About Mike Thies

Mike Thies brings more than 50 years of hands-on experience collecting, restoring, judging, and appraising collector and specialty vehicles. His background combines deep practical knowledge with nationally recognized appraisal credentials — work trusted by insurance companies, financial institutions, courts of law, and private collectors nationwide.

As a Certified Appraiser with the International Vehicle Appraisers Network (I-VAN), Mike specializes in classic and collectible vehicles, pre-purchase inspections, pre-accident valuations, diminished value appraisals, and post-loss evaluations. His appraisals are routinely accepted by insurance carriers, banks, credit unions, the IRS for donated vehicles, and state and municipal courts. He also serves as an expert witness and appraisal umpire in valuation disputes.

Mike is deeply embedded in the judging and concours community, having trained, judged, and led judging teams locally, nationally, and internationally — including the AACA, Porsche Club of America, the Contemporary Historical Vehicle Association, and Concours d'Elegance events in the United States and abroad. He has served as Head Judge, Team Judge, Producer, and Show Marshal, and authored the Global Wheels Events Vehicle Show Judging Manual, used as a reference for judging standards and procedures.

Whether he is evaluating a pre-war classic, a concours-level collector car, or a modern performance vehicle, Mike's goal stays the same: accurate, credible, and defensible valuations grounded in real-world market evidence.