Pawn Stars s03e07 Episode Script
Strike, Spare, BOOM
On this episode of Pawn Stars So this is it, huh? This was sent to Great Britain back in world war ii.
It's not what you'd call pretty at the moment.
Looks like it's been rode hard and put up wet.
I got an original receipt from Andrew Jackson.
Andrew Jackson's a pretty common name.
That's the real Andrew Jackson.
It's a machine that's supposed to cure every illness.
People bought these things because people were gullible.
Yeah.
I would have bought one.
I'm Rick Harrison, and this is my pawn shop.
I work here with my old man and my son, big hoss.
Everything in here has a story and a price.
One thing I've learned after 21 years, you never know what is gonna come through that door.
Hey, guys.
Hey, how's it going, man? Not too bad.
How are you? What do we have here? It's a solar ray therapeutic apparatus.
It's a little small for a tanning machine.
[Laughter.]
I've come to the pawn shop today to try and sell my solar therapeutic apparatus.
I bought this at a yard sale for ten bucks.
Looked like something I could make a buck on, so I'm hoping to get a few hundred bucks out of it.
So do you know anything about it at all? No.
It says it cures approximately of sickness, maladies, and disease or injuries, et cetera.
I think it's, like, medical quackery.
It's a machine that's supposed to cure every illness.
Back in the time when this thing was made, it was legal to say just about anything about your product, and there were some machines out there with claims from weight loss to telepathy, but most of 'em, like this one, did nothing at all.
There'd be testimonials and everything else.
"Man: 65 years old.
Round worm.
"'After applying my system eight to ten times, large bunches of worms discharged.
'" oh, my God.
[Laughs.]
Looks like it did miracles.
Miracles of making money.
Whoever marketed this thing was probably a genius.
I mean, people bought these things because people were gullible.
Yeah.
I would have bought one.
This is basically just a big magnifying glass, and it really seems funny that people would think it did anything else back then.
But ideas like this are still around today.
Take a look at the back of any magazine.
There's ads that promise to grow hair or enlarge certain body parts.
[Laughs.]
It's all the same idea.
How the hell does this thing work? According to the instructions here, this would fold out, and there was some, like, curtain around it.
I guess this would help move it around to the right position, and it bolted onto the stand right here.
You hung it in the window, it filtered out the bad rays from the sun, and it directed the good rays to the afflicted area.
I'd like to point it at an ant hill.
[Laughs.]
This thing is so fun and so cool, I'll have no problem selling it.
It's weird, it's unique, and collectors go nuts for this kind of stuff.
As usual, it comes down to price, and if I can get this thing for 100 bucks, I'll probably double my money on it.
So what'd you want to do with this thing? I'd just like to sell it.
I'd really like to get it out of my garage and into somebody else's.
I'll tell you what.
I'll give you 100 bucks for it.
I'll take $150 if you want to give it to me.
No, 100 bucks, 'cause I don't think anybody else is gonna buy it off you.
I guess 100 bucks.
All right, 100 bucks, man.
Hey, chumlee, go write him up on this stuff.
I only paid $10, so I'm pretty happy with what I got.
It's $100 in my pocket that I didn't have when I walked in the door.
Earlier today, I got a call from a guy wanting to sell an airplane.
I've done really well with airplanes in the past, so me and the old man are on our way to check it out.
So this is it, huh? This is it.
This thing is definitely cool.
I called the pawn shop to see if they were interested in buying my 1939 model v-77 Stinson fabric-covered antique airplane.
I bought it to resell, and if I sell it here in Las Vegas, I don't have to transport it all the way back home to South Carolina.
Tell me about this thing.
They were used for personnel carriers back in world war ii.
Okay.
This particular one was sent to Great Britain.
The guy that I bought it from, he actually painted back the colors and paint scheme that the British actually had on it.
So you got all the parts for it? I've got everything.
Okay.
This plane is really cool.
While there might not be a huge market out there for antique airplanes, the people who do collect 'em are willing to spend a lot of money.
Is this that new ceconite or No, but it is a non-cotton material, though.
Looks a little rough, son.
Yeah, it's not what you'd call pretty at the moment.
I'll be honest with you.
Looks like it's been rode hard and put up wet.
Well, it I don't think it's been rode too hard.
So you mind showing us the inside? That'll be fine.
Um This interior has definitely seen its better days.
It needs paint.
It needs wood.
It needs fabric.
It needs carpet.
Does it start? Well, if the fuel tanks are on it, I'm sure it will.
Okay, have you started it yet? No.
Nothing about my job is easy.
