Mike Wolfe is currently one of the most bankable television personalities. He is best known as a regular face on American Pickers – a popular reality TV series produced by A&E Television Networks in collaboration with Cineflix Media.
Wolfe’s love for picking trash dates back to his childhood days. He began picking trash from different places at the age of six. The first item he picked and eventually sold was an old bicycle he retrieved from his neighbour trash. He ended up selling it for $5 after cleaning it.
Mike Wolfe Bio – Age
Mike Wolfe was born by Rita Wolfe in Joliet, Illinois, on June 11, 1964. He was raised along with his two younger siblings – Robbie Wolfe and Beth Wolfe – by their divorced mom.
Owing to his parents’ separation, Wolfe and his siblings were raised in a lower financial condition, a major reason he took to picking trash.
The Joliet-born businessman belongs to the white ethnicity and holds an American Nationality. His journey to stardom began after he first made an appearance on his show – American Pickers – on January 18, 2010, grabbing about 3.1 million viewers and earning great admiration from producers and directors.
Although the respected trash picker won the hearts of many in his debut appearance, obtaining the green light from The History Channel didn’t come easy as it took him five years of consistent ‘preaching’ before his idea about pickers was finally bought.
Today, Mike appears on American Pickers with Frank Fritz, a friend he met in junior high school. His younger brother, Robbie Wolfe also appears on the reality television series with his children.
Is He Married? His Family, Wife, and Daughter
Yes, Mike Wolfe is married. He tied the knot on September 8, 2012, in Tennessee. Mike is a doting father to daughter Charlie Faeth Wolfe, whom he had with his wife Jodi Faeth on January 30, 2012.
Jodi and the professional antique collector got married on September 8, 2012, as mentioned earlier. They are happily living the best of their moments together as an adorable couple and parents to Charlie.
Mike Wolfe’s Net Worth
Having been around as a professional picker for over 20 years, it’s very safe to say that Wolfe is king of the world of “picking”. Not only that he has dominated his field, he has also grown his empire to accommodate business channels such as endorsement deals, retails stores, books, product lines, to mention a few.
An influential player in the world of collectables and interiors, he boasts two Antique Archaeology stores which he acquired from the money he made from ransacking America’s streets, back roads, and dilapidated warehouses.
The Joliet-born treasure hunter home in Le Claire, Iowa was purchased in 2004 for $175,000 and boasts two home decor stores, a courtyard and two-car garage while the other is situated near Tennessee.
Besides searching and selling “rusty gold”, Mike Wolfe also banks as an actor, author, and has received so many awards. Prior to his stints in Hollywood and American Pickers, precisely in the 1990s, he used to run two bike shops in Iowa and was previously a bicycle racer.
As an author, he has written the following books – “Kid Pickers: How to Turn Junk into Treasure” (2013) and “American Pickers Guide to Picking” (2011).
In 2012, he launched a kids’ initiative called “Kid Pickers”. Mike organizes events and also raises fund for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, animal shelters, Operation Smile, and the ASCPA.
The treasure hunter, who has severally declared his love for old-school country and Americana, also has an album titled “Music to Pick By” to his name.
In September of 2012, it was reported that CBS had purchased Wolfe’s latest scripted TV project which was based on the trash picker’s life and experiences in his field. Directed by Fred Savage, the multi-camera project unveils a workplace comedy played out in his antiques and collectables shop.
Sometime in 2012, Wolfe signed an endorsement with Indian Motorcycle at Sturgis Motorcycle Rally 2012, earning good money from the deal.
He earns a satisfying amount of salary from his wealth of business channels and American Pickers. The show pays him an impressive $500 thousand in salary every season while his net worth reportedly sits between $4 to $7 million.
An avid car and motorcycle enthusiast, Wolfe has a whole lot of bicycles and is known for his love for Volkswagen.
He owns a single cab VW Bus, a VW Panel Van, 63 split-window Bug, BSA Salt Flat Racer, 1913 Indian Racer, 1912 Indian, 1913 HD, 1914 knucklehead, 1934 Harley VL, 1948 Indian Chief, 1948 Indian Chief, and early 50’s Ford F1.
The trash collector’s first motorcycle was a Kawasaki 100 which was followed by a Honda Elsinore 250 and later a Can-Am 250.
The awards he has won include – Best Ensemble Performance at the Orlando Film Festival, Best Director Award, Best Actor in a Feature Film at the Golden Door Film Festival, and many others.
