What You Were Never Told About Mike Wolfe From American Pickers

He was on the trail in Iowa not long ago, but he’s no politician, and he’s not looking for votes. He’s looking for Diamonds in the Rough. With Lee Cowan, meet American Picker Mike Wolfe.

American Pickers is one of the most popular shows in America, with 24 seasons released over the course of 14 years. The show is the brainchild of antique expert and collector Mike Wolfe, who has built a massive empire doing the very thing he loves.

“I’m Mike Wolfe and I’m Frank Fritz, and we’re Pickers. We travel the back roads of America looking for Rusty Gold. We’re looking for amazing things buried in people’s garages and barns.”

But how much do you really know about this man beyond the glitz and glamour of the show? We dig deep into his life away from the blinding light of fame. Uncovering a tale of tragedies, trials, and triumphs, these are the facts nobody told you about Mike Wolfe.

He started picking from childhood. American television would never be the same without Mike Wolfe. Through his hit TV series, he introduced the audience to a new kind of hobby anyone could enjoy—a hobby known as picking. But before he started showcasing his picking skills on television, he was already known as a man who found pleasure in turning trash into treasure.

“This can is in really amazing condition. I mean, if you look at the graphics on it, the colors, and its condition, I’d pay $1,500.”

This passion, which would eventually earn him more money and fame than he could ever dream of, began when he was just a sweet little boy. He was around elementary school age when he made his first pick, a moment that remains etched in his memory forever.

He recalls growing up in a home where they always had less than they needed, so unlike other kids in the neighborhood, his parents couldn’t afford to buy him a bicycle. That was until one day when he stumbled upon a discarded one in a trash pile. Alarmed that anyone would throw out something he wanted so badly, Wolfe decided to see if he could fix up the bicycle.

“It was one of those big garbage days. I was cutting through this yard, and I remember seeing it. It was a girl’s bike, and I picked it up. I was amazed that someone would throw out a bike.”

However, he wouldn’t have been able to ride it anyway because it was a lady’s bike. Still, that event struck a chord in his heart, igniting a desire that still burns today.

On getting home, the young Wolfe set to work on the bike—screwing things into place, changing whatever needed to be changed, and pimping it up until it looked nice enough to sell, which he did for $5. It was one of his proudest sales ever.

What started with a single bicycle has now grown into a movement that has captivated the world for over 14 years and counting. That same young boy has bid thousands, tens of thousands, and even hundreds of thousands of dollars on the craziest finds you’ve ever seen. We’ll get into some of the most expensive and craziest picks Mike Wolfe and his team have ever come across later in the video, so stick around to catch that.

Several television networks rejected him.

What I’ve told people in the past is if you’re so fixated on your idea, and it’s like “my way or the highway,” chances are it’s not going to make it. While American Pickers has become one of the most successful shows on American television, no one really believed in the idea from the beginning.

Driven solely by his passion for the craft, Mike Wolfe crafted the idea of a show that would introduce the world to the concept of picking. The only problem was that not a lot of people knew exactly what picking was, so selling a show about it to networks was a huge challenge.