I got a really cool plane here, but I have no idea what it's gonna cost to fix, and if I do buy it and I start fixing it up, the littlest thing can be the difference between making a lot and losing a lot.
How much were you looking to get out of it? I'd like to get $60,000 out of it.
[Groans.]
Well, you know what? Let me call someone in to take a look at this thing.
If the numbers work, the numbers work, okay? No problem, man.
I really want to restore this thing.
I know it has huge potential.
But the main goal for me and the old man is to make money.
So before we make an offer, I got to bring someone in to help me sort this out.
Oh, my God.
Awesome.
What in the hell do you got here, son? I've got two dummies that I'm dying to sell.
I got enough of them working for me.
I decided to come to the pawn shop today to sell my two beautiful Western dummies.
I had 'em for years.
But I need the money right now.
Business is slow.
Times are rough.
Now, where in the world did you get these? Well, I used to do Western shows, you know, and parties and different things, and I'd decorate with them.
Used to sit 'em on barrels and cactus and stuff like that.
They're all hand-painted.
The manufacturer has a series of about 144 different heads.
You choose your head, you choose the mustache, you choose the look, and they put 'em together the way you need 'em.
Well, they're really interesting.
And they are cuter than hell.
These dummies were used in museums, restaurants, amusement parks.
They look good, and they could be worth a lot of money, but there's not too many people coming in looking to buy 'em.
All the joints work.
You could place 'em any way, different you know, fold their arms, you know.
The head turns, you know, 180 degrees.
People think they're real.
Sometimes if I'm going to a really bad neighborhood, I'll put one in the car, and no one will mess with the car.
You know, they'll think there's somebody in it.
Do you ever use them in the carpool lane? No, but that's a great idea.
I want these dummies, and I think they'll look good in the shop, and that's about all there is to it.
If the price is right, we can make a deal.
It's just simple as that.
How much you want for 'em, guy? What you tryin' to do? Well, I paid about 1,000 bucks for each one of them.
Well, that's not my problem.
If you want it, I'll give 500 bucks for the pair.
That's a little bit lower than I had in mind.
I was hoping I could get $350 apiece.
I'm not going to go no higher.
I mean All right, I-I need a moment, maybe, just to think about it.
Okay, no problem.
All right.
I'm gonna take the offer.
All right.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I really had to think about the $500 offer.
I paid way more than that.
But after thinking about it, I decided to take the offer.
I just need the room.
I need the money.
Although it feels like I'm giving up really good friends.
This is a Peter lik original photograph, signed, limited edition.
He's a hell of an artist.
It's one of his best-selling pieces.
How much you asking for it? $25,000.
Chumlee, how long have you worked here? Seven years.
Well, congratulations.
You just bought the stupidest thing you've bought in seven years.
How can I help you today? Well, sir, I got something that was handed down from my great-grandfather, original receipt from Andrew Jackson from the civil war.
No, this is during the war of 1812.
Do you know when the war of 1812 was fought? Yeah.
When? Okay.
[Laughs.]
I decided to come to the pawn shop today to try to sell my Andrew Jackson authentic letter.
I think that it's some type of receipt for a purchase of guns.
I'm hoping to get maybe about maybe about $400 or $500.
Andrew Jackson became really, really popular during the war of 1812.
The war of 1812 was fought between the United States and england.
The main reason was, the English kept on just taking our sailors off merchant ships and saying, "hey, you're now in the English Navy.
" Next thing you know, we're caught up in a war with england.
"Quartermaster general will pay $80 "to the amount of the above account for eight muskets.
" And it's signed "Andrew Jackson.
" Yeah.
That's his signature right there.
He beat the hell out of the British.
For over a month, Jackson held off a British invasion to seize new Orleans.
He instantly became a national hero, and that helped him get elected as the seventh president of the United States.
So what did you want to do with this? I want to go ahead and sell it.
I really don't have any use for it right now.
I mean, it looks old, but there's a few little weird things here that two kinds of ink, and Andrew Jackson's a pretty damn common name.
And I'm pretty sure that's the real Andrew Jackson.
I mean, it's obviously a receipt sometime during the war of 1812, okay? I just want to make sure someone didn't add these things to it at a later date, because they were faking stuff 100 years ago.
They could've put "why don't we add Andrew Jackson to it? That'd make it really cool.
" This document is definitely old, but I have to be careful.
I have questions about the signature, and I can't make an offer until I have an expert check it out.
Let me get someone in here just to make sure this is all legit, and Okay.
We'll go from there.
Sound good to you? That's fair enough.
All right, thanks a lot, man.
Okay.
