The Most Expensive Items Ever Seen On ‘Pawn Stars’
First airing on History on July 26, 2009, Pawn Stars follows the daily business that takes place at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show features Richard "Old Man" Harrison, his son Rick, Rick's son Corey, and Corey's friend Austin "Chumlee" Russell. Before long, the show became the networks highest-rated show and was the No.2 reality show behind Jersey Shore. Ever wonder what some of the most expensive items to ever come through the door are? Take a look and see for yourself!
A Script From The Godfather Was Something Special
At one point, a seller came into Golf and Silver Pawn Shop with an autographed original script from Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. As it was supposedly signed by Al Pacino, autograph expert John Reznikoff was brought in to determine if the autograph was real. He said it was.
Reznikoff valued the script to be worth around $2,000, so the shop offered the owner of the script $500. The owners then turned down the offer and went on to sell the script at auction for $12,000. Apparently, Reznikoff was wrong about the autograph and the script was actually signed by Al Ruddy, the film's producer.
A Bell From The 1600s Turned Out To Be Real
When a woman came into the shop with a ship's bell that she said dated back to 1602, the Harrisons were skeptical about the whole thing. People come in all the time claiming they have something extremely old only for it to turn out to be fake.
Supposedly, the bell was from a ship owned by the Dutch East India Company, but it didn't look like it had ever been in the water. Of course, the Harrisons called up an expert who said the woman was telling the truth, making the bell worth $15,000.
An Old Spanish Coin Was Something Out Of A Pirate Movie
When a woman brought a unique coin into the pawnshop, she claimed that she had inherited it. Since it was made of solid gold, it was already valuable, however, the year it was made would only increase its value.
The woman had done her own research and claimed that the coin was valued around $18,000. The Harrisons had the coin examined by an expert who concluded that the coin was from 1715 and was part of a treasure trove that was brought from Cuba to Spain. They purchased the coin for $11,000.
Isaac Newton's Copy Of De Natura Fossilium
Published in 1546, De Natura Fossilium is a guide to rocks, minerals, and sediments. Although this book is old, what makes it particularly special was that it was owned by Sir Isaac Newton. When the book was brought to the pawnshop, the Harrisons were very skeptical and brought it to an expert to be looked over.
Inside the book, a plate was discovered which indicates that it was indeed Isaac Newton's. The expert estimated that the book was worth $20,000, but the owner still ended up selling it for $7,000.
Corey Paid A Pretty Penny For A Mummy Mask
Most people will never hold a mummy mask in their hands or even see one in person, but that's not the case for the Harrisons. When one came through the door, Dr. Phineas Kastle was called in to examine what was supposedly an Egyptian mummy mask.
Kastle confirmed that the mask was genuine and valued it at $22,500. He also warned that because it was so old and rare that it could be worth far more than that. In the end, Corey bought the mask from the owner for $30,000.
The Guys Scored Big With This Emblem
When a seller came into the shop with this Polish emblem, Rick wasn't sure how significant it was or what do with it. He ended up buying it from the person for a mere $6,000, unsure if he had lost or made money. The authenticator who then came to take a look at the emblem determined that it was made in Russia and that it was as close to a Fabergé as you can get.
He noted that the emblem was also made in 1975 when Poland was split into three parts, with the largest being controlled by Russia. In total, the emblem is worth $30,000.
The Book Of Mormon From 1842 Was Bought With Ease
The Book of Mormon was first published in 1830, so when someone came in claiming to have a book from 1842, they had the Harrisons' attention. Luckily for the Pawn Stars, book expert Rebecca Romney examined the book and confirmed that it was from 1842, making it a fifth edition.
Romney then estimated that the book was worth around $40,000. Even though the book was estimated to be worth so much, in the end, Rick made a deal with the owner and bought it for just $24,000.
16th Century Spanish Gold Was A Rare Find
Somehow, a bar of Spanish gold from 1554 made its way into the shop. Supposedly, the gold bar had been lost in a shipwreck the same year it was made. The owner of the bar had found it in his attic and decided to bring it in to see what he could get for it.
Melted down, the bar would have been worth $24,000, however, still in its original shape, it was easily worth $50,000. The Pawn Stars made a deal and acquired the gold bar for $30,000.
Rick Drove To Florida For A Single Coin
Although not known to everyone, not every deal that's made is done in the physical shop. At times, the Pawn Stars will set up meetings with private sellers or travel themselves to see specific products. In the case of an octagonal Panama Pacific gold coin from 1915, Rick drove all the way to a coin show in Florida.
The coin commemorates the completion of the Panama Canal and is extremely rare. Estimated around $70,000, Rick talked down the price to $67,000, and sold it to a private buyer he already knew was interested.
Vic Flick's Guitar From 1961 Was Sold By Vic Himself
Typically, a Fender Stratocaster from 1961 sells for around $20,000 on most websites. However, this guitar was different from the others, because the owner who brought it in claimed that it once belonged to Vic Flick.
