Editor's Note: Opportunities in the Business of History Entrepreneur Magazine editor Amy Cosper on Mike Wolfe and how his passion for old stuff is fueling excitement in antiques and collectibles

On most days, Mike Wolfe is far from the geek-chic slickness of Silicon Valley where most innovators hang. You're more likely to find him in tiny towns like Bristol, Tenn., foraging through other people's junk--looking for rusty, bumpy, faded gems that will fetch a healthy price for his business, Antique Archaeology. But don't let the "Antique" portion of his company's moniker mislead. This is not your doily-collecting type of antique enterprise.

You may recognize Wolfe as the head picker on History channel's American Pickers. He makes his living negotiating and collecting people's junk (or "man-tiques," as he prefers to call the relics). And the stuff he collects is legendary. To most undiscerning observers, a Dukes of Hazzard TV tray and matching lunchbox might sound like a disposable tribute to days long past. But to Wolfe, those are the kinds of treasures that surprise and delight.

In a sagging economy that smacks of a double dip, there is something poignant and appealing about Antique Archaeology. And there is something to be said for preserving some tangible parts of our unique and quirky heritage (for a price, of course). In an age defined by technology and communication, the lost art of buying and selling stuff is a refreshing bit of nostalgia.