Chumlee.
What's up, Rick? Chumlee buying stupid stuff again.
What? How long have you worked here? Seven years.
Well, congratulations, 'cause you just bought the stupidest thing you've bought in seven years.
Just tell me how much you paid for 'em.
I didn't buy nothing.
What are you talking about? The dummies in the back.
I bought the dummies.
You got to be kidding.
No, I'm not kidding.
How much did you pay for 'em? $500 for the pair.
But I had nothing to do with it.
You paid $500 for them? Yeah.
Is there a reason why? Yeah, because I liked 'em.
Dad, this is not a toy store.
It's a [Bleep.]
Pawn shop.
I've been doing this a lot longer than you have, son.
Ed and George gives an ambi-donce to the store.
Ambi-donce? Ambience.
And who is ed and George? Did you name 'em? Yes, I did, ed and George.
Dad, I'm remodeling the store.
I'm trying to make it look nicer, okay? And it does, and they help.
So you just cool it.
What in the hell are you two looking at? How about going to do something for God and country? Go to work.
You want me to go throw away ed and George? You throw ed and George away, it comes out of your [Bleep.]
Pay.
Earlier today, me and the old man checked out a plane that saw time in world war ii.
If we decide to buy it, it's gonna need work.
So we called in my buddy Jamie to look it over and give us his opinion.
Wow, Stinson reliant.
That's big [Bleep.]
Plane.
I'm a commercial pilot here in Las Vegas.
The guys at the pawn shop call me when they have any questions regarding planes, parts, restoring planes.
Anything regarding aviation, they give me a call.
It's a mono-wing radial-engine fabric airplane.
This was built as a personnel carrier back in the '30s, but then they were dragged in to use as trainers during world war ii.
These airplanes were lent to the British under the lend-lease program during world war ii so that they could train their pilots how to fly their own airplanes.
What are your concerns with this airplane? Well, before I even make an offer on it, I just want to know if it's gonna be worth getting restored.
I just don't know how much work's got to go into it.
So you mind if we take a look at it? Absolutely not.
Go ahead.
Appreciate it.
We'll start with the engine first.
How long has this engine been sitting for? It was overhauled about four years ago.
Has it been run in the last four years? Yeah, it has been run in the last four years, not flown but static but not annual.
This airplane hasn't been flown in four years, which means it hasn't had its annual inspection.
A lot of stuff can happen in four years.
Everything you could ever imagine: Birds nesting, corrosion.
You think that it's in airworthy condition, fabric-wise? That fabric's been on there since 1980.
Would you fly it in the condition it is in now? No, I would not.
That's why it's on the trailer.
Okay, so it has to be recoated, then.
Mind if we have a look inside? No, that's fine.
Ooh.
It's a beautiful airplane.
Could take a lot of work, though.
Okay.
So what do you think it'll cost me to fix this thing up? At least 60 grand, just rough ballpark guesstimate.
Okay.
There is no way that you're gonna put that kind of money into it.
If you do, heads up: You're getting robbed.
Well, you're looking at probably 20 grand for the interior.
I haven't even looked at the engine, but it could be up to At least 25 grand for the exterior, and once you peel that back, who knows what the hell you're gonna find? I can almost guarantee you there's gonna be some kind of corrosion.
You're not gonna find that.
I already crawled through it and looked.
Well, corrosion can set in in three to four days, and this thing's been sitting for four years.
You want somebody just to go through tooth and nail.
All right, so, I mean, best-case scenario, to restore it is, like, 50, 60 grand.
Best-case scenario.
Okay.
On a lucky day.
I disagree with the expert's opinion that it's a money pit.
It's anything but that.
The numbers he's using were just completely absurd.
If I did restore it, how much you think I could get out of it? They can go anywhere from $100,000 to $150,000.
Well, thanks, Jamie.
I appreciate it.
Yup.
Absolutely.
Okay.
I really like this plane.
It would be a fun project for me and the old man.
But I have to protect myself and my business.
So how much you asking for it? If I were gonna cut it loose today, I would take $55,000.
I mean, quite honestly, I'll give you 25 grand for it.
That's not we're not even in the ballpark.
The numbers just don't work for me.
I mean, they would work at $25,000, 'cause if everything goes to hell, I can get my money back.
Right, right.
I understand.
If I took $25,000 for it, I'd be going in the hole for what I just paid for it.
Okay.
I really appreciate you letting me take a look at it.
But, I mean, the deal's not here.
That's fine.
It is not here for us.
That's fine.
Okay.
All right, well, thanks for showing it to me.
