In 2009, the History Channel premiered a television show about a Las Vegas pawn shop named the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. The show, Pawn Stars, began something that the show’s creators were not expecting. They started an entirely new reality television genre. Antiques Roadshow, was the first but it did not have the support or popularity to be a leader. Pawn Stars paved the way for shows like Storage Wars and American Pickers to become hit shows because of the excitement viewers get from uncovering a hidden treasure that had been hidden from the world for many years.
The idea of discovering what an item’s value is, or if it is even real, has given viewers a chance to tune in week after week, hoping to see something amazing that was sitting in someone’s attic for all these years.
Pawn Stars gives their fans exactly what they want each episode by featuring items that may or may not be worth a ton. The show is full of other hilarious moments between the Harrison boys but what really makes the show great is when someone walks in with an item that turns out to be worth $100,000, or maybe even more.
Over the years, the show has seen some incredible, and rare, items come through their doors and we went through all the episodes to find the 30 most expensive items ever to enter the shop.
(Note: Not all items were purchased. The prices featured in this article are for the value of the item, not the selling price.)
Original “The Godfather” Script w/ Autograph ($12,000)
John Reznikoff was brought into the shop for an episode of Pawn Stars, to authenticate an autographed copy of the original The Godfather script. He was considered to be an expert authenticator of autographs and certainly looked like someone you would assume was an expert in something that does not require you to be seen in public.
Reznikoff took a magnifying glass and analyzed the autograph before finally coming up with the determination that it was, in fact, Al Pacino’s autograph and the script was worth $2,000. However, as it would later turn out, the signature was actually from producer Al Ruddy.
But when they were filming the show, they went with Reznikoff’s information and offered just $500. The owner turned them down and later sold it at an auction for $12,000.
Dutch East India Company 1602 Antique Ship Bell ($15,000)
When the owner of an antique ship bell came into the store, she claimed it was from a ship owned by the Dutch East India Company back in 1602. Anytime someone makes a claim that their item is something that could be worth a pretty good chunk of change, they quickly begin to doubt its validity.
One of the main reasons this item was considered a forgery was because it was simply in too good of a condition to have been underwater. So after an expert was brought in, and to the Harrison family’s surprise, it was confirmed the real deal and was worth a whooping $15,000.
1715 Spanish Empire Peru Gold Coin ($18,000)
Most people inherit land, businesses, or family heirlooms like old paintings or a collection of baseball cards. But rarely do people inherit a rare, unique, Spanish Empire gold peso which was actually minted in Peru. This rare find was brought into the shop by Jody, its owner, and she knew she had something that was worth a lot of money, she just wasn’t sure how much.
From what she discovered, doing her own research, she valued the coin herself at $18,000. Its value came from the story behind it. In 1715, it was part of a giant treasure of loot worth nearly $14 million that was being brought to Spain on a fleet of ships leaving Havana. It did not take long for the guys to strike a deal and they made the purchase for $11,000.
Isaac Newton’s Personal Copy of “De Natura Fossilium” ($20,000)
Just because we see something on Pawn Stars, does not mean it is true. In other words, we only get to see some of the thousands of items that come through the shop monthly, and some are real while some are fake. Every item has an owner and every owner claims that what they have is the real deal. That was the case when a copy of the 1546 “De Natura Fossilium” showed up on the counter one episode.
The book came with all the markings and a book plate that certified it was actually owned by Sir Isaac Newton. It was a book that was stored in his library and because of that, had amazing value. The expert told them it was worth $20,000 yet the owner still sold it for $7,000 making it a horrible deal for the seller.
Edward Curtis Photogravures ($20,000)
Long before The History Channel turned this simple little Las Vegas Pawn Shop into a multi-million dollar corporation, Rick Harrison was working himself to the bone, doing everything he could to make a profit. One of those deals remains the greatest of his life, and it all happened before anyone was filming.
About 26 years ago, a woman came into the shop with four sets of American Indian photogravures. They were all done by Edward Curtis. Without having any knowledge, or experience with these types of items, Rick had no idea what it was worth and the owner simply wanted $50 for the set. So he took it and it turned out to later be discovered that these were extremely rare and valuable, and worth nearly $20,000. It remains his largest return of investment.
The Egyptian Cartonnage Mummy Mask ($30,000)
If we could only have Pawn Stars bring in Dr. Phineas Kastle once an episode and provide us with interesting information about Ancient Artifacts. That is, as long as he is not off somewhere on a safari. His over-the-top fashion sense, and incredibly awesome mustache, makes us truly believe every single word he says.
