The Burmese Tattoo Books That Sold For A Mint On Pawn Stars
Las Vegas is practically the tattoo capital of the world. There are plenty of tattoo shops where people can enjoy some new ink after they've won some money at the casinos. They may regret them the next week, but luckily for the crew at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop featured on "Pawn Stars," they have jobs that don't necessarily require blank skin. That doesn't mean Rick Harrison's glad to see his son and his friends covered in body art, but he's at least willing to look the other way.
Rick let his feelings on the subject perfectly known when a seller walked into the shop with three Burmese tattoo books in Season 16's "Knock Your Sox Off." The items are basically an older equivalent to the flash books you might see in tattoo shops today, where you pick a pre-made design out of a pamphlet, and the artist copies it onto your skin.
Unlike other purchases made on "Pawn Stars," the clip has less to do with the sale itself and more to do with Rick and his son, Corey, butting heads on the appropriateness of tattoos. Rick may not like tattoos, but he likes money. And he sees some serious value with those books.
Rick pays $1,000 for all three books
Rick knows quite a lot about books related to tattoos for a guy who doesn't have any. While the seller initially wants $5,000 for the three books, Rick holds firm at $1,000. He thinks he can only turn a profit at $1,000, and it's a bit of a gamble since he didn't ask an expert to come in. Sometimes, those gambles end up reaping the highest rewards.
It's unclear how much the books ended up selling for, but Rick's purchase gave Chumlee some ideas. He and Corey already have many tattoos, but Chumlee wanted to get another one, namely a portrait of his dog, Pinky. Rick thought it was the dumbest idea ever, and Chumlee peeved him even further by going through with the idea. Of course, Chumlee reveals to Corey later that the tattoo's fake, but the two certainly have a knack for raising Rick's blood pressure.
The gang's pranks have led to some of the most bizarre moments in "Pawn Stars" history, but nothing will ever top the other extreme stunt Chumlee did for his beloved Pomeranian. The gang made a retro Nintendo game titled "Chumlee's Adventure: The Quest for Pinky," available for the NES (via Las Vegas Review-Journal). At least a video game isn't on your hand for the rest of your life.