I'm bummed we won't be fixing this thing up, but spending more than 25 grand would put way too much risk on the shop.
If something goes wrong, we have to be able to get out of bad deals, at least break even, and with this, I don't think it can happen.
I just got a call from a guy looking to sell a signed and numbered Peter lik photograph, so me and Corey are on our way to check it out.
This is what I called you about.
Beyond paradise, Peter lik.
If I look at it cross-eyed, am I supposed to see something? [Laughs.]
I called the guys from the pawn shop to see if they'd be interested in my Peter lik artwork.
Peter lik is the most famous landscape photographer in the world.
The photograph and the artwork, the way it's framed, retails for $25,000 in the gallery.
I just opened a real estate office, and I can use the money to pump into my business.
So tell me about it.
This is a Peter lik original photograph, signed limited-edition numbered piece.
It's printed on paper called fuji crystal archive.
What that means is, there's little crystals of silver that actually work with the light and reflect the light, and it's gonna look different at every hour in the day.
As the sun rises and sets in your home, the shot's gonna look a little bit different.
It's one of his best-selling pieces ever.
You're pretty good.
You want a job? We could talk about that.
[Laughs.]
We could talk about that.
I know so much about it because I actually worked for him.
When I worked for Pete, this was the fastest-selling piece in his gallery.
He's a hell of an artist, and it's hard to get shots like that; It really is.
This could be a great opportunity for us to get this thing cheap today.
Hold it for a year or two, maybe double or triple our money.
That's if we buy it cheap.
How much you asking for it? Well, it retails in the gallery about $25,000.
You know, here on the secondary market, about where you should be, so I'm looking for $12,500.
[Groans.]
That would be tough.
Art is dying right now.
Absolutely.
I would give you four grand for it.
Four? Mm-hmm.
You know, we have a certificate of authenticity.
It's signed by Pete.
Can we come up a little bit? Is there any negotiation here? I mean, I will go five grand.
I won't go a penny more.
I can do $5,000.
It's a deal.
Yeah, thanks a lot.
I wanted $12,500, ended up taking $5,000.
I think it's a fair price for the artwork.
I've felt the market out a little bit to see what I can get in other places, and we're right in there.
So does it move you at all? No, but it makes me want to have a beer under that umbrella right there.
See? That's art.
Earlier, I had a guy come in with what he believed was an original receipt from Andrew Jackson.
I had a few concerns, so I called my buddy Dana to come in and check 'em out.
Hey, Dana.
This is what I called you about.
Okay.
What are your concerns? It appears to be two different types of ink.
I don't know if it was added later.
All right.
I'm Dana, president of early American history auctions, and I specialize in rare coins, currency, americana, and historic early American artifacts.
It's a receipt for eight muskets.
Mm-hmm.
It's dated march 30, 1813, at new Orleans.
During this period of time, Andrew Jackson was in new Orleans, and he would've been buying muskets for his troops.
And what I think this is, where you have two different kinds of writing, I think that Andrew Jackson himself made these changes to the receipt.
It looks only authentic to me, and it's a period piece with his signature and handwriting.
This is a wonderful item.
Good.
Yes.
And it would be estimated somewhere between $4,000 to $6,000.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
All right, thanks a lot, Dana.
Appreciate it.
You're more than welcome.
Have a good day, Dana.
Good seeing you again.
I feel really good, because I found out that this real, and it was worth a whole lot more money than I actually thought it was.
That's great.
It's really great.
You want to sell, right? Yes, I want to sell.
How much you want? What can you give me? I'll give you $2,500.
Come on, it's it's real.
I can go to the Smithsonian and get the Smithsonian, no.
They take donations.
They don't pay cash.
[Laughs.]
At least $3,000.
At least $3,000, at least.
I'll meet you in the middle at $2,750.
That's aw, man.
You ain't gonna find it nowhere else.
I'll go 2,800 bucks.
I don't know.
I don't know.
All right, I'll tell you what.
I'll give you 2,900 bucks.
Quit bending, Rick.
$2,900? It's cash money, $100 bills, right now.
$2,900? I'll take it.
$2,900.
All right, let's go do some paperwork.
Okay.
I'm super excited right now.
I'm super excited, because I made a lot of money on that today.
I'm happy.
I'm really happy today.
Yes.
Well, why don't you two get back to work and quit skylarking all day? A cold glass of beer and a hard day of work will put you two turkeys to sleep.
Tweedledee and tweedledum.
Now, how's about you stop messing around and get back to work right now and go clean some toilets? And how's about you goes and get me a cup of coffee? I'm sick and tired of looking at you.