So when he was asked to come to the shop and verify if a customer’s ancient Egyptian mummy mask was the real deal, it took him a few seconds before knowing that we were looking at the real thing. He put the value around $22,500 but said it was so unique, it could go higher to a collector. Corey decided he wanted this piece and eventually had no choice but to pay the asking price of $30,000 to own it.
Poland’s Order Of The White Eagle ($30,000)
To understand this item, you need to have a better understanding of world history. More specifically, European history in 1795 when Poland was actually split into three parts with Russia getting the largest part of the land. The emblem of Poland, since the 1300s, was the white eagle depicted on this item. But when Russia took over, they simply added it to their emblem, the two-headed eagle, which is seen at the bottom of the piece.
So it is Polish but not in a sense that it came from Poland but rather had ties to Poland thanks to Russia owning it and creating this beautiful piece that is as close to Faberge quality as it comes. Rick tells the authenticator that he purchased it for $6,000 and found out it was worth, at least, $30,000.
1842 5th Edition Book Of Mormon ($40,000)
Pawn Stars has a list of experts that specialize in various different things from autographs to antique jewelry, but there is only one that has grown into a celebrity on her own and it is Rebecca Romney, the manager of Bauman Rare Books in Las Vegas.
Since showing up on a few episodes as a rare books expert, she has turned into an internet hit and now is considered to be one of the most well respected experts on the show. She was brought in to analyze someone’s 5th edition copy of the Book of Mormon, which turned out to be worth $40,000, so Rick made a deal with the owner at $24,000.
1554 Spanish Gold Bar From A Shipwreck ($50,000)
As it turns out, there were a lot of shipwrecks from the past 600 years, many of which Spanish. Rick has already bought one from a fleet of ships in 1715 and now was looking at an even earlier piece of history, a gold bar that is claimed to have been part of a 1554 Spanish shipwreck.
The owner acquired this piece of gold after cleaning his attic and noticing something that was probably worth a good amount of cash. After hearing that the meltdown value of it was $24,000, negotiations began to discuss buying it. The owner of the bar was offered $35,000 and he took it. It would later turn out to be worth $50,000.
1915 Panama Pacific Octagonal Gold Coin ($70,000)
Rick does not just sit in his office, or the shop, all day, waiting for people to bring in cool items. In fact, in recent years, he has gone on road trips to take a look at items to bring back and sell to private buyers he already has lined up. The 1915 Panama Pacific Octagonal Gold Coin was a rare one that he traveled to Florida’s biggest coin show just to find it.
He was able to find two of them and ended up convincing the owner of it to drop his selling price from a firm $70,000 down to $67,050. He quickly made the deal and was able to bring it back to be sold to a seller he already had lined up.
1961 Vic Flicks Fender Stratocaster Guitar ($70,000)
Not very often does the original owner of a guitar walk into the shop and try to sell his own guitar. However, when Vic Flick showed up with his guitar, no one knew who he was, outside of the guitar expert himself. As it turns out, Vic Flick is the man that taught some of the greats including Jimmy Page.
Imagine a man claiming to have taught Led Zeppelin’s legendary guitarist, Jimmy Page, how to play the dang thing bringing in his own guitar for Rick to buy. That in itself is one of the most unique moments in the show’s history and after confirming who he was, Rick made the purchase for a smooth $55,000.
1932 Ford Roadster Model B ($75,000)
When Rick made a house call to check out a seller’s 1932 Ford Roadster Model B, back in season seven of Pawn Stars, that was in near perfect condition, he was not expecting to walk away owning it. He brought his son along for the field trip and when they both tried to get into it, they realized just how small it was and that it was nowhere near a practical vehicle to drive for themselves.
Rick brought Danny, his car guy, and expert in custom vehicles, out to the house to take a look and he confirmed the value of this vehicle to be around $75,000. After shooing him away, Rick turned to the seller and began to negotiate a deal for the car. After a very stressful negotiation, they settled on $68,250, not a bad deal.
2014 Hertz Penske GT Mustang ($75,000)
The 2014 Hertz Penske GT Mustang only had 150 of them built with the first ten Mustangs off the line going to Hertz VIPs and other executives. This was also the only GT Mustang with a six-speed manual transmission. So, in order to give it a real test ride, Rick brought in a buddy, NASCAR driver Joey Logano, who got to take it on the Las Vegas NASCAR track and really tear it up.
The rarity of the vehicle makes it one of the most popular GT Mustangs built in the past few years. Joey estimated it to be worth about $75,000 and the seller began negotiations right at $75,000. Rick offered $60,000 and did not offer a cent more. After a few back and forths, Rick stayed with $60,000 and eventually made the deal work.
