American Pickers: Who is Robbie Wolfe?
Mike Wolfe has long been the main man on American Pickers. However, his little brother Robbie Wolfe has now seen his own star rise on the Sky HISTORY show.
Image: Robbie Wolfe | American Pickers
Many longtime viewers of American Pickers will have fond, nostalgic memories of seeing star Mike Wolfe hit the road with Frank Fritz. In episode after episode, the two friends scoured the furthest reaches of the United States in search of vintage collectibles worth buying and reselling.
So, fans were understandably distraught when Frank had to leave the reality show in 2020. He would tragically pass away in 2024, but Mike is now joined by his younger brother Robbie Wolfe in the continued hunt for valuable Americana. Here’s what Robbie brings to the popular Sky HISTORY series.
How did Robbie Wolfe get into ‘picking’?
Robbie Wolfe reflected in a 2021 interview on the Dollar Bin Bandits podcast: ‘I think I started collecting things as a result of my parents.’ His mother lived in Madrid for a time and collected figurines from the Spanish porcelain brand Lladró. Meanwhile, his father collected stamps and coins and ‘got me into old tools. So, it’s inherited.’
Not that the financially hamstrung Wolfe family were exactly able to go overboard with splashing the cash. So, Robbie and Mike largely stuck to buying junk. At least that’s how they initially saw it. They only later realised that, by breathing new life into these cut-price finds, they could make a tidy profit selling them.
A bicycle salvaged from a rubbish tip, for example, could sell at a surprisingly high markup after getting a fresh lick of paint and new tyres. As Robbie told the Climate Change, Environment, Science and the Law podcast in 2025, ‘we just basically got more and more involved in the antiques. And that’s kind of where the passion has been for me.’
When did Robbie Wolfe join American Pickers?
Mike Wolfe has been front and centre of American Pickers right from the start. Given the brothers’ shared love of ‘picking’, it’s unsurprising that Robbie has himself been a part of the show since its earliest years.
Nonetheless, there’s a good reason why his on-screen appearances back then weren’t nearly as frequent as Mike’s. ‘I couldn’t do as much travelling as he could because I had five kids,’ Robbie told Dr Anthony Paustian in the late 2010s.
Things changed when Mike’s longtime co-host on American Pickers, Frank Fritz, left the show midway through its 21st season. Robbie Wolfe stepped up to fill the gap, and has remained a consistent presence on the show ever since.
Robbie’s best moments on American Pickers
Robbie Wolfe has often been there to help get his brother out of a tough spot. One classic instance was in the seventh-season episode ‘Full Steam Ahead’, when Robbie took the initiative to snaffle a 1947 Chevy truck for $2,000. However, his nifty negotiation skills have come even further to the fore in recent seasons. Here are just some of our favourite Robbie moments…
Robbie makes big bro Mike proud
Robbie Wolfe’s passion for picking has led him to open his own antiques shop, United Service Motors. Mike got to see this store in Davenport, Iowa for himself after Robbie fitted it out with help from another American Pickers co-star, Danielle Colby.
When Mike turned up there in the 23rd-season episode ‘The King of Signs’, he was stunned at the result. He couldn’t stop staring in amazement at the interiors lavishly decorated with neon signs. Robbie had also set up what he called a ‘chill area’. ‘I’m really proud of what you’re doing,’ Mike earnestly told his brother.
Robbie shows off his pinball wizardry
Over the years, Robbie has come up with some quite creative strategies for sealing the deal when the seller is reluctant to play. In the 25th season’s second episode ‘Wolfmen vs The Automatons’, it’s Robbie who’s doing the playing – literally.
Mike and Robbie head to California, where collector Dirk harbours many quirky automations (hence the episode title) and retro coin-op machines. Robbie is especially taken by a pinball machine. Dirk names his price for it – $850. ‘How about $600 if I hit the hole right there?’ Robbie barters.
Robbie proceeds to get the ball right where he wants it, winning praise for his silky-smooth pinball skills along the way. Especially crucially, the impressed Dirk agrees to let the machine go for $600. It even comes with a cigarette holder!
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