Episode 30 | The Ones That Got Away: Wade Ledbetter’s Wildest Picks
In this episode of House of Folk Art, Wade Ledbetter returns to share more stories from his life as a full-time antique picker. A life spent on back roads, knocking on doors, and hauling everything from sugar chests to human skulls. Told to his son Matt, the host of House of Folk Art, this episode winds through missed deals, strange finds, and wild encounters in small towns across Virginia and North Carolina.
Wade’s storytelling hits full stride as he recalls a legendary missed opportunity involving not one but three Stanley Steamer cars and a building full of forgotten parts. Then, we hear about a massive buyout of an old doctor’s estate in Henry, Virginia. A haul that included rare pottery, medical oddities, and one sugar chest that would go on to sell for over ten thousand dollars.
In the final segment, Kyle joins the conversation and turns the mic toward Wade’s second act, his work as a folk artist. What follows is a personal conversation about Wade’s relationship with Benny Carter, how painting started by accident, and why folk art never needed to be perfect to be meaningful.
CHAPTERS
00:00 – Picking Stories with No Profit
06:03 – The Stanley Steamer Mistake
11:19 – A Second Visit and a Missed Fortune
16:11 – A Mysterious Doctor’s House in Henry, Virginia
22:26 – Sugar Chests, Skeletons, and a Killer Score
29:02 – Lessons from the Old Days of Picking
31:12 – Trucks, Tents, and How the Game Changed
33:01 – From Picker to Folk Artist
36:00 – Painting Benny Carter and Remembering the Past
41:06 – Parties, Pot, and Birdhouses
43:00 – Closing Thoughts and Where to Find Wade’s Art
00:00 – Picking Stories with No Profit
Wade opens with a truth familiar to every picker: some of the best stories come from deals that didn’t make a dime. He sets the tone by recounting a road trip to Pleasant Garden and the strange property they nearly bought out—including a forgotten car dealership filled with vintage steam-powered automobiles.
06:03 – The Stanley Steamer Mistake
Inside a collapsing old workshop, Wade discovers three Stanley Steamer cars and crates of original parts—valves, gauges, tires, even yellow-labeled factory stock. The seller offered everything for $8,000, but Wade and his partner walked away. A decade later, the cars were gone. It remains one of Wade’s biggest regrets.
11:19 – A Second Visit and a Missed Fortune
Years later, Wade returns to the same property, hoping for a second chance. The family remembers him, but most of the Steamer parts are long gone. “Some of the best picking stories are all about failure,” Wade admits, reflecting on what it means to miss something big because you didn’t yet know what you were looking at.
16:11 – A Mysterious Doctor’s House in Henry, Virginia
Wade shares the story of a massive score at an old white house once owned by a doctor. The yard was littered with broken crocks, and the attic was packed with medical equipment, skeletons, and even a small coffin with a baby skeleton inside. Wade left most of it behind—but walked out with beds, wardrobes, and a sugar chest he snagged for $400.
22:26 – Sugar Chests, Skeletons, and a Killer Score
That sugar chest, it turns out, sold for $12,000. Wade recounts the rest of the haul and admits his mistake—leaving the skeletons behind. When he returned to buy them later, the family shut him down. “You could probably have had all that doctor stuff for $100,” he says. “But I didn’t know what it was worth.”
29:02 – Lessons from the Old Days of Picking
Matt reflects on how different the game was back then. Wade didn’t keep a booth or sell online. He filled a truck on Monday and sold everything by Friday. No backup plans. No storage units. No second chances.
31:12 – Trucks, Tents, and How the Game Changed
Matt talks about how antique shows and picking culture evolved over time, sharing how police once treated pickers with suspicion until shows like Pickin’ America changed public perception. Wade remembers getting pulled over in the 80s just for driving a loaded-down pickup.
33:01 – From Picker to Folk Artist
Kyle joins the conversation and asks Wade about his transition from antique picker to folk artist. Wade laughs, says it just happened, and holds up a painting of Benny Carter—a legendary folk artist and friend.
36:00 – Painting Benny Carter and Remembering the Past
Wade shares his process: paint what you want, how you want. He adds symbols to his work that nod to the subject’s life—in Carter’s case, taxicabs and birdhouses. “I’m sure it doesn’t look like him,” Wade says, “but it felt right to me.”
41:06 – Parties, Pot, and Birdhouses
Wade recalls first meeting Benny at a party. They didn’t talk art—they passed joints and told stories. Wade admits he didn’t think much of Carter’s work at the time, but now his birdhouses and churches are collectible. “He gave them away,” Wade says. “Now people sell them for hundreds.”
43:00 – Closing Thoughts and Where to Find Wade’s Art
The episode winds down with a few final laughs, a mention of Wade’s art sales, and a reminder that folk art isn’t about being right—it’s about being real. Whether it’s a broken jug, a steam-powered car, or a painted-over thrift store canvas, the value is in the story you find inside it.