Pawn Stars' Rick Paid More Than Double The Asking Price For This Rare Item
The hit reality television series "Pawn Stars" has been on the air since 2009 and is still going strong. The show takes place in Las Vegas' Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, owned by Rick Harrison and staffed by his family, including his son Richard "Big Hoss" Harrison and close friend of the family Austin "Chumlee" Russell. The shop is located near the Las Vegas strip and attracts a variety of unique customers with all sorts of items. The series itself showcases some of the more interesting pieces that come into the shop, ranging from historical objects to unusual oddities. Viewers get to learn the background of each item before a member of the "Pawn Stars" crew appraises the piece and potentially gives the customer an offer.
These offers can range from nothing at all to more than double the asking price. However, in some rare cases, the item is just too rare and unique to pass up, and Rick is willing to raise his offer in order to have the piece in his inventory.
Rick was impressed by a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow item
On "Pawn Stars" Season 12 Episode 40, "G.I. Pawn," a man named Douglas brought a framed photo and letter from famous American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to the pawnshop counter for Rick to analyze. The owner said he paid $20 for it at an auction and didn't know much about it aside from Longfellow being a prolific writer and set his asking price at $300. While impressed by the item and its condition, Rick called in a handwriting expert to analyze the letter in order to make sure that it was, in fact, written by Longfellow himself. After taking a closer look at the letter and determining the handwriting to be authentic, the item was appraised at $1500.
Pleasantly surprised by this appraisal, Douglas raised his asking price to $900. While that price was more than Rick Harrison was willing to pay, he wasn't ready to let the piece go and counter-offered $700, more than double the original amount Douglas had sought. Ultimately, the two made an deal, and a piece of literary history has been added to the store's vast collection of historical and one-of-a-kind inventory.