Generally speaking, if you hock something at a pawn shop, you're desperate for money.
And that's exactly what the Rick, Corey, and the gang at the World Famous Gold & Silver
Pawn Shop in Las Vegas are counting on when they try to buy things at ridiculously low
prices.
Here's a look at some of the times the Pawn Stars have seriously cheated customers.
Isaac Newton's book
In season three of Pawn Stars, a seller named Bob entered the Pawn Shop with a priceless
artifact: one of the few remaining books from the library of Sir Isaac Newton.
After rare books expert Gary verified it was authentic, estimating a retail value of around
$20,000, the Old Man delivered an insultingly lowball offer of just $5,000.
Bob talked him up to $7,000, even offering to throw in a free dinner if the Old Man agreed.
He did, and probably laughed all the way to the bank.
Hotchkiss Cannon
When Rick asked his weapons expert how much he could pay for an 1890 Hotchkiss Cannon
and still make money, this was the answer.
"I would say $40000 all day long"
But even though Chuck, the seller, was standing right there and heard Rick could pay $40,000
for it and still make money, he still decided to offer the cannon for just $30,000.
Rick agreed, and after testing to make sure the cannon still fired, Chuck got to see all
his potential profits go up in smoke.
1984 Chris Craft Boat
In a very early episode of the series, Corey takes a supposedly huge gamble on buying a
1984 Chris Craft boat for $16,500 before having an expert look it over.
As has become the regular schtick of the show, both Rick and the Old Man hem and haw at how
much Corey spent on such a risky purchase... until it's later revealed that with just $4,000
of restoration work, the boat has an approximate retail value of $30,000.
Considering the seller took an $8500 loss when he sold the boat, that had to really
sting.
1962 Lincoln Continental
In another early episode from the first season, Rick and the Old Man make a steal of a deal
on a restored 1962 Lincoln Continental.
The seller, Devin, says he wants to get $13,000 to $14,000 for it, but eventually parts ways
with it for just $9,500.
You can guess where this is going.
After pouring another 15 grand into restorations, Rick and the Old Man were left with a car
valued between "$30,000 to $35,000," meaning Devin's potential loss translated directly
to a possible $5,500 to $10,500 gain for the Pawn Stars.
Samurai sword
In what is probably the most egregious example of the guys knowingly underpaying for an item,
Corey bilked an unsuspecting lawyer out of a 15th century samurai sword that a client
had left as collateral.
Just before the haggling began, Corey admitted in a backroom confessional that he has "seen
a few of these sell for thousands of dollars," which makes his initial offer of $800 laughably
shady.
Eventually, they agreed on a price of $1,500 for a weapon later appraised to be worth between
5 and 6 grand, with a potential value of up to 15 thousand dollars with a little restoration.
Yikes.
Autographed Godfather screenplay
One of the weirdest cases of the Pawn Stars trying to rip someone off and failing miserably
came when a woman tried to sell them a copy of The Godfather screenplay signed by "Al."
After their handwriting expert authenticated the signature as belonging to star Al Pacino,
Rick… well….
"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."
...except she refused his offer for a measly $500.
Instead, she walked away, and later sold it for $12,000 at a charity fundraiser.
The twist ending?
It later turned out the screenplay wasn't signed by Al Pacino at all, but rather Godfather
producer Al Ruddy, meaning the Pawn Stars actually got lucky when their own attempt
to bilk someone failed.
1951 Yankees autographed baseball
Finally, a would-be seller wisely avoided being another ripoff victim when the gang
at Pawn Stars offered him a crummy $800 for a baseball signed by the 1951 World Series
Champion New York Yankees.
Instead, he walked away, which is a good thing, because in 2016, a similar ball sold at auction
for over $6000.
Thanks for watching!
Click the Looper icon to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Plus check out all this cool stuff we know you'll love, too!