The O.J. Simpson Item That Was Featured On Pawn Stars
With a show like Pawn Stars, part of the fun is that both the pawn shop employees and the audience at home have no idea what's going to come through the door every week. Over the show's more than 500 episodes, Rick, Chumlee, and the gang have had the opportunity to buy all sorts of outlandish artifacts – from a suit owned by George Washington to the Beatles' first recording contract.
Novelty is only one part of the fun. Another is the deliberations that always happen whenever a potential high-value item comes through the door. The Pawn Stars guys aren't always sure if an object is genuine — or if it is, whether they can turn it around for a profit.
One item featured on a 2017 episode from Pawn Stars' 14th season didn't end up changing hands, but it's still one of the most memorable objects ever featured on the show — not because it's inherently valuable, but because of its connection to one of the most notorious stories of the 1990s.
The most famous midmarket SUV of 1994
Yes, it's the white 1994 Ford Bronco infamously used by O.J. Simpson in an attempt to flee arrest for a double homicide. For those not up on their '90s crime facts, here's a history lesson. Short version: In 1994, Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were found murdered. The LAPD issued a warrant for Simpson's arrest. Then, Simpson tried to escape in an SUV driven by his friend A.C. Cowlings. Cowlings led the LAPD on an iconic slow-speed chase around LA's freeways. About 95 million viewers tuned in to see it live (via CNN).
Over 22 years later, the Bronco came to the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop via Simpson's former agent, Mike Gilbert, who purchased it from Cowlings. Just to clear things up, the car used in the chase and featured on the show belonged to Cowlings. Simpson did own a matching white Bronco, but it has been destroyed in the years following Simpson's trial.
Gilbert wanted a cool $1.25 million. For comparison's sake, a non-O.J. 1994 Ford Bronco with reasonable mileage can go for anywhere from $13,500 to $15,500 used, per the Kelley Blue Book. Shop owner Rick Harrison did take it on a test drive — on a Vegas freeway, of course — but passed on the deal because he wasn't sure whether the value could be accurately determined.
If you want to see the Bronco today, it's on loan at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.