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Mike Wolfe was born on 11th June 1964, in Joliet, Illinois USA, and rose to prominence as the creator and star of the television show “American Pickers”, aired from 2010 to the present on the History Channel. He became widely known through the reality series, though he had been ‘picking’ since his childhood.
How rich is the antiques hunter? The creator of the expanding business empire, Mike Wolfe’s net worth is as high as five million dollars. Aside from actually ‘picking’, the sources of his wealth are the television show, various endorsement deals, production lines, books and retail stores. Looks like he is someone who can make money literally from scratch.
Wolfe was raised in Joliet together with his two siblings by their mother. Being just six years old, he began his picking career, looking for old bicycles and other old stuff which he found to be useful and valuable. This really was the start of his accumulation of net worth. Later, becoming an adult he founded an Antique Archaeology store in Nashville, Tennessee, and later another one in Le Claire, Iowa in which people were able to buy or sell antique treasures.
This business became more popular after the reality television series “American Pickers” was launched in 2010, created by Mike Wolfe himself and developed by Mark Poertner and Stephen Pettinger. The main star of the series is Wolfe, who together with Frank Fritz travels around the US looking for old but still potentially valuable items. Afterwards, they sell their findings or add them to their own collections. Another star of the series is Danielle Colby who is responsible for the stores. Meanwhile, co-star Frank Fritz sells their findings in his store in Savanna, Illinois, as well as on the internet.
It is worth mentioning that Mike Wolfe is not only the main star and creator of the series, but also one of executive producers; others are Charles Tremayne and Mark Poertner. The series attracts a huge audience, as at the end of the first season it was watched by more than 5.4 million viewers. According to the ratings the series could rival only “American Idol”, as even while on debut the series gathered more than 3.1 million viewers, and was the highest rated debut aired on the History channel. No doubt, Mike Wolfe’s net worth significantly increased after the series was premiered.
As a result of the success, other business branches were added - the online community called “Kid Pickers” was created, with children able to share their own picking experiences as well as findings on the website. What is more, the books “American Pickers Guide to Picking “ released in 2011, and “Kid Pickers” published in 2013 contain guidance on picking for children with special needs.
In his personal life, Mike Wolfe married Jodi Faeth in 2012, and they have a daughter. It is important to highlight the fact that Mike works not only to benefit himself, but he does a lot as a humanitarian, too. He is a constant host of various fund raising events on projects to help various animal shelters, the ASCPA, Operation Smile, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and others.