[Telephone rings.]
Gold & silver pawn shop.
Gold & silver pawn shop.
It's not what you'd call pretty at the moment.
Looks like it's been rode hard and put up wet.
I got an original receipt from Andrew Jackson.
Andrew Jackson's a pretty common name.
That's the real Andrew Jackson.
It's a machine that's supposed to cure every illness.
People bought these things because people were gullible.
Yeah.
I would have bought one.
I'm Rick Harrison, and this is my pawn shop.
I work here with my old man and my son, big hoss.
Everything in here has a story and a price.
One thing I've learned after 21 years, you never know what is gonna come through that door.
Hey, guys.
Hey, how's it going, man? Not too bad.
How are you? What do we have here? It's a solar ray therapeutic apparatus.
It's a little small for a tanning machine.
[Laughter.]
I've come to the pawn shop today to try and sell my solar therapeutic apparatus.
I bought this at a yard sale for ten bucks.
Looked like something I could make a buck on, so I'm hoping to get a few hundred bucks out of it.
So do you know anything about it at all? No.
It says it cures approximately of sickness, maladies, and disease or injuries, et cetera.
I think it's, like, medical quackery.
It's a machine that's supposed to cure every illness.
Back in the time when this thing was made, it was legal to say just about anything about your product, and there were some machines out there with claims from weight loss to telepathy, but most of 'em, like this one, did nothing at all.
There'd be testimonials and everything else.
"Man: 65 years old.
Round worm.
"'After applying my system eight to ten times, large bunches of worms discharged.
'" oh, my God.
[Laughs.]
Looks like it did miracles.
Miracles of making money.
Whoever marketed this thing was probably a genius.
I mean, people bought these things because people were gullible.
Yeah.
I would have bought one.
This is basically just a big magnifying glass, and it really seems funny that people would think it did anything else back then.
But ideas like this are still around today.
Take a look at the back of any magazine.
There's ads that promise to grow hair or enlarge certain body parts.
[Laughs.]
It's all the same idea.
How the hell does this thing work? According to the instructions here, this would fold out, and there was some, like, curtain around it.
I guess this would help move it around to the right position, and it bolted onto the stand right here.
You hung it in the window, it filtered out the bad rays from the sun, and it directed the good rays to the afflicted area.
I'd like to point it at an ant hill.
[Laughs.]
This thing is so fun and so cool, I'll have no problem selling it.
It's weird, it's unique, and collectors go nuts for this kind of stuff.
As usual, it comes down to price, and if I can get this thing for 100 bucks, I'll probably double my money on it.
So what'd you want to do with this thing? I'd just like to sell it.
I'd really like to get it out of my garage and into somebody else's.
I'll tell you what.
I'll give you 100 bucks for it.
I'll take $150 if you want to give it to me.
No, 100 bucks, 'cause I don't think anybody else is gonna buy it off you.
I guess 100 bucks.
All right, 100 bucks, man.
Hey, chumlee, go write him up on this stuff.
I only paid $10, so I'm pretty happy with what I got.
It's $100 in my pocket that I didn't have when I walked in the door.
Earlier today, I got a call from a guy wanting to sell an airplane.
I've done really well with airplanes in the past, so me and the old man are on our way to check it out.
So this is it, huh? This is it.
This thing is definitely cool.
I called the pawn shop to see if they were interested in buying my 1939 model v-77 Stinson fabric-covered antique airplane.
I bought it to resell, and if I sell it here in Las Vegas, I don't have to transport it all the way back home to South Carolina.
Tell me about this thing.
They were used for personnel carriers back in world war ii.
Okay.
This particular one was sent to Great Britain.
The guy that I bought it from, he actually painted back the colors and paint scheme that the British actually had on it.
So you got all the parts for it? I've got everything.
Okay.
This plane is really cool.
While there might not be a huge market out there for antique airplanes, the people who do collect 'em are willing to spend a lot of money.
Is this that new ceconite or No, but it is a non-cotton material, though.
Looks a little rough, son.
Yeah, it's not what you'd call pretty at the moment.
I'll be honest with you.
Looks like it's been rode hard and put up wet.
Well, it I don't think it's been rode too hard.
So you mind showing us the inside? That'll be fine.
Um This interior has definitely seen its better days.
It needs paint.
It needs wood.
It needs fabric.
It needs carpet.
Does it start? Well, if the fuel tanks are on it, I'm sure it will.
Okay, have you started it yet? No.
Nothing about my job is easy.
I got a really cool plane here, but I have no idea what it's gonna cost to fix, and if I do buy it and I start fixing it up, the littlest thing can be the difference between making a lot and losing a lot.
