In today's society, there are two types of people. The ones who know that the History Channel's top-rated reality show, Pawn Stars, is staged, and those that do not. If you happen to be one of the few people that still think Pawn Stars is real, then we should apologize right now because you are in for a big revelation.
Pawn Stars is a reality show filmed at Rick Harrison's Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas. The show features three generations of Harrison's (Grandfather, Father, and Son,) running their pawn shop and interacting with random guests carrying some unique and valuable items.
Although it looks authentic, and the negotiating seems real at times, it is staged and rehearsed. The items that we see really do come into the shop and the sellers are real but that is where reality ends and production begins. Sellers are often brought back in after items are sold or not, and are filmed with one of the stars of the show taking a look at the item before making an offer.
Even with the staged deals and phony drama that seems to have been created for an increase in ratings, the show still does manage to bring in some very interesting items from sellers who normally walk away happy. Every now and then, a seller will leave and regret the decision they just made but that is far and few between.
Let's take a look at five sellers who regretted the decisions they made on Pawn Stars and 15 that loved the results of their appearance on the show.
Regret: 1984 Chris Craft Stinger 260
Even with the age of it being so old, this boat has really held its value over the years. Rick and the "Old Man" do not buy boats and they make it a big deal whenever one shows up at the shop. However, Corey decided to make a deal with a customer involving his 1984 Chris Craft Stinger 260 boat for $16,500. At first, Rick was angry, but after the boat got repaired, the total cost was about $4,000 to fix so they ended up spending $20,500 for a boat that was valued at $30,000 by an expert. The seller mentioned that he could not afford to pay for the repairs to fix it but, if he did, he could have earned another $10,000 by selling it himself.
Loved: 1602 Dutch East India Antique Bell
Almost every time someone brings in an item that was underwater, it has either very little value or is worth a lot with no middle ground. Most of the time, the sellers do not even know what the value is in the item they are in possession of is, anyways, so when they make a deal, they are normally happy.
This was the case when a seller brought in an antique 1602 Dutch East India bell taken from a ship that had sunken to the bottom of the ocean. Because of its great condition, no one believed it was authentic until an expert verified that it was actually the real deal. Once they found that out, an offer was made for $15,000 and the seller quickly agreed so she could use the money to cover her moving costs.
Loved: 1842 5th Edition Book of Mormon
The value of a book comes from more than just how old it is. This is especially true when dealing with books on religion. So when the owner of an 1842 5th edition Book of Mormon came into the shop, Rick had to call in an expert to help him figure out a price.
In turn, he brought in Rebecca Romney, one of the most intelligent experts the show has ever had, and she explained how important this edition was for the book. In fact, the value of this book comes from when it was printed. It was printed in 1842 and is the final edition printed before the founder of the Mormon religion ed away. She appraised it at $40,000 and the owner very happily agreed to $24,000.
Loved: 1932 Lincoln Roadster
It is not very often that Rick will close a deal using gold as the form of currency, but that was exactly how he was able to land a 1932 Lincoln Roadster off an owner who was very reluctant to sell it for anything less than $100,000.
After taking a look at the car, Rick figured he would have to repair some of the damage to it and offered him $95,000. But the owner quickly turned him down and would have left had it not been mentioned that he wanted gold as an investment. So he sold it to Rick for $95,000 and flipped that into gold.
Loved: 1715 Spanish Fleet Gold Coin
In 1715, 11 Spanish ships left Cuba, to head back to Spain, with an estimated 14 million dollars worth of gold and silver. The fleet also had close to 1,000 people on board the eleven vessels. Shortly after they departed from Cuba, a massive hurricane sunk the entire fleet, all 11 ships, and took the lives of the 1,000 people on board.
When the ships sank, they dumped all that treasure into the ocean and it continues to wash on the shores of Florida today. This coin was brought in by someone who had inherited it and was looking to sell it for $2,000. However, after an expert verified the coin to be real, it was valued at $18,000. The owner gladly agreed to Rick's offer of $11,000.
Regret: Civil War Clark & Sherrard Officer Pistol
Anytime someone walks into the shop with authentic Civil War memorabilia, Rick is all over it. He normally pays top dollar for it because he is not worried about a profit as much as he is worried about owning it. So when a seller brought in one of the rarest pistols used during the Civil War, Rick was all smiles.
Even the expert he called in talked about how he has only seen one Clark & Sherrard Civil War pistol, and it was in a museum. As he continues to examine the pistol, the expert mentions that others sold for about $80,000. It looked to be real until the final part of the pistol he was checking for authenticity, the serial number. He noticed the font was wrong and that it was not the real deal. The seller went from owning a pistol worth $80,000 to having a fake gun worth nothing. Rick did not even make an offer.
Loved: Paul Revere Custom Spoon
Just about anyone that lives in the United States of America should know about Paul Revere and his infamous "Midnight Ride" which helped save America from the British during the American Revolution. On that evening, he rode through the towns alerting Americans by shouting, "The British are coming, the British are coming!"
But that is not the only thing he did with his life. He was also a well-established silversmith that had a thriving business in the Boston area and one of his best works of art include dentist tools and eating utensils, like the spoon that a seller brought to Rick without having any idea what it was worth.
The seller needed to pay for his daughter's wedding and was hoping to make a deal. When he found out it was worth around $15,000, he was ready to make a deal and happily agreed to $9,500.
Loved: The Godfather Original Script With Autograph
It is not very often that the owners of Rick Harrison's Gold & Silver Pawn Shop make an offer so insulting that it becomes newsworthy. But that was exactly what happened when someone brought them an original script from the movie "The Godfather" that was also signed by someone named Al. Rick and the others assumed it was Al Pacino and the expert that came in had issues ing it but that was because it wasn't Al Pacino's signature, it was the producer's, Al Ruddy.
But they had no clue at the time and decided to send an offer of $500 for the script. The seller of the item knew it was way more valuable than $500 and decided to hang onto it instead. After it left the store, word got around and it eventually got recognized as having Al Ruddy's signature on it. It sold at an auction for $15,000.
Loved: Stephen Stills' 1941 Gibson SJ-200 Guitar
Just because someone says their guitar was once owned by a famous musician, does not mean it is true. But if they can prove it, like with a bill of sale signed by that same musician, then it becomes something of incredible value.
That is exactly what happened when the owner of a 1941 Gibson SJ-200 guitar claimed it was once owned by Stephen Stills, of the rock group Crosby, Stills, & Nash, and brought it to the shop ready to make a deal. The guitar expert Rick brought in put the value of the guitar alone, regardless of who owned it, to be around $90,000. But once you prove it was once owned by Stephen Stills, it becomes closer to $110,000.
The owner was very happy with the appraisal and agreed to $85,000.
Loved: 1890 Vampire Defense Kit
Sir Phillip William Burne-Jones was a very good friend to Bram Stoker, who was the author that wrote Dracula. He once owned a Vampire Defense Kit that featured everything you would need in order to protect yourself against one of them. In the case, which is a piece of art in itself, comes wooden mallets, a silver crucifix, silver mounted wooden stakes, glass bottles of ether and chloroform, two small .5 caliber silver mounted percussion pocket pistols, a bible, and several other incredible items.
The owner of the kit obtained it through inheritance from his grandfather, who purchased it at an estate sale. So even though vampires are nothing more than a myth, this item has some real value and was valued at $25,000. The seller was willing to make a deal and they came to an agreement for $16,000.