Flick is a well-known session guitarist who played on countless popular songs, also teaching students such as Jimmy Page. As it turns out, the man selling the guitar was Flick himself, except nobody knew who he was. Once everything was cleared up, they bought the guitar for $55,000.
The Boys Bought Quite The Car
Another occasion in which Rick left the shop to make a deal was when he went to check out a Ford Roadster Model B from 1932. Bringing his son along for the ride, after seeing the vehicle, the two decided that they needed to have it. The car they looked at was in mint condition and worth a lot of money.
Of course, Rick also had his car guy, Danny Koker, look at the car, and he decided that it was worth around $75,000. After some back-and-forth with the seller, Rick ended up paying $68,250.
One Of 150 Mustangs
There were only 150 of the 2014 Hertz Penske GT Mustang ever produced. On top of that, the first ten of them were given to VIPs and Hertz executives, leaving only 140 available for the public.
Furthermore, it's the only GT Mustang with a six-speed manual transmission, making it especially rare. Nick asked for NASCAR driver Joey Logano to take him for a test drive, telling Rick that it was easily worth $75,000. After some negotiation, Rick bought the car for $60,000.
The O.J. Statue That Flava Flav Had A Hard Time Parting With
In one famous episode of Pawn Stars, rapper Flava Flav came into the shop with a strange bronze statue of O.J. Simpson. Flava Flav claimed that the statue used to be perched next to Simpson's pool at his home in Los Angeles. Initially, Flav was looking for $125,000 for the statue, but the Pawn Stars only thought it was worth $80,000.
TMZ later reported that Flav held onto the statue, not taking any offers under six figures for it. He even offered it back to Simpson who refused it. It's possible he still has the statue today.
Rick Couldn't Tale Advantage Over A Lady For This Brooch
When a woman came into the store to try and sell her unique looking brooch, she had no idea that she was holding one of the most expensive items to ever come through the doors. Apparently, she had received the brooch from a relative and was hoping to get a few thousand dollars for it.
After examining the brooch, Rick knew that it was worth far more than what she was asking for and offered her $15,000 instead. Even though Rick didn't try to rip the lady off, it was later discovered that the brooch was a genuine Fabergé piece worth upwards of $80,000.
Rick Bought A Car In Gold
A private seller and classic car collector/enthusiast who calls himself "Uncle Phil" approached Rick with a 1932 Lincoln Roadster. Uncle Rock had bought the iconic car from a museum and wanted $100,000 for it. Unsurprisingly, Rick fell in love with the car but was still unsure about spending $100,000 on it.
Rick knew it would be difficult to find a buyer since there was such a small market for vehicles as specific as this. Finally, he offered Uncle Phil an amount of gold worth around $95,000.
They Came Up On A Superbowl Championship Ring
When New England Patriots defensive back Brock Williams walked through the doors, there was little doubt that he was in possession of something authentic. As it turns out, he sold his New England Patriots Super Bowl Championship for just $2,000 as collateral for a loan.
The ring is made of white gold with 143 diamonds. Rick was interested at first sight, and since Williams never came back to pay off the loan, the ring legally belongs to the shop. In total, the ring is worth around $100,000.
One Of The Most Valuable Coins In The United States
The 1922 Proof Peace dollar coin is one of the most valued coins ever produced in the United States. Once worth just a dollar, coin collectors have been known to pay outrageous amounts of money to get their hands on one.
On the show, one man trying to sell the coin won it in a poker game and was asking $20,000 for it. However, after having an expert look the coin over, it was determined that it was worth at least $100,000. Rick offered $80,000 and the buyer walked away happy.
Stephen Stills' 1941 Guitar Was Expensive By Itself
Any 1941 Gibson guitar is going to be worth a nice chunk of money, but if its previous owner was the legendary Stephen Stills, its value only goes up. Somehow, that guitar found its way through the doors of the pawnshop.
Regularly, a 1941 Gibson guitar would be worth around $75,000, but after it was proven to have been owned by Stephen Stills, the price shot up to $105,000. Rick offered the seller $85,000, and the man handed over the guitar.
Thousands Of Ounces Of Silver Had To Be Wheeled In
When a seller arrived at the store with 3,000 ounces or nearly 200 pounds of silver, Rick was impressed but also hesitant to make an offer. The seller had shown up with countless bags full of silver blocks that he wheeled into the store.
Supposedly, his father had told him to invest in precious metals and he listened to his advice. Now, he was ready to cash in. Obviously, Rick had the metal tested and it proved to be 100 percent silver. Rick offered $111,000 for the silver and the exchange was made.
Massive Gold Bars Caught Rick's Attention
Rick and the other employees on Pawn Stars don't always bite when it comes to buying things, but these four gold bars were too nice to pass up. Each gold bar weighed a little over two pounds and looked like buried treasure straight out of a movie.
Rick was quick to make an offer and flipped them for $128,000, around $32,000 each. Rick always makes it clear that if you ever have an opportunity to acquire gold, it's in your best interest to buy it.
