Rob Wolfe of 'American Pickers' shares his 5 best tips for hunting down antiques

Rob Wolfe developed a knack for picking at age 8 when he started looking through garages and barns for items he could resell. Of course, his older brother, Mike, influenced his choice of picking treasures, gearing toward old bicycles that he could flip.

He estimated that he started picking full time at age 18, after he graduated from Bettendorf High School. He stores many of the pieces he discovers in his warehouse, which takes up a city block in downtown Davenport.

The co-star of The History Channel’s “American Pickers” wants to help the next generation get into picking. His three-day event, Bettendorf Americana , on Aug. 1-3 at the Isle of Capri casino in Bettendorf, includes a scholarship program to help students who want to go into antiques, preservation or auctioneering as a career.

Wolfe shares some of the best tips that helped him hone his picking skills.

Tip 1: Keep listening, especially to people in the picking and antiques businesses

“When I was growing up, I got out of high school, and I think most high school students think this way. They think to themselves, 'Well, school's over. I get to stop thinking. I get to stop learning,'” he said.

What he learned, though, was to really listen to the people at swap meets and antique shows, the people who were selling their treasures.

“Back in those days, there was no Google. We didn’t have a computer. We didn’t have a cellphone, so that kind of forced you into reading books, reading magazines, listening to old guys at swap meets,” Wolfe said. “I was learning it from the old guys that have been collecting for so long. I tell people all the time. I'm like, ‘Hey, if you can just stop and learn, if you go to a swap meet, listen to an older guy talk.’”

Tip 2: Collect things you like

Wolfe has a sweet spot for old Americana, vintage cars and advertising memorabilia.

“It doesn’t matter what you buy in this world, but if you buy something, buy it because you like it, not because you think you’re going to make money on it,” Wolfe said.

He said he might keep an item for a year before selling it. “If somebody else likes it as much as I do, then I’ll make some money on it,” he said.

Tip 3: Listen to and seek out the stories behind the items you’re buying

Anyone who has watched “American Pickers” knows that the people who sell their antiques always have a tale to tell about how something came into their possession, whether it was handed down from one generation to the next, bought as part of an old business, or is part of a collection the owner wants to sell.

“The story is the key to any of the stuff that we’re doing,” he said. “I mean, you can buy an item and it can be a $5 item, but that $5 item has the most awesome story that goes with it.”

Tip 4: A ‘no’ doesn’t mean you can’t learn

Wolfe comes across people, especially on “American Pickers,” who are adamant that they don’t want to sell anything.

“I love when they tell me flat out, ‘Nothing’s for sale.’ And I love to turn the tables on that and be like, ‘OK, I don’t want to buy it. I just want to learn,’” Wolfe said.

More: Rob Wolfe is ready to step out from his brother's 'Pickers' shadow, create his own legacy

Tip 5: Get your family involved

Wolfe said to talk to family members about some of the prized possessions they own so you know the story behind the object. That item becomes more personal when you know the story behind it.

Wolfe said that he hopes his own family will continue the picking tradition.

When he married his wife, Melanie, 35 years ago, they did some picking together. “She loved the antique thing, but then we started having kids, and the antiques just didn’t fit into the motif of having kids around all that stuff,” he said.

Wolfe thinks two of his five children and maybe even his grandson and granddaughter may follow his career path.

“I don't think all of them do, but they definitely appreciate the older things.”

Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at the Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook , Twitter , or Instagram , or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Rob Wolfe of 'American Pickers' shares his 5 best tips for hunting down antiques