Fake Items That Devastated Their Owners On Pawn Stars

Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, site of the History Channel's popular reality TV series Pawn Stars, has seen thousands of people walk through its doors, clutching a precious item they believe to be worth big bucks. From a genuine Egyptian mummy mask to a Super Bowl championship ring, the guys of Pawn Stars have seen — and bought — it all.

Owner Rick, his son Big Hoss, and family friend Chumlee love the wheeling and dealing necessary to their line of business. What they don't like so much? Telling people that their treasured belongings allegedly passed down through the generations are, in fact, actually nothing more than fakes. It's never an easy task to reveal to someone that their million-dollar dream is a total bust, but it happens quite often in the shop, and the reactions from disillusioned would-be sellers can range from disappointment and disbelief to stubbornness and anger. Here are some fake items that devastated their owners on Pawn Stars.

John Lennon was a well-known doodler who attended art school before founding the legendary Beatles, and he often gave away his drawings for free. So it's not far-fetched to believe a seller may have walked into the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop with a collage of doodles that resemble Lennon's most famous artwork, a haphazardly hand-drawn self-portrait. And it's signed!

The seller found it hanging in a thrift shop and bought it for $10. Total steal. Now, he's hoping it's worth $20,000 at the pawn shop.

While Rick calls the find "neat," he immediately spots a problem with the alleged artifact. From the back, he can tell it's been printed on Kodak printer paper, which didn't even exist at the time of Lennon's tragic death in 1980. So while it's "cool"... unfortunately for the owner, it's also a complete fake. Trying to stay optimistic about the bust, the seller says he's glad he didn't pay a lot for it in the first place.

Flintlock pistols were common in colonial America. So when a gun collector walks into the Pawn Stars pawn shop with a pristine one from the 18th century circa the Revolutionary War, Big Hoss is interested in buying it. The seller purchased it for $800 at a gun show, and he calls it the "cream" of his collection — he's only getting rid of it in the first place because his wife is forcing him to sell it.

Before handing over any money, Big Hoss calls an arms and armor expert to come check it out. You know, just in case. There's no authentication paperwork, but if it's legit, the expert says it could be worth up to $2,500. The seller responds by knowingly smiling and nodding his head.

But as soon as the expert looks at the pistol he says it's a reproduction, as it's missing certain markings and isn't hand-engraved. "You're sure?" asks the dumbfounded seller, who purses his lips and shakes his head in disbelief. Big Hoss feels bad for the guy but that doesn't mean he's willing to make an offer. Outside, the seller unloads, storming off while swearing.

An authentic 1967 Pete Rose baseball card in mint condition could be worth a lot of money. And five of them? That should be nothing short of a windfall for the right seller. That's why Big Hoss is suspicious when a guy comes in with just that — five mint condition 1967 Topps cards that are, in Hoss' opinion, in "too perfect shape." The seller says he'll have to re-evaluate his entire collection if these turn out to be fake.

Big Hoss calls over Rick. Rick takes one look at them and says they're junk. The picture is overexposed and blurry. It looks like someone scanned in an original and then reprinted it on an ink jet printer. They're worth nothing.

Once outside, the apparently disillusioned seller questions his whole existence: "If these cards are fake, what else is real? Is the wife real? The dog? The cat? What's real?" Guess he's going home to take a second look at his card collection ... among other things.

Stradivarius violins are a rare commodity, as their maker, Antonio Stradivari, only produced about 960 in his lifetime. He handmade them from the late 1600s until his death in 1737, at the age of 93. As a result, most of his instruments are pushing 300 years old. Therefore, they're worth big money to anyone in the market for one — no matter the condition.

That's why Chumlee gets excited when a man walks in with one he says was passed down from his grandfather. It's in rough shape, though: The instrument is cracked and peeling, and even looks like someone tried to glue a piece back together. Still, the seller is looking to get $700,000. While, if real, it would definitely be worth a lot of money, Chumlee doesn't think it's worth that much. So, of course, he brings in a Stradivarius expert.

While looking at it, the expert explains that it's the craftsmanship and attention to detail that sets Stradivarius instruments apart. And just by looking at the varnish, he can tell that this violin is a reproduced "homage." From the 1830s to the 1960s these knockoffs were mass-produced by the millions, making this item basically worthless. But unlike similar stories that ended in rage over dashed dreams of extra zeroes in the seller's bank account, this one ends on a sweet note, with the owner saying he plans to hang it on his wall in honor of his grandfather.

A piece of Joan Miró artwork once fetched $37 million at auction, so when someone walks in with one, Chumlee gets excited. The artist happens to be one of Chum's favorites, which makes him more knowledgeable than usual. While the seller would like to get $12,000 for it, Chumlee thinks the signature looks questionable. It's lacking fluidity, as if someone had forged it. "He's one of the most faked artists around," says Chum.

Cue the art expert, whose presence makes the seller nervous because he's not sure the etching is genuine. Upon inspection, it looks like an original print. And for a brief moment the seller is beaming.

But ... the signature seems like a forgery. The expert's final opinion? It's a real Miró etching with a fake signature, and he tells Chumlee to avoid purchasing it. Defeated, the seller says he'll probably just keep it and hang it on his wall.

Artist Claude Monet is considered to be one of the founders of Impressionist painting, and his work often sells for millions of dollars. So when a seller walks into the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop with what he says is an original piece of Monet artwork, Rick is intrigued.

The seller is asking for $1 million, so Rick calls in an art expert to look at the painting and authentication paperwork the man came in with. The paperwork says the artwork was on exhibit at the Las Vegas Art Museum, but the information is vague. So the expert calls in a second opinion.

When the second expert shows up, he thoroughly inspects the painting, which is a landscape supposedly signed by the artist. When he turns the canvas over, he's disappointed to find that the back is clean. If it were the real deal, there would be paint leaking through. It's a fake — a good fake, but still a fake. The seller let's out an exasperated sigh and walks away penniless.

While you may wonder who'd fake a baby rattle, that's exactly what Rick believes has happened with this seller's prized possession — a sterling silver and pearl rattle from the 1800s. It's a strange item, in that the baby supposedly would use the hard pearl as a teether while the top served as a whistle. "Is that why everyone had such bad teeth back then?" Big Hoss jokes.

Rick pulls out his magnifying glass and finds a date that places the rattle in the late 19th century, but it's not silver because it's turning green in spots. He immediately thinks it's fake. "People are faking baby rattles?" Big Hoss asks in surprise. To which Rick replies that people fake everything.

Rick believes it's a reproduction of some sort, because "it just doesn't look right," so it's a hard pass on the unique item. But the flabbergasted seller thinks Rick is wrong because no one would put that big of a piece of pearl on something that was fake. Plus, he questions why someone would fake a baby rattle, of all things. We hear you.