Bronze O.J. Simpson Statue ($80,000)
Not only was this one of the most unique items that has ever entered through the doors of Pawn Stars, it was actually brought in by none other than rap superstar, and the inventor of wearing a wall clock around your neck, Flavor-Flav. The statue used to sit by his pool at his infamous Rockingham Ave home in Los Angeles.
When he brought the statue into the shop, he was fully expecting it to bring in $125,000. He actually got it when he did a radio interview and the station had the statue and wanted to give it to him. As crazy as that sounds, no deal was struck because Flavor-Flav was not budging on his $125,000 request.
Faberge Spider Brooch ($80,000)
In one of the most surprising moments in Pawn Stars history, a seller came into the shop looking to unload a piece of jewelry they got from a relative without knowing exactly what they were in possession of. The seller showed them the Spider Brooch and Rick quickly examined it, looking very nervous and excited to the point of nearly crawling out from behind the counter to scream. He knew he was holding something extremely valuable but the owner did not have a clue about it.
She only wanted a couple thousand dollars for it and Rick shocked everyone by offering her $15,000. He could have taken the deal and ran off with a crazy steal but he just had to be honest, to her, somewhat. As it turns out, it is worth $80,000, making his $15,000 purchase a great deal still.
1932 Lincoln Roadster ($95,000)
It is not very often that Rick makes a deal with a seller that ends with him giving someone actual gold in exchange for an item, let alone a 1932 Lincoln Roadster. But when he was approached by the owner, who goes by the name “Uncle Phil,” of a 1932 Lincoln Roadster, he was drooling at the chance at owning such a rare vintage vehicle.
Uncle Phil got the car from a museum a few years ago and was looking to get $100,000 for it, nothing less. This beautiful ride might be worth the $100,000 he was looking for, but Rick deals in a buy and sell business and this type of item would be tough to sell because of such a limited market. Uncle Phil was not going to negotiate until the idea of selling him gold came about and the deal was struck for $95,000.
2001 New England Patriots Super Bowl Championship Ring ($100,000)
Former New England Patriots defensive back, Brock Williams, showed up at the shop one day ready to make a deal for his commemorative 2001 Super Bowl championship ring. It is not often that an actual Super Bowl championship ring makes it into the shop so Rick was giddy with excitement over the ring when he saw it.
What made this ring so collectible was how ridiculously beautiful it was, covered with 143 diamonds and is made of 14-karat white gold. It was the first time a ring exceeded the NFL’s rule on expense limits. Rick ended up buying it for $2,000 as collateral for a loan and kept it after Brock never returned to get it. It is now worth $100,000.
1922 Proof Peace High Relief Dollar Coin ($100,000)
One of the rarest coins in American History is the 1922 Proof Peace High Relief Dollar Coin. If you ask any coin collector, they would tell you that not only is this one of the most amazing coins you will ever see on Pawn Stars, they would love to own a Proof Peace Dollar Coin, and not just this one. It is one of those few coins that are legends in the denomination universe.
The seller of the coin ended up winning it in a card game and wanted $20,000 for it when he came into the building. But after an expert came in and took a look at it, that price shot up to $100,000. After Rick figured out a good price point, $80,000, a deal was struck and both parties walked away happy.
Stephen Stills’ 1941 Gibson SJ-200 Guitar ($105,000)
Stephen Stills was a member of the Rock and Roll group, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and is a legendary guitar player. When a young man showed up with it in the shop, it did not take very long before an expert verified the authenticity of it. Jesse, his local guitar expert, loved the guitar, a rare 1941 Gibson SJ-200, and even let the owner know about it. The guitar itself was worth $75,000, at least, but being owned by Stephen Stills turned that price up another $20,000.
After he left, the negotiating began with the seller looking for $90,000 but Rick offered $85,000 and eventually struck a deal. One of the reasons Rick loves guitars is because of how quickly they fly off the shelves at pawn shops.
200 Pounds of Silver ($111,000)
The owner, Jeff, of 200 pounds, or 3,000 ounces, of pure silver decided it was time to get paid on the investment his father told him about when he was younger. So he wheeled into the shop with sacks and bags of silver. From bars to coins, everything was pure silver.
The only issue was a giant silver bar that might have been filled with other metals so Rick had to test it, which was cool to see how that was done, and found out it was the real deal. The offer then came in for $111,000, but that was the absolute most they could do for the silver because of the limited amount of profit margin it would bring him.
