A Nanaimo man and his collection of antiques will be featured on a Canadian television show about modern-day treasure hunting.
Rodney Pohl and the items he accumulated as part of his antique store came under the gaze of the hosts of Canadian Pickers.
While they found a bunch of stuff to buy, they found even more that they liked, said Pohl.
“They maybe saw about five per cent of what I have,” Pohl said. “They’re talking about coming back again.”
Pohl’s collection stems from his antique store, Cabin Fever, that he closed after health problems cost him his leg. He suffered a broken leg, which required a bone graft, and a superbug infection set in, requiring amputation of his leg.
His health is better now, but he still has a two-car garage and more filled with items from the former store.
“I had a private collection and I just opened an antique store,” Pohl said.
Pohl’s house guests called the show after they saw how much stuff he accumulated and producers were soon in contact.
“I said I’ve got thousands of items,” Pohl said. “They were there eight days later.”
Canadian Pickers is a show about two men looking for treasure among the country’s junk. They go into basements, attics and storage facilities to find the gems, buy them and resell, hopefully for a profit.
Some of the items were simply too valuable for the show.
Pohl owns a large collection of First Nations art work, including a blanket with thousands of abalone shells, original drawings from a famous fashion designer, plus a cabinet made as a wedding gift for Queen Elizabeth.
The company commissioned to make the furniture made two, so that if catastrophe struck the first, they had a backup. One is in the Queen’s possession in Britain while the other belongs to Pohl.
The collection is sitting in storage and Pohl would like to sell it to pay bills and make a donation to charity, but he finds the size somewhat unmanageable.
“I’d really like to find a way to be free of it all,” he said. “I’d really like to sell it all and move on with life.”
Pohl’s episode of Canadian Pickers airs Monday (Aug. 27) at 8 p.m. on the History Channel.
To contact Pohl about his collection, please call 250-754-8870 or e-mail rodneypohl1@gmail.com.
