The Insanely Expensive Piece Of Beatles Memorabilia Featured On Pawn Stars
If there is a common dream among Americans it is this: Hidden in the basement, at an estate sale, or in an abandoned storage unit, there is a secret treasure — one so valuable that it can pay off our loans, afford us fancy cars and houses, and still leave us free to vacation on the farthest reaches of the most beautiful shores whenever we want. You could argue that the great American pastime isn't baseball so much as it is picking through junk and hoping for the best.
Over the last few decades, an entire genre of unscripted television has been spawned dedicated to this practice. We watch Antiques Roadshow and imagine grandma's hiding a Renoir in the closet, we watch Comic Book Men and fantasize that our Youngblood #1 is finally gonna retroactively put us through college, and, of course, we watch Pawn Stars because. Pawn Stars is the Las Vegas-based series centered on the Harrison family and their World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. Since 2009, fans of the series have thrilled at both the junk and the treasure that's walked through the doors of the now famous pawn shop.
Of course, there will always be Pawn Stars treasure that stands head and shoulders above the rest, and there's one piece of Beatles history which is so incredible that we have to single it out as one of the all-time greatest in the show's history.
A contract that changed the course of music history
No one would question the talent of The Beatles. Over the course of their time as The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr collectively racked up 63 singles, 23 studio albums, and, according to Lennon, became more popular than Jesus Christ. No one would be able to find that level success without raw talent and hard work.
But there is something to be said about image. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who wouldn't acknowledge that at least part of why Beatlemania became so massive was because of the matching suits and haircuts. Paul's the cute one, Ringo is the funny one, George is the shy one, and John is, well, he's the married one. Whether you were or are a Beatles fan, you still almost certainly know the iconography and the marketing by osmosis.
All the stuff that made up the larger-than-life image of the Beatles in their early career is thanks in no small part to their manager, Brian Epstein. On the list of "fifth Beatles," Epstein is, in many ways, at the top. This is why we were floored to discover that someone brought the Pawn Star boys the original contract signed by Epstein, Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Pete Best. Yes, speaking of "fifth Beatles," the original contract was signed by the former Beatles drummer, not the legendary Ringo Starr.
The owner of the contract wanted $1 million for the ultra rare piece of music history. Unfortunately, as successful as Pawn Stars has been over the years, the Harrisons simply couldn't make that kind of financial commitment.
The silver lining? If you've got a million dollars lying around, maybe you could own the original Beatles contract yourself!