The Rare Bike That Fetched Big Bucks For Chumlee On Pawn Stars
With the 18th season of "Pawn Stars" now airing on History Channel, there couldn't be a better time to look back on some memorable deals from seasons past. One such deal was Chumlee's Season 8 purchase of a Jetsons-esque bicycle that he reportedly scouted on the street one day.(The truth of this storyline is, of course, no guarantee.)
The bicycle is a white Bowden Spacelander, a bike that only sold for one year — 1960 — due to its unpopularity but has since become a collector's dream. Designed by Benjamin Bowden in 1946, the bicycle was sold in Europe and the U.S. but was priced higher than its competitors, at $89.50 (equivalent to about $793 in today's money). The seller tells Chum that he is the original owner of the bike, having gotten it for Christmas in 1960 when he was a child. He doesn't want to part ways with it, as he'd dreamt of passing it on to his grandkids, but he admits that he has "a legal issue coming up" and needs the money. When Chumlee asks what he'd sell it for, the seller starts the negotiation at $20,000! That's a lot of money for Chum, who's making this deal without consulting Rick or the Old Man.
Chumlee gets the Bowden bike for a great price
When the seller asks Chum for $20,000 for his Bowden Spacelander, the shrewd pawnbroker immediately counters with a lowball — $7,000. The seller is taken aback and literally moans in agony. But he regains his composure and asks for $12,000. Unrelenting, Chum counters again with $8,500, and the two eventually settle on $8,700 for the futuristic bike from the past. Talk about a deal!
When Chum gets back to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, the crew gets on his case for the unsanctioned deal but soon lets up, as the purchase should bring in some good money. Rick reports that a Bowden Spacelander in good condition can easily go for $12,000 to $20,000 (clearly, the seller had done his research!), and Chum confirms the quality of this particular bike.
While the Spacelander deal may not have been one of the shop's all-time most profitable, Chumlee managed to make some good money for himself: For his initiative, Rick gave him a $1,000 bonus with which Chum said he would buy a gold grill (NOT invest in Apple or Google). Extra cash is always great, but it's hard to believe he really needed it. Over the years, Chumlee has aggressively branded himself and built various businesses to capitalize off the success of "Pawn Stars." By the time of this Season 8 Spacelander purchase, he had likely already amassed some serious wealth.