I caught a clip of an episode of Pawn Stars on YouTube. This young kid, maybe early 20s, walks in with a really badly "restored" three hundred year old flintlock pistol. He asks five hundred for it.
It had a broken hammer spring, the brass parts were painted gold, the wood was painted brown, and the steel parts were painted silver. Rick brings in an expert who says, right in front of the customer, that it will cost a thousand to properly restore it, but then after that, it would be worth at least $3,000.00. Rick then offers the kid $100.00, but eventually agrees to $150.00. Deal. He has it restored by the expert for (presumably) $1,000.00, and is then in possession of a gun worth at least $3,000.00. Actually, later (after the restore), the expert tells him it's actually worth $5,000.00.
I get that it's a dog eat dog world out there, but man, that seems like a total, intentional, rip off of the seller. Then again, the seller should have been smart enough to turn to the expert and ask him if he will restore it for him for $1,000.00, and then sell it for $3,000.00. Better yet, he should have asked the expert if he would like to buy it for $2,000.00, or some approximation of same.
I've caught a few full episodes while visiting my father (it's one of his favorite shows). My impression was that the interactions between family members (and/or employees) seemed scripted at times (more often than not, actually), but the interactions with customers seemed legit to me, i.e., not scripted, so I'd be surprised to learn that the items sold were actually props and the customers were actually just actors reciting lines in a script. Until shown otherwise, I'm thinking that the items brought in are by real customers seeking to sell their stuff, the experts are actually that, and the prices agreed to are real.
I watched a local gun shop pay a recently widowed old lady $250 for a mint older colt python in the original box. He told her it was worth $350 and then had it out for $3500 the next week. That shops been around a long time and preys on widows like that. I no longer shop there.
Haven’t done business with a pawn shop in 35 years or so . When the economy went to hell I went into one for some quick cash till I could get a job , took a practically new Olympic arms ultra match with a vari-x 2.5-10 on it , he said 150 was best he could do , I said , you’re crazy ! He then said 185 or something stupid like that . I sad GFY! I was already one foot out the door when he told me to get the hell out ! Kenneth
I find Pawn Stars about as realistic and entertaining as Storage Wars which is pretty much TV novocain.
Knowing just a little about the storage business - Storage Wars is utter, scripted, BS. It's not a far leap to realize that Pawn Stars is just more of the same.
I've always been a curmudgeon - now I'm an old curmudgeon. ~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
Big Hoss and his imbecil sidekick Chumlee both need their smart mouth fat azzes kicked ! Surprised that some of the customers don't take care of that after insulting low ball offers.
I burst out laughing at the schidt they cook up on that Cajun Pawn stars show!! Thank God for the innanet and comic books! How else would they have become such authorities.
Loved the way they all schidt themselves over an average 03-A3 Spgfld in one episode. As well as a REPRODUCTION Pedersoli MLE 1777 musket!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Founder Ancient Order of the 1895 Winchester
"Come, shall we go and kill us venison? And yet it irks me the poor dappled fools, Being native burghers of this desert city, Should in their own confines with forked heads Have their round haunches gored."
