Frank Fritz

Frank Fritz is known as a modern-day recycler and antique collector. He is most famous for his reality TV show, American Pickers which he presents along with Mike Wolfe on the History Channel. He finds anything that is old and unusual interesting. He specifically has a genuine passion for old motorbikes, toys, and cars.

Background

Frank was born in Davenport, Iowa on October 11, 1965.  He was raised in Davenport and attended Bettendorf High School for a short period of time. He was born into a middle-class Christian family and has an older brother. Even as a child, his knack for collecting hidden and interesting treasures was apparent as he used to bring home all types of objects such as cans, rocks and stamps. As a teenager, his entrepreneurial side began to develop as he worked at places like Coast to Coast Hardware and Quad City Automatic Sprinkler. He wanted to order earn enough money to be able purchase a Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Fritz attended various local schools in and around Davenport all the way from elementary school through high school. Instead of furthering his education by continuing to college, he was overcome by wanderlust and decided to spend time moving around and traveling. Instead of becoming a college student, he started exploring around the world to see what he could get his hands on.

For almost 25 years, he worked as a fire inspector where he covered the areas from Des Moines to Cedar falls in Iowa.  While working there he used to pick up fire fighter and firehouse-related objects. In 2002, he left his job and established an organization named Franks Finds, and started travelling across the country in order to find the objects that he could sell.  

TV Career

Frank’s American Pickers show still uses the cut opening that they first used for the 4th season: “I'm Mike Wolfe. And I'm Frank Fritz. And we're pickers. We travel the back roads of America looking to buy rusty gold.  We're looking for amazing things buried in people's garages and barns. What most people see as junk, we see as dollar signs.  We'll buy "anything" we think we can make a buck on.  Each item we pick has a history all its own. And the people we meet? Well, they're a breed all their own. We make a living telling the history of America...one piece at a time.”

Frank is very popular in the United States because of his successful reality TV show American Pickers. The show is broadcasted on The History Channel and also syndicated around the world. Frank likes to call himself a modern day antique collector and recycler. He searches for anything that is old and unusually interesting, especially toys, old cars, and motorcycles.

Frank and his cohost, Mike Wolfe, were friends since they were young and grew up together in Iowa. It was only natural that Mike would eventually be sucked in by Frank’s passion and interest in antiques and collectables. Due to their natural chemistry and rapport together, it was no surprise that they would end up working together on a successful TV show.

Because of his fame and success from his TV program, Frank has been invited to appear on other popular TV shows such as the Late Show With David Letterman, American Restoration, Pawn Stars, Rachael Ray and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

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Apart from his show, he and Mike Wolfe are also the co-founders of Antique Archeology.  They usually do their research and travel randomly throughout the country looking for front yards and barns that contain junk.  They claim and prove that the junkyard often contains valuable articles that increase their net worth. They have their shops in two locations, Tennessee and Iowa.

Frank talked to Moto USA about his motorcycle collection, “I own between 70 or 80 motorcycles, but I had all that way before the show. There are a lot of Harleys and Indians. Mike has all the good stuff though, all the old stuff. I’ve always bought quantity instead of quality. That’s a bad way to be. The best is to by quality not quantity but I always seem to go the other way around. I always preach to buy the best if you can afford the best because it’s always going to be the best. It’s funny too because to buy a pair of work boots that cost 200 bucks it’ll be a 45 minute decision, but I can buy a motorcycle toy (no bigger than a Hot Wheels car) for 200 bucks in less than a minute. My philosophy is that the shoes are going to wear out but the toy is going to hold its value.”

Rich Client List

Frank’s clients are from diverse backgrounds and fields and the biggest thing they have in common is their interest in antiques. The list includes a large number of designers, collectors, photographers, athletes, celebrities, and businessmen who pay him well for his unique antiques and collectibles.

Net Worth

Frank’s estimated net worth is around $4 million dollars.  He amassed such huge wealth from his antique business, as well as from the money he receives from his very popular series American Pickers, which had multiple seasons.

Frank’s key role in his own show has made him a wealthy man. Frank commands a high annual salary for his work on American Pickers. By the fifth season of his show, it was rumored that his salary was around $500,000. This salary is in addition to what he earns from his own business, which has received a massive influx of new clients from the strong presence of the show. The TV show has been a strong referral funnel for Frank’s business. Frank is lucky that all of his income streams seem to merge with each other.

Relationship

Frank says that he enjoys his life as a bachelor because he is able to succeed while having no responsibilities. He is not in a public relationship but he may be involved with someone because his success attracts a lot of women.

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