-a-kind pieces like a cue card used by Mick Jagger on Saturday Night Live and a rare off-color album cover worth thousands. Joining Lisa and Larry is expert Thomas Grosh. Thomas evaluates Larry's decades-in-the-making collection and brings a rare piece of Stones memorabilia to offer in trade, hoping to tempt Larry to part with an equally rare piece of his own.

Larry Leibowitz: Rolling Stones

As the proud owner of more than 7000 toys and action figures--mostly in perfect condition-our collector Seth, needed somewhere to store them and so he built Toyland - his backyard shed filled with toys from almost every toyline and every TV show from the 70's and 80's. Planet of the Apes figures, superheroes and the Six Million Dollar Man figures, are just a few of the toys Seth shows us today. Joining us at Toyland is John, a toy store owner who knows his toylines, and has the unenviable task of appraising Seth's entire collection and then trying to convince him to trade a relic from his past, for some forward thinking toys that John's hoping Seth can't refuse.

Seth Buckley: Toyland

Inspired by childhood memories on his father's electric scooter, Pat Hanlon ventured into restoring motorcycles and racing motocross. Over the years, he amassed such a large collection of unique motorcycles, he opened the Hill Country Motorheads Motorcycle Museum to display his impressive collection. Joined by his wife, Janell, Pat shows Lisa around some of the highlights of his museum, including bikes commemorating the Queen of England and the King of Cool, Steve McQueen. From classic Hondas and Harleys to rarities like the Jawa Ice Racer, Pat's collection tells the history of motorcycle riding. Motorcycle expert Mark Scott values Pat's collection before roaring into a high-valued trade, offering up a stunning bike from his own collection for a classic motorcycle dear to Pat's heart.

Janell and Pat Hanlon: Motorcycles

Stepping into Diana Harris' Barbie room is like stepping into a miniature fashion show. Her Barbie collection features row upon row of dolled-up dolls--in their boxes-- each one more fashionable than the next. As a young girl, Diana loved to play with them and dress them up. As a Barbie collector, she finds herself drawn to the fashion-forward Barbies with designer clothes. Her Christian Dior Barbie, the Ekaterina Silkstone doll and her sweet smell PJ Roses are just a few we'll be checking out today. Joining Diana and Lisa today is Rebecca, a Barbie expert, who knows her dolls inside and out, and will have to evaluate the entire collection. Then, Rebecca will do her best to convince Diana to make a trade with her--- agree to take the special doll she knows Diana doesn't have but, in exchange, be willing to fork over one of her precious possessions.

Diana Harris: Barbie

As a child, some of Henry's favorite memories are sitting together with his family and watching their favorite TV shows from the 70's and 80's. As an adult, he decided it would be cool to own costumes from some of the shows he loved best. As it happens, Facts of Life is one of his favorites, so having Lisa Whelchel in his home and being able to show her something she may have worn on her very own TV show, was definitely a "pinch me" moment for our collector. A Laverne and Shirley skirt, a Peg Bundy top and a Carol Burnett dress are just a few of the iconic TV costumes Henry's managed to get his hands on. You might recognize our expert Stewart, as one of our collectors from last season and someone with his own impressive collection of TV costumes and props. Stewart appraises Henry's collection and brings along one of his special costumes in the hopes that Henry will want to make a trade.

Henry Truglio: TV Costumes

Steve Harris collects many things, and insists his goal is not necessarily to have the most items, just the best of the best, and he's succeding! He'll impress Lisa with some of his perfectly curated collections which include vintage toys, comic book art, KISS memorabilia and lunchboxes. Our expert today, Joel McGee, America's pop culture scout, is on hand to appraise Steve's spectacular collections and then offer him a sweet deal. He's brought something he knows our collector wants, but in return, Joel is going to ask Steve to trade something that brings back old memories for him.

Steve Harris: Toys & Lunchboxes

Janet Ellis first met and bonded with her husband Len over her collection of Betty Boop memorabilia. Now Len is Janet’s co-collector and a Betty Boop expert in his own right – in fact, he literally wrote the book on Betty collectibles. Lisa joins the couple in the shrine to the classic cartoon character they've built in their home. They share with us such 1930s rarities as an unlicensed bowl featuring both Betty and Mickey Mouse, and a gorgeously preserved wooden figure that is the very first Betty Boop doll. Also on hand is toy treasure hunter Joel Magee, who sets a value on Janet and Len’s entire collection – then tries to lure them into a trade for a beautiful one-of-a-kind modern Betty Boop item. And if that doesn’t have Janet and Len’s head spinning, there’s also a video greeting from the family of Betty Boop’s legendary creator, Max Fleisher.

