[MUSIC PLAYING]
CHUMLEE: Hey, how you doing?
Very good, thank you.
I have a check from Aaron Burr I'd like to show you.
RICK: OK, that is definitely cool.
So Aaron Burr used to be vice president of the United States.
You know, Alexander Hamilton, the guy on the $10 bill?
Yeah.
This is the guy that killed him.
CHUMLEE: OK.
You're not a dueler yourself, eh?
Are you challenging me?
No, no no.
No.
RICK: Aaron Burr, pretty colorful
person in American history.
He tied Jefferson for president of the United States.
It was the last year of the vice presidency of Burr
in which he shot Hamilton.
So it would be the election of 1800,
and 1804 would've been the last year.
RICK: The way it worked was the guy who got the most votes was
president, guy who got the second most
votes was vice president.
Alexander Hamilton threw his votes to Jefferson,
and that's why Jefferson became president.
And Burr ended up becoming vice president.
CHUMLEE: So Burr was screwed out of being president.
Is that why he shot Hamilton?
RICK: Well, yes and no.
They never liked each other, and they basically wanted
an excuse to have a duel.
CHUMLEE: So it wasn't a hunting accident?
RICK: No, it was not a hunting accident.
It was an actual duel.
Aaron Burr ended up killing Alexander Hamilton,
the Secretary of the Treasury, who was, I mean,
the father of the American banking system.
The terrible thing is, it just didn't work out well for Burr.
I mean, no one liked him after this.
Imagine today if the vice president
killed somebody in a duel.
And Aaron Burr wasn't just a vice president,
he was a Founding Father that killed another Founding Father.
He's one of the most controversial
people in American history.
It says 3 pounds right here.
What's that in dollar value?
RICK: 3 pounds back then was literally
three pounds of silver, the equivalent of $3,000, $4,000.
CHUMLEE: So this is a big check.
RICK: Your average worker maybe made 15, 20 pounds a year,
so this was a good chunk of money.
Do you have any paperwork with it or anything?
Well, you know, it has a certificate of authenticity,
which would be on the back.
RICK: OK.
It says, "Burr, Aaron.
Vice President.
Partly printed check signed and filled out in his hand.
3 by 6 inches, New York, May 3, 1788."
Well, the check is pretty simple.
Pay to AB, whoever that is, or bearer.
I guess this is how they canceled checks back then?
That's how it was done.
RICK: Aaron Burr is one of those controversial guys
that history collectors are just drawn to.
A piece like this is definitely valuable.
I just don't know how to price it.
And I want someone to look at that signature.
RICK: How much were you looking to get out of it?
$2,010.
All right.
And the 10 is because I want a Hamilton if you pay for it.
It's clear whose it is.
But we still have a line right through it,
and I just want to make sure it's his signature.
So I have a friend who's actually coming down
here to verify some signatures.
So do you think you can hang out till he gets here?
I'd be happy to.
RICK: OK.
Just wander around, and I'll get you when he gets here.
CUSTOMER: Will do.
Thank you.
Whoever they're calling in to take a look at this document,
if that person's any good, I'm sure we'll make a deal today.
[CASH REGISTER DINGS]
STUART LUTZ: This item you called me about?
CUSTOMER: This is the item.
This is an Aaron Burr canceled check.
STUART LUTZ: Very cool.
I own Stuart Lutz Historic Documents,
a firm that by sells, authenticates, and appraises
historic documents.
Rick trusts no certificates of authenticity.
So whenever he gets an item he has a question about,
he calls me up, and I'm happy to come on down.
RICK: A check from the man that killed Alexander Hamilton.
STUART LUTZ: Well, the interesting thing
about the duel is both Hamilton and Burr were from New York.
However, it was quite illegal to duel in New York.
So they actually went over to New Jersey,
and it was less illegal there.
If the result had been the other way around,
Hamilton would have been guilty of killing the vice president
of the United States, and Hamilton
might have had a bad rap in American history
instead of Burr.
Aaron Burr sort of has a bad guy image in American history.
Apparently Hamilton and Burr were
like two dogs entering a room.
They just hated each other from the get-go.
So, Rick, what exactly are your concerns about this check?
All right, first off, is it really Aaron Burr?
And the way they canceled the check, does it affect it?
Because it's going right through the signature.
Does it affect the value?
I don't think it really does, because every single check
from that time period pretty much is canceled out.
RICK: OK.
STUART LUTZ: However, I did bring along
some examples of some genuine Aaron Burrs
that I can compare them to.
First of all, he tilts his signature
about 45 degrees to the right, and he probably has
the greatest tilt of anybody.
And the other thing I'd look for is he flat tops his Rs.
So I'm going to look at the Aaron Burr here.
I'm looking for the angle.
Rick, it's my opinion that this item was
signed by Aaron Burr himself.
Yeah.
RICK: Awesome.
All right, now the big question is, how much is it worth?
I think something like this has
a retail value of about $750.
RICK: What's your best price on it?
I wouldn't go less than the $750 there.
I'm thinking like $500 is a really fair price.
Well, is that just for the oil painting in the frame,
or is that for the check?
Well, that's not an oil painting.
CUSTOMER: It's a reproduction of an oil painting.
But the framing's already been done,
and that's an expensive procedure.
It also costs me like, $25 to get something framed.
It's listed as an antique wood frame.
$600.
That's fair.
Has to end in a 10, because I'd accept a Hamilton from you.
I'd go for $640.
But $640 doesn't have a $10 bill in it. $610.
Well, when you divide 40 by 10, you get four of them,
don't you?
$610 is fair.
I mean, I'll be able to make some money.
$620.
The 20 is in two 10s.
$610.
You got-- ah, you trickster.
$610?
All right, done.
$610.
Write him up, Chum.
All right.
Thank you.
CUSTOMER: I settled on the 610 number that was thrown out
there because I'm going to go and look
for another historical document about the same size,
so it will fit right in the slot where that one used to be.