The Rare Civil War Gun That Sold For Thousands On Pawn Stars
Antique guns with authentic connections to the Civil War always go for big bucks on "Pawn Stars." For example, there was the extremely rare revolver that sold for a small fortune in Season 5, and the pistol that belonged to a Confederate colonel that Corey Harrison bought for $15,000. There was also the 1860 Colt .44 that once belonged to the Union army that sold for thousands in Season 5, which is the subject of a clip that can be watched on YouTube.
In the episode "Cash Cash Bang Bang" of the long-running History reality hit, a seller brought in the aforementioned Colt .44 with an asking price of $3,500. Rick Harrison wanted to make sure it wasn't counterfeit before he bought it. He called in his friend and consultant, cowboy hat-wearing firearms expert Joe Ashman, owner of Ashman's Pioneer Market, a gun store in Utah.
Ashman explained that the Colt .44 was the primary revolver used in the war because it was reliable and easy to use compared to other handguns of the era. "This would have been like having a Glock today," he said. He could tell from the gun's serial number that it was built in 1863, right in the middle of the Civil War. He also pointed out that it bore the military inspector's stamp, which meant it would have been issued by the Union. After the war, it would have hit the civilian market, where it may have been used by a cowboy. But how much did the gun ultimately sell for?
Home on the gun range
Ashman disassembled the antique firearm to inspect it a little bit more, and declared it to be authentic and "quite a righteous gun." He added that the condition determines the value of the gun, and if it works, it will be worth more. So the boys took a trip out to the shooting range.
Ashman loaded up all six cylinders, which prompted Chumlee to say "You really are a cowboy, Joe." He put in the lead shot and greased up the cylinder to keep it from chain-firing, which is when the wrong barrel goes off. He pointed it at the target, and bang! Right in the stomach. The gun worked beautifully as he emptied the whole cylinder.
It was time for Rick to find out what the gun was worth. Joe said that it was a great gun, but the price would be brought down a bit by the fact that the original finish had worn off. He estimated it would be worth about $3,000 retail.
The seller, Ryan, was a little disappointed it wasn't worth more and tried to negotiate a good price from Rick. Rick tried to do his classic, dismissive "the store has overhead" thing to work the seller down, but he had a product Rick wanted, and he paid $2,300 for it. Good negotiating, Ryan! Rick can't resist Civil War stuff.