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"Ford F100s are the first things that come to mind," he said when asked which trucks he considers collectible. "The early Chevrolets, the 1940s and '50s are absolutely collectible. Studebaker. Hudson Terraplane."

"And now you're seeing more and more guys appreciating the style and using those blank canvases. There are massive engine bays for a trick engine. A place of trick electronics. You can do some really cool stuff with the bed. I think we’ll see more of that in the future. You see it at SEMA."

Russo and Steele's Alcazar adds late 1960s Chevy Cheyennes to the collectible list, and notes that many people are starting to do "well-done, almost concours restorations" on such trucks.

Davis and Alcazar agree that pickups should not be considered entry-level collector vehicles. Davis notes that more people are looking for pickups, but that they still can be considered a bargain when compared, say, with cars of the same era. For example, he said, a mid-'50s Ford or Chevy pickup is going to be a lot less expensive than a '57 Thunderbird or, say, a '57 Chevy Bel Air.

He also notes there are still lots of rust-free 40 and 50-year-old pickup trucks just waiting to be restored.

A sampling of pickups available at Barrett-Jackson included:

1960 Morris Minor (sold for $26,000)
House of Color purple 1956 Ford C7650 custom cab-over ($67,000)
Highly customized, silver over black 1957 Chevy Step-side ($65,000)
1961 Studebaker Champ ($24,000)
1948 Studebaker M5 ($34,000)
1941 Chevy pickup ($27,000)
Customized 1939 Studebaker built on a Chevy S-10 chassis ($28,000)
Multi-colored and customized 1955 Chevy 3100 ($38,000)
Wonderfully restored 1940 Chevrolet K10 ($35,000)
Mildly customized 1952 Ford Custom ($45,000)
1956 Ford F-150 with a Chevy LS1 engine ($75,000)
1935 Ford half-ton just 50 miles after restoration ($26,000)
1939 Hudson Big Boy ($34,000)
1957 Chevrolet Cameo ($38,000)
Pale blue 1961 Chevy 3100 ($46,000)

And, in the showcase tent where vehicles were available for sale, an orange and black a Hemi-powered 1957 Dodge Sweptside (marked down from $78,000 to $60,000)

Alcazar’s auction included these, among others (prices were not available):

1947 Studebaker Coupe Express
1939 Ford
1957 GMC 100-8
1956 Ford F-100
1957 GMC Stepside
1951 Ford Stepside

RM offered four pickups:

1948 Mercury M47 ($49,500)
1952 Ford F1 ($29,700)
1957 Chevrolet 3100 ($49,500)
1941 Dodge WC. ($34,100)

Also at RM was a truck that Alcazar liked a lot, would love to add to his own collection of exotic vehicles – Shelbys, Vipers, Lamborghinis and such.

"I wish I could get to RM to bid on that Shelby truck," Alcazar said, knowing that the event’s timing conflicted with his own auction.

The object of Alcazar's affection was a 1966 Ford CS500 Super Duty that the Shelby American racing team used to tow a trailer containing its racecars. The truck since has been converted to a flatbed – the bed just the right size to carry a Shelby Cobra.