How much were you looking to get out of it? I'd like to get $60,000 out of it.
[Groans.]
Well, you know what? Let me call someone in to take a look at this thing.
If the numbers work, the numbers work, okay? No problem, man.
I really want to restore this thing.
I know it has huge potential.
But the main goal for me and the old man is to make money.
So before we make an offer, I got to bring someone in to help me sort this out.
Oh, my God.
Awesome.
What in the hell do you got here, son? I've got two dummies that I'm dying to sell.
I got enough of them working for me.
I decided to come to the pawn shop today to sell my two beautiful Western dummies.
I had 'em for years.
But I need the money right now.
Business is slow.
Times are rough.
Now, where in the world did you get these? Well, I used to do Western shows, you know, and parties and different things, and I'd decorate with them.
Used to sit 'em on barrels and cactus and stuff like that.
They're all hand-painted.
The manufacturer has a series of about 144 different heads.
You choose your head, you choose the mustache, you choose the look, and they put 'em together the way you need 'em.
Well, they're really interesting.
And they are cuter than hell.
These dummies were used in museums, restaurants, amusement parks.
They look good, and they could be worth a lot of money, but there's not too many people coming in looking to buy 'em.
All the joints work.
You could place 'em any way, different you know, fold their arms, you know.
The head turns, you know, 180 degrees.
People think they're real.
Sometimes if I'm going to a really bad neighborhood, I'll put one in the car, and no one will mess with the car.
You know, they'll think there's somebody in it.
Do you ever use them in the carpool lane? No, but that's a great idea.
I want these dummies, and I think they'll look good in the shop, and that's about all there is to it.
If the price is right, we can make a deal.
It's just simple as that.
How much you want for 'em, guy? What you tryin' to do? Well, I paid about 1,000 bucks for each one of them.
Well, that's not my problem.
If you want it, I'll give 500 bucks for the pair.
That's a little bit lower than I had in mind.
I was hoping I could get $350 apiece.
I'm not going to go no higher.
I mean All right, I-I need a moment, maybe, just to think about it.
Okay, no problem.
All right.
I'm gonna take the offer.
All right.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I really had to think about the $500 offer.
I paid way more than that.
But after thinking about it, I decided to take the offer.
I just need the room.
I need the money.
Although it feels like I'm giving up really good friends.
This is a Peter lik original photograph, signed, limited edition.
He's a hell of an artist.
It's one of his best-selling pieces.
How much you asking for it? $25,000.
Chumlee, how long have you worked here? Seven years.
Well, congratulations.
You just bought the stupidest thing you've bought in seven years.
How can I help you today? Well, sir, I got something that was handed down from my great-grandfather, original receipt from Andrew Jackson from the civil war.
No, this is during the war of 1812.
Do you know when the war of 1812 was fought? Yeah.
When? Okay.
[Laughs.]
I decided to come to the pawn shop today to try to sell my Andrew Jackson authentic letter.
I think that it's some type of receipt for a purchase of guns.
I'm hoping to get maybe about maybe about $400 or $500.
Andrew Jackson became really, really popular during the war of 1812.
The war of 1812 was fought between the United States and england.
The main reason was, the English kept on just taking our sailors off merchant ships and saying, "hey, you're now in the English Navy.
" Next thing you know, we're caught up in a war with england.
"Quartermaster general will pay $80 "to the amount of the above account for eight muskets.
" And it's signed "Andrew Jackson.
" Yeah.
That's his signature right there.
He beat the hell out of the British.
For over a month, Jackson held off a British invasion to seize new Orleans.
He instantly became a national hero, and that helped him get elected as the seventh president of the United States.
So what did you want to do with this? I want to go ahead and sell it.
I really don't have any use for it right now.
I mean, it looks old, but there's a few little weird things here that two kinds of ink, and Andrew Jackson's a pretty damn common name.
And I'm pretty sure that's the real Andrew Jackson.
I mean, it's obviously a receipt sometime during the war of 1812, okay? I just want to make sure someone didn't add these things to it at a later date, because they were faking stuff 100 years ago.
They could've put "why don't we add Andrew Jackson to it? That'd make it really cool.
" This document is definitely old, but I have to be careful.
I have questions about the signature, and I can't make an offer until I have an expert check it out.
Let me get someone in here just to make sure this is all legit, and Okay.
We'll go from there.
Sound good to you? That's fair enough.
All right, thanks a lot, man.
Okay.
Chumlee.
What's up, Rick? Chumlee buying stupid stuff again.
