Pawn Stars s03e09 Episode Script

On this episode of Pawn Stars I got an original contract that the who signed to perform at Woodstock.
The who is one of the biggest bands of all time.
That's a pretty important piece of memorabilia.
What are you trying to get out of it? So what have we got here? Old faithful high-speed washing machine.
Looks real high-speed.
The faster you crank it, the faster it goes.
Could you imagine bringing this thing home to mom, telling her, "this is what you're doing laundry with now"? She'd punch me in the face.
I've got a set of antique pistols.
This a dueling set.
They could be worth some serious money.
They look 98% real to me, except for one thing 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.
[upbeat bluesy guitar music.]
What can I help you with, man? I have a flask, not just any flask.
This one opens up at the bottom.
There was a note in here.
You have a message in a bottle.
Yes, I do.
Awesome.
I decided to come to the pawn shop today to sell my civil war flask.
I was cleaning out my grandfather's basement he passed away and I came across it in a box, and I saw the note in it, and then I figured, you know, it was worth something.
I just lost my job and need the money.
I figured a couple hundred bucks would help me out.
So when did you write the note? I didn't write that.
Yeah, right.
Okay, it says, "silver whiskey flask "carried by David Alexander Shepherd "1823 to 1883 "before, during, and after the civil war "in which he was entrusted with the funds "of two confederate banks "with the instructions to stay out of the way of the Yankees.
" Well, there's a whole little story along with him.
I mean, the neat thing was, I mean, if you were a spy or something like that, I mean, unless someone looked at this thing really closely, they wouldn't have noticed.
This flask is awesome.
It's definitely silver and very high-quality.
It's the type of item that wouldn't sit around long on the shelves of my store.
I'm interested, because the only thing better than making money is making money fast.
Smells like stagnant water in there.
[Laughter.]
All right.
You can just tell by the hallmarks, it's old.
Those are English hallmarks, and it says "d.
A.
Shepherd" right across the front of it.
The great thing is, it's in beautiful shape.
So what do you want to do? You want to pawn it or sell it? I want to sell it.
Okay, and how much do you want for it? I don't know.
I don't what something like this is worth.
I mean, this thing is from the 1850s or the 1840s.
All right.
How about $800? Um, it's not too far off.
I was thinking more in the neighborhood of $500.
$650, you have a deal.
[Sighs.]
I'll tell you what, I'll do 600 bucks.
Yeah, I think it's a fair price.
All right.
Okay? All right, chum, can you go write him up? Sure.
I'm psyched to get this flask.
You can tell by the way it's made, it's definitely old, but I keep thinking about that note, and if there's any way to validate the story, I can probably get a few hundred more bucks for it, so I'm gonna call in my buddy and see if he can authenticate it for me.
[Cash register dings.]
[Bluesy guitar music.]
  hey, how's it going, man? Hey, what's going on? What do we got? I got an original contract that the who signed to perform at Woodstock, the greatest band of all time.
Don't you hope you die before you get old? Stone cold.
[Laughter.]
I came to the pawn shop today to sell my 1969 contract for the who to perform at the Woodstock festival.
The who is the greatest band, baba o'Riley, behind blue eyes.
It's a piece of rock history.
Who wouldn't want it? "New action ltd.
Furnishing the services of the who with Woodstock ventures inc.
" And it's signed by Michael lang himself.
He did not only the '69.
He did the '94.
He did the 25-year anniversary.
It's the real deal.
This is pretty cool, man.
The who was one of the biggest bands of all time, and if that's legit, that's a pretty important piece of memorabilia right there.
This is the contract the band signed before playing in Woodstock.
I mean, contracts like this could sell for big numbers, and it's not every day that something like this just walks through the door.
Where'd you get it? My mom likes to go to yard sales, so while we were at one of the places, I was just looking around, and they had a couple albums, and the who's my favorite band, and I opened the album, and it was there.
One of the biggest bands in the world at the time only got paid $12,500 to play one of the biggest shows of all time.
Yeah, well, $12,500 back then was a lot of money, Corey.
I made about $200 a month in the Navy at that time.
What do you want to do with it? I want to sell it, because I really want to buy a new car.
What are you trying to get out of it, son? I was looking for 5 grand.
Well, you can keep looking.
It looks real, except paperwork has been forged in the past.
The signatures are all legit.
I'm gonna have to have somebody take a look at it.
It's gonna have to be sent off to a few different documentation companies.
It's not it's not something as easy as just, "oh, here's 5 grand," and you walk out the door, and I take this.
I mean, it's how about an offer? I'll make you an offer, but it's gonna be 100 bucks, man.
I mean, for 100 bucks, I might as well keep it.
Yeah, well, that's your privilege.
Can you do $1,500? No, we're not even on the same planet.
I really think the total value here is somewhere around $1,000.
And after I get it certified, all that stuff, I mean, I'm putting some pretty decent money into it.
I'll give you 200 bucks for it, man, and that's only because I think my father will like it.
Top-of-the-line, Corey.
All right.
All right, man, deal.
Let's go do some paperwork, my friend.
The who is one of the biggest bands of the '60s and '70s, and my dad really loves them, and if this thing's legit, it could be worth some serious money.
[Upbeat bluesy guitar music.]
  a few days ago, I got a call from a guy wanting to sell me his antique hand-crank washing machine, so me and Corey are on our way to his place to check it out.
So what have we got here? An old faithful high-speed washing machine.
Yeah, it looks real high-speed.
It is.
The faster you crank it, the faster it goes.
This is cool.