Janet Ellis: Betty Boop

Caleb Zammit calls his Texas Toy Museum a “museum of memories,” and it’s no wonder why. He’s filled the small but mighty space to the brim with his lifelong toy and comic book collection, and through his impressive diorama displays, he hopes that everyone can spot a piece of their playful past - no matter their age. Alongside fellow toy collector and expert, Joel, Lisa explores Caleb’s towering collection, which includes a rare X-Men comic book signed by Stan Lee, the largest Transformer toy ever made, and several one-of-a-kind toy prototypes that show off the fascinating toy-making processes behind our childhood pastimes. Joel estimates a value for Caleb’s collection and offers him a rare Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy from the top of his wishlist in exchange for one of his favorite prototypes on display.

Caleb Zammit: Toys

Sandy's collection of coin operated machines and automatons has grown so large over decades of collecting that he's built an in-home penny arcade to house his rare finds. From fortune tellers reminiscent of boardwalk arcades to rare jukeboxes from the 1940s, if it takes a coin, Sandy's all in. And while his home houses some of the rarest coin operated machines in existence, the adventures of collecting and relationships he's built along the way have kept Sandy hooked on this life-long collecting journey. Lisa tours and tests out the games in Sandy's arcade along with our expert, Ira Warren, who has known Sandy for years. Ira brings along a rare antique from his personal collection and is ready to pull out all the stops in one of our most competitive trades yet.

Sandy Lechtick: Penny Arcade

TV producer Rich Mayerik makes shows about toys -- which has enabled him to fill his home with the many treasures of his childhood. Rich's wild and colorful collection reaches into some of the most unusual corners of the vintage toy landscape, with a heavy emphasis on legendary "gross-out" toys like Breath Blasters and Ooze-It. Joining us is toy producer and expert Gavin Hignight, who is visibly excited to be in the same room as some of Rich's rarest treasures -- including a nearly impossible-to-find action figure from the 1990 Dick Tracy movie, and a Captain Power prototype that might literally be one-of-a-kind. Gavin sets a value on Rich's collection, then brings in a tempting item of his own to try and persuade Rich to trade for one of the strangest Mr. T toys ever made.

Toys: Richard Mayerik

From her childhood, watching The Sonny and Cher Show, Robyn Fisher blossomed into a superfan, with a sprawling collection of memorabilia that covers the diva’s entire career. Joining Robyn is her daughter Marina, who’s grown up alongside the collection, and show-business appraiser Marcia Tysseling, who once handled consignment items for Cher herself (and in fact sold Robyn many items in her collection). Marcia now sets a total value on everything Robyn’s collected – including such treasures as the iconic mermaid tail from Mermaids and a pair of dazzling concert-worn earrings by legendary designer Bob Mackie. Marcia then tries to tempt Robyn into a three-for-one trade for a Sonny and Cher Show rarity that makes her long to sing, “I’ve Got You, Babe.”

Cher: Robyn Fisher

Longtime friends and podcast co-hosts Matt Weinhold and Larry Strothe return to “Collector’s Call” … but this time, Larry’s riding shotgun for Matt’s collection, instead of vice-versa. And what a collection it is! Matt has filled his house chock-full of vintage toys and pop culture memorabilia, including Japanese robots, first-gen Aurora model kits (lovingly assembled and painted by Matt’s dad), and one of the oddest Star Trek toy sets ever made … plus, for the first (and almost certainly the last) time on our show, a super-rare vintage cracker! Joining Matt, Larry and Lisa is toy producer and expert Gavin Hignight, who puts a price tag on Matt’s collection, then pulls out all the stops for the trade – reducing Matt (and Larry) to gasps with an oversized action figure of iconic Japanese superhero Kamen Rider. But what Gavin wants in return puts Matt and Larry’s friendship on the line.

Toys: Matt Weinhold

After attending his first Queen concert in the 70's, Joe became a huge fan-- so much so, that he is currently the proud owner of a king-sized Queen collection. A Brian May replica guitar, rare blue albums, and even awards that the group has won are just a few of the collectibles lining Joe's shelves. Joining Lisa today is our expert extraordinaire, Les, who is a certified appraiser of sports, celebrity and presidential memorabilia. He'll evaluate Joe's collection and then try ending things on a high note after enticing Joe to trade some of his Queen treasures for something vintage he's offering.

Queen: Joe Demelio

Step inside the nostalgic world of personal collections. Explore the amazing treasures of toys, books, memorabilia and more. Meet the real people with a passion for their possessions.

Arthur Moses: Houdini

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Season 4 Episodes26

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