MANSFIELD — Former Mansfield resident William “Hyder” Kiser sees the truth to the idiom, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
For decades, the 79-year-old has been collecting an assortment of items — stuff he thought he could later “make a dollar on” — by sifting through the trash or visiting yard sales, auctions and flea markets.
His thousands of treasures are stowed away in sheds, box trailers, an old school bus and other containers at his property in Clinchco, Virginia.
Earlier this year, he said goodbye to some of his items when Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz of “American Pickers” paid him a visit. Kiser will be featured on an episode of their television show, which is set to air Monday, Nov. 20 at 9 p.m. A sneak-peak of the episode will be available Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 10:03 p.m. on the History Channel.
“I had some stuff that was kind of hard to let go, but it ain’t going to do no good,” Kiser said.
Part of his collection, which piqued Fritz’s and Wolfe’s attention, includes memorabilia that once belonged to bluegrass artist, Ralph Stanley. Kiser said he and Stanley were good friends and that he provided Stanley sanitation service for about 20 years.
Kiser said Fritz and Wolfe purchased some of his Stanley collectibles and donated them to a museum in Clintwood, Virginia in Kiser’s name.
“They was real good guys,” Kiser said. “It’s unreal how good they are.”
Kiser lived in Mansfield in the early 50s and worked at the Malo Brothers Junkyard. He later started his own garbage service in Virginia, where he currently resides with his wife, Peggy.
Deb Mosier, Kiser’s daughter, was excited to learn that her father will be featured on the show.
She remembers going to flea markets with him. At times, he would pick a toy, an old jar, container, can or dish out of the trash and add it to his collection.
Some have questioned his appetite for collecting what they would consider “junk,” she said.
“I think this (him being on the show) is just going to be like a dream come true for him,” she said.