What? How long have you worked here? Seven years.
Well, congratulations, 'cause you just bought the stupidest thing you've bought in seven years.
Just tell me how much you paid for 'em.
I didn't buy nothing.
What are you talking about? The dummies in the back.
I bought the dummies.
You got to be kidding.
No, I'm not kidding.
How much did you pay for 'em? $500 for the pair.
But I had nothing to do with it.
You paid $500 for them? Yeah.
Is there a reason why? Yeah, because I liked 'em.
Dad, this is not a toy store.
It's a [Bleep.]
Pawn shop.
I've been doing this a lot longer than you have, son.
Ed and George gives an ambi-donce to the store.
Ambi-donce? Ambience.
And who is ed and George? Did you name 'em? Yes, I did, ed and George.
Dad, I'm remodeling the store.
I'm trying to make it look nicer, okay? And it does, and they help.
So you just cool it.
What in the hell are you two looking at? How about going to do something for God and country? Go to work.
You want me to go throw away ed and George? You throw ed and George away, it comes out of your [Bleep.]
Pay.
Earlier today, me and the old man checked out a plane that saw time in world war ii.
If we decide to buy it, it's gonna need work.
So we called in my buddy Jamie to look it over and give us his opinion.
Wow, Stinson reliant.
That's big [Bleep.]
Plane.
I'm a commercial pilot here in Las Vegas.
The guys at the pawn shop call me when they have any questions regarding planes, parts, restoring planes.
Anything regarding aviation, they give me a call.
It's a mono-wing radial-engine fabric airplane.
This was built as a personnel carrier back in the '30s, but then they were dragged in to use as trainers during world war ii.
These airplanes were lent to the British under the lend-lease program during world war ii so that they could train their pilots how to fly their own airplanes.
What are your concerns with this airplane? Well, before I even make an offer on it, I just want to know if it's gonna be worth getting restored.
I just don't know how much work's got to go into it.
So you mind if we take a look at it? Absolutely not.
Go ahead.
Appreciate it.
We'll start with the engine first.
How long has this engine been sitting for? It was overhauled about four years ago.
Has it been run in the last four years? Yeah, it has been run in the last four years, not flown but static but not annual.
This airplane hasn't been flown in four years, which means it hasn't had its annual inspection.
A lot of stuff can happen in four years.
Everything you could ever imagine: Birds nesting, corrosion.
You think that it's in airworthy condition, fabric-wise? That fabric's been on there since 1980.
Would you fly it in the condition it is in now? No, I would not.
That's why it's on the trailer.
Okay, so it has to be recoated, then.
Mind if we have a look inside? No, that's fine.
Ooh.
It's a beautiful airplane.
Could take a lot of work, though.
Okay.
So what do you think it'll cost me to fix this thing up? At least 60 grand, just rough ballpark guesstimate.
Okay.
There is no way that you're gonna put that kind of money into it.
If you do, heads up: You're getting robbed.
Well, you're looking at probably 20 grand for the interior.
I haven't even looked at the engine, but it could be up to At least 25 grand for the exterior, and once you peel that back, who knows what the hell you're gonna find? I can almost guarantee you there's gonna be some kind of corrosion.
You're not gonna find that.
I already crawled through it and looked.
Well, corrosion can set in in three to four days, and this thing's been sitting for four years.
You want somebody just to go through tooth and nail.
All right, so, I mean, best-case scenario, to restore it is, like, 50, 60 grand.
Best-case scenario.
Okay.
On a lucky day.
I disagree with the expert's opinion that it's a money pit.
It's anything but that.
The numbers he's using were just completely absurd.
If I did restore it, how much you think I could get out of it? They can go anywhere from $100,000 to $150,000.
Well, thanks, Jamie.
I appreciate it.
Yup.
Absolutely.
Okay.
I really like this plane.
It would be a fun project for me and the old man.
But I have to protect myself and my business.
So how much you asking for it? If I were gonna cut it loose today, I would take $55,000.
I mean, quite honestly, I'll give you 25 grand for it.
That's not we're not even in the ballpark.
The numbers just don't work for me.
I mean, they would work at $25,000, 'cause if everything goes to hell, I can get my money back.
Right, right.
I understand.
If I took $25,000 for it, I'd be going in the hole for what I just paid for it.
Okay.
I really appreciate you letting me take a look at it.
But, I mean, the deal's not here.
That's fine.
It is not here for us.
That's fine.
Okay.
All right, well, thanks for showing it to me.
I'm bummed we won't be fixing this thing up, but spending more than 25 grand would put way too much risk on the shop.
