The Presidential Signature That Sold For $100,000 On Pawn Stars
In the more than 500 episodes of "Pawn Stars" on the History Channel, Rick Harrison's Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas has seen a lot of weird, rare, and highly coveted items pass through its doors and placed on its countertop. Harrison and his family have become bonafide celebrities thanks to their family pawn business — and they've managed to collect some truly one-of-a-kind items thanks to collectors who come from far and wide to visit the famous Las Vegas shop filled with unique oddities.
One of the most popular categories of items for collectors to bring into the pawn shop are historical relics. From war memorabilia to rare photographs, there has been an abundance of interesting finds on the show for a history buff to watch in awe. And looking back throughout the show, there have been several items that are so unique, they've sold for a literal small fortune. And while Harrison is a master negotiator, the pawn expert understands that some items are worth the high price tag.
Abraham Lincoln's signature sold for $100,000
Looking back throughout "Pawn Stars" history, there have been some pretty expensive items that Harrison and the crew have bit the bullet and bought on the show because they were just too rare to pass up. One of them was an original Abraham Lincoln parlor card that was not only signed by the 16th president but was also the photograph that was the basis of the Lincoln penny still in circulation today. The portrait was done by legendary photojournalist Mathew Brady, making it even more of a rare find.
The owner of the card, who collects Lincoln memorabilia, bought the parlor card — which featured a Lincoln signature known to have often been forged — at an estate sale. However, an expert determined the legitimacy and also claimed that in a high-end gallery, it'd be worth $150,000. However, Harrison was only comfortable spending $100,000 "and not a penny more" on the rare item, which was also the first Lincoln parlor card he had ever laid eyes on. Not a bad price tag for an old photograph.