Debuting nearly a decade ago, the History Channel and A&E Network’s Pawn Stars propelled the Las Vegas-based Gold & Silver Pawn to fame and glorified the ins and outs of what would otherwise have been a fairly standard store. There have been plenty of copies and spin-offs, but none can compare to the original show. With over 500 episodes and 16 seasons under their belts, the guys at Gold & Silver definitely know what they’re doing. Now dealing mostly in rare and valuable items, Rick Harrison and his associates are frequently tasked with appraising items and deciphering exactly what’s real and what isn’t. That’s never an easy thing to do, and, surprisingly, most of that burden relies on the seller.
In fact, there are quite a few responsibilities placed on the seller which aren’t accurately conveyed on the show. While the network makes it seem like people simply come in unscheduled off the street to peddle their peculiar wears, that’s about as far from the truth as it could possibly be. Selling things on Pawn Stars is about as complicated as it gets, and it’s a very far cry from pawning things in more traditional shops. Items are often vetted, certified, and even haggled over before the cameras ever roll, which can put the seller in a bit of an odd position. With that in mind, here are twenty rules which sellers on Pawn Stars are made to follow.
Signed Items Need To Be Certified
The Gold & Silver pawn website has a list of rules for all prospective sellers. It isn’t all that extensive, but it does come with a few interesting rules that seem to contradict what goes on with the show. Notably, the rules state that all signed items need to come with a letter or certificate of authenticity. This is strange, because the Pawn Stars guys have encountered more than their fair share of fakes over the years. In fact, deliberation regarding a product’s authenticity is often half of the show’s content, so knowing that it was most likely already deemed to be authentic from the get-go is sort of disappointing.
They Only Buy Limited Edition Artwork
This may come as a surprise given how much artwork the gang has hanging around the pawn shop, but Gold & Silver claims to only take limited edition art pieces. This means that they likely won’t deal in reprints or anything other than an artist's genuine work, which is extremely rare to come by. Sure, a reprint of Van Gogh’s Starry Night can be found just about anywhere and isn’t worth a whole lot, but we can be sure that the original will never see the inside of the Gold * Silver pawn shop. With this rule in place, it would seem that art is pretty much a no guy, but the guys actually deal with it quite often both on and off the show.
They Don’t Buy Antiques
This may come as a major shock to most viewers, but the Pawn Stars don’t actually deal in antiques. Well, that’s not entirely true— they buy and sell small antique knick-knacks all the time— but, according to their website, they won’t purchase antique furniture. They claim to lack sufficient space for it, which is understandable. Some of that stuff can be pretty large, and there’s only so much real estate on the showroom floor. That said, if something particularly priceless came through the door, it’s hard to imagine Rick, Corey, or even Chumlee just letting it walk regardless of the rules.
They Won’t Buy Vinyl Records
Vinyl may have made a small comeback among those who claim to love the authentic sound of a needle scratch, but the gang by-and-large simply won’t buy records. This is likely to prevent the contents of an attic or basement clean-out ending up in their showroom, and it is very true that, while records can hold sentimental value, even the semi-rare ones aren’t going to be worth a whole lot. Now, if the record is signed, that’s an entirely different story, but, as previously discussed, it will be on the seller to that the signature is authentic.
No Collectibles
This seems to be another rule that the Pawn Stars break all the time, but their website makes it clear that they don’t deal with Beanie Babies or any other collectible commodities of that nature. This seems just a tad strange, as things like baseball card collections and other assortments of rare junk appear on the show fairly regularly. Again, this rule is likely in place to prevent someone from showing up at their door with hundreds of stuffed plushies in toe and dollar signs in their eyes. Whole collections are often hard to sell, and, more importantly, the original owners usually tend to want way more than their prized collection is actually worth to begin with.
No Modern Firearms
This seems like a strange rule given how much World War II memorabilia the gang deals with, but they do explicitly outline that weapons manufactured later than 1898 cannot be sold in their store. This may seem like an extremely strange and arbitrary circumstance, but Nevada state law actually dictates what counts as an antique piece of military history and a functional, dangerous firearm. Again, it seems very likely that the guys behind the desk have skirted the line and bought some questionable ex-military stuff, but, given their strict compliance with the law, it seems that they’ve never actually purchased anything that they shouldn’t have.
Don’t Mail Anything In
The Gold & Silver website makes it abundantly clear that they don’t permit potential sellers to mail their items for appraisal purposes. In fact, the guys only deal with people face-to-face and almost never make any deals that would require any sort of shipment or travel. This rule is likely in place to ensure that torrents of packages don’t arrive at their P.O. box. Interested sellers can get in with the folks over at Gold & Silver if they have any serious business inquiries or would prefer to send pictures of their items, but they can’t actually mail anything in or do any real business without physical stepping inside of the shop.
Sellers Must Supply A Physical Description Of Themselves
This sounds like a very strange rule, and one that might weird out or potentially scare off some sellers, but the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop is actually required by law to take down the descriptions of the seller along with some of their basic information. This should be a familiar process to anyone who has ever had any dealing in the pawn business, though it’s always just a little unnerving. They do this because, should they have unintentionally purchased fraudulent or stolen goods, they can provide the authorities with a description of the offending party. Again, this may feel like a stranger, potentially insulting process to some, but, for the guys at Gold & Silver, it’s business as usual.
The Pawn Stars Don’t Actually Deal With Customers Anymore
This will be a major disappointment for those looking to get their fifteen minutes of fame alongside a few hundred dollars for their business, but the average seller will never see hide nor tail of any of the guys from the show. In fact, they aren’t even allowed to deal with regular customers at this point, partially because that would increase the number of bogus offers put in by people simply hoping to get a chance to meet the stars. It’s doubtful that Gold & Silver actually makes much money in the pawn business anymore— they are more than likely able to cash in on tourism alone at this point— and the men who started the shop likely haven’t dealt with any buying or selling in quite some time.
Sellers Make The First Offer
This is pretty standard practices for most pawn brokers, and anyone familiar with the industry wouldn’t second guess this rule, but, at Gold & Silver, the seller always has to make the first offer when haggling. Audience will notice that Rick always asks someone how much they're looking to get for their specific item and never initially suggests a price. This is because they don’t want to ruin a purchase by suggesting an inappropriate number and giving clients delusions of grandeur. Allowing the people behind the counter to make the first move is usually inappropriate in these settings, and customers should come equipped with at least a rough estimate of what they’re looking to get for their stuff.