If something goes wrong, we have to be able to get out of bad deals, at least break even, and with this, I don't think it can happen.
I just got a call from a guy looking to sell a signed and numbered Peter lik photograph, so me and Corey are on our way to check it out.
This is what I called you about.
Beyond paradise, Peter lik.
If I look at it cross-eyed, am I supposed to see something? [Laughs.]
I called the guys from the pawn shop to see if they'd be interested in my Peter lik artwork.
Peter lik is the most famous landscape photographer in the world.
The photograph and the artwork, the way it's framed, retails for $25,000 in the gallery.
I just opened a real estate office, and I can use the money to pump into my business.
So tell me about it.
This is a Peter lik original photograph, signed limited-edition numbered piece.
It's printed on paper called fuji crystal archive.
What that means is, there's little crystals of silver that actually work with the light and reflect the light, and it's gonna look different at every hour in the day.
As the sun rises and sets in your home, the shot's gonna look a little bit different.
It's one of his best-selling pieces ever.
You're pretty good.
You want a job? We could talk about that.
[Laughs.]
We could talk about that.
I know so much about it because I actually worked for him.
When I worked for Pete, this was the fastest-selling piece in his gallery.
He's a hell of an artist, and it's hard to get shots like that; It really is.
This could be a great opportunity for us to get this thing cheap today.
Hold it for a year or two, maybe double or triple our money.
That's if we buy it cheap.
How much you asking for it? Well, it retails in the gallery about $25,000.
You know, here on the secondary market, about where you should be, so I'm looking for $12,500.
[Groans.]
That would be tough.
Art is dying right now.
Absolutely.
I would give you four grand for it.
Four? Mm-hmm.
You know, we have a certificate of authenticity.
It's signed by Pete.
Can we come up a little bit? Is there any negotiation here? I mean, I will go five grand.
I won't go a penny more.
I can do $5,000.
It's a deal.
Yeah, thanks a lot.
I wanted $12,500, ended up taking $5,000.
I think it's a fair price for the artwork.
I've felt the market out a little bit to see what I can get in other places, and we're right in there.
So does it move you at all? No, but it makes me want to have a beer under that umbrella right there.
See? That's art.
Earlier, I had a guy come in with what he believed was an original receipt from Andrew Jackson.
I had a few concerns, so I called my buddy Dana to come in and check 'em out.
Hey, Dana.
This is what I called you about.
Okay.
What are your concerns? It appears to be two different types of ink.
I don't know if it was added later.
All right.
I'm Dana, president of early American history auctions, and I specialize in rare coins, currency, americana, and historic early American artifacts.
It's a receipt for eight muskets.
Mm-hmm.
It's dated march 30, 1813, at new Orleans.
During this period of time, Andrew Jackson was in new Orleans, and he would've been buying muskets for his troops.
And what I think this is, where you have two different kinds of writing, I think that Andrew Jackson himself made these changes to the receipt.
It looks only authentic to me, and it's a period piece with his signature and handwriting.
This is a wonderful item.
Good.
Yes.
And it would be estimated somewhere between $4,000 to $6,000.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
All right, thanks a lot, Dana.
Appreciate it.
You're more than welcome.
Have a good day, Dana.
Good seeing you again.
I feel really good, because I found out that this real, and it was worth a whole lot more money than I actually thought it was.
That's great.
It's really great.
You want to sell, right? Yes, I want to sell.
How much you want? What can you give me? I'll give you $2,500.
Come on, it's it's real.
I can go to the Smithsonian and get the Smithsonian, no.
They take donations.
They don't pay cash.
[Laughs.]
At least $3,000.
At least $3,000, at least.
I'll meet you in the middle at $2,750.
That's aw, man.
You ain't gonna find it nowhere else.
I'll go 2,800 bucks.
I don't know.
I don't know.
All right, I'll tell you what.
I'll give you 2,900 bucks.
Quit bending, Rick.
$2,900? It's cash money, $100 bills, right now.
$2,900? I'll take it.
$2,900.
All right, let's go do some paperwork.
Okay.
I'm super excited right now.
I'm super excited, because I made a lot of money on that today.
I'm happy.
I'm really happy today.
Yes.
Well, why don't you two get back to work and quit skylarking all day? A cold glass of beer and a hard day of work will put you two turkeys to sleep.
Tweedledee and tweedledum.
Now, how's about you stop messing around and get back to work right now and go clean some toilets? And how's about you goes and get me a cup of coffee? I'm sick and tired of looking at you.
[Telephone rings.]
Gold & silver pawn shop.
Gold & silver pawn shop.