I mean, you could lose weight and do your laundry at the same time.
I called the guys at the pawn shop to come out to my house to see if they were interested in buying my antique washing machine.
I'm a collector of certain antique pieces, but they have to be really kind of strange and unique.
But I need some room.
I have too many pieces in my house.
So what do you know about it? The construction looks like it's all pine, all original, patent date on it of 1892 and 1898.
There was two different patents on it.
It has the original handle, which comes out, surprising that it hasn't been lost, but it has all the original stenciling.
Everything is all-original, flywheel, gears.
So how does this thing work? If you open this up, this is where you put your clothes in.
You fill it with water and put your detergent in there, and you would close it and just crank it, a high-speed washer.
The faster you go, the higher the speed.
[Laughs.]
It cranks real easy now.
I can imagine it full of water and clothes.
Could you imagine just bringing this thing home to mom and just telling her, "this is what you're doing laundry with now"? She'd punch me in the face.
[Laughter.]
Believe it or not, this was a time-saver and a luxury.
These types of machines were really popular up until the late 1800s, but in the early 1900s, electric became king.
It's in amazing shape.
For 110 years old, the fact that the stenciling and everything is still on there, nothing's broken, I think it's pretty amazing.
So what did you want to do with it? Do you want to sell it? I want to sell it.
How much you want for it? I'm looking to get $500.
Dollars? Yup, not 500 shirts.
Um, I'm thinking more like 200 bucks, man.
It's a tough sell.
You've got to find someone who actually wants this for the house.
They've got to have the right decor.
They've got to have a rustic house or have a cabin or something they want to put this in.
I understand, but I can't go that low.
So what can you do? $400.
How about $200? [Laughter.]
$350.
I'll meet you in the middle at $250.
$300.
$250.
Final offer? Final offer.
Okay.
All right.
Pay the guy.
I've got 11 bucks, dude.
[Sighs.]
All right, here we go.
There you go.
All right.
Thanks a lot, man.
I appreciate it.
I appreciate it.
Thank you.
Put it in the truck.
I'm happy.
I got room in the garage.
I got cash in my pocket, so it was a good deal.
Why are you walking so slow? Come on, son.
Because I'm walking backwards.
You go backwards.
Just walk sideways.
Come on.
[Upbeat bluesy guitar music.]
  hey, what have you got here? I've got a set of antique pistols.
Hey, boss.
What? Come check these out.
Move.
There's two of them.
We could have a duel in the parking lot if you buy them.
If we did, I'd have to get a pine box for you, chumlee.
[Gunshots.]
I decided to come to the pawn shop today to try to sell my set of antique pistols.
They were handed down to me through a couple generations of family, but I'm not really into guns or anything, and they're just sitting around collecting dust, and I figured I might be able to get some money out of them.
What can you tell me about them? I don't really know a whole lot.
You know, they've just been sitting in my closet.
They're probably from a pirate ship.
No, these are from a gunmaker out of liverpool, england.
This is a matched set.
This is a dueling set.
I estimate they are 1850 or earlier.
Back in the good old days, when had a heated disagreement with someone, you settled it with a duel.
They had matching guns so that one person didn't have an advantage of a better gun.
But if you were a bad shot, you'd be better off apologizing than getting your head blown off.
Don't point it at me.
I ain't pointing it at nobody, chumlee.
What are you trying to do, sir, sell them? Yeah, I'd like to sell them.
Everything looks 100% right to me, except that I don't see no markings on the barrel, where they meant they were tested by the government back in that day.
But I've got a guy that specializes in these.
Before I do anything with them, I want him to look at them.
Okay.
It's odd that there's no proof marks on the barrel.
Maybe Sean can tell us what we have when he gets here.
[Cash register dings.]
Hey, what can I help you with? I have a Cleveland Indians The Indians never won a world series, did they? Yes, they did.
they also won one in 1920, but it's been 62 years now, and they're still trying.
It will probably be another 62 years, you know?  [Laughter.]
I decided to come to the pawn shop to try and sell my vintage Cleveland Indians baseball pennants.
It was a big deal in 1948 when they won the series, because we were all at eight years old, we were all aspiring ballplayers, and we looked up to all those big-league players like they were a God.
I got those when I was eight years old, and my dad went to the series game and brought those back for a souvenir.
I've had them all that time.
Okay, they're in great shape.
Yes, they're in good shape, but I thought it was about time to move on with it and have someone else appreciate them like I did, really.
These are nice.
These pennants really take you back to the golden age of baseball, and memorabilia from this era is extremely popular.
So do you remember the team that year, or Oh, yes.
The name that really stands out is Bob feller.
He was one of the best pitchers in the league.
He pitched I believe it was three no-hitters, and in the middle of his career his 20-year-career 4 years were spent in the Navy.
He was a gunner.
A lot of those baseball players did that.
They went into the service: Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio.
They all did.
I thought that was tremendous.
During world war ii, there was no major league baseball.
It incredible to think that these guys gave up four years of their peak playing time to join the military, but it was a time when everyone was focused on the war effort, baseball players included.
So what did you want to do? You want to pawn it? You want to sell it? I'd like to sell it.
So what were you looking to get out of them? I'd like to get $600 for both Um $300 each.
I mean, it's really great.
I'd love to have it, but, you know, I just hate to give people what they're asking, so why don't you let me give you $500? If you will do that, I will I will accept that.
Okay, we've got a deal, then.
All right, thank you.
I'm really happy I got these pennants and for a great price.
It was one of those rare occasions when the guy knew what he had but wasn't asking for a price out of the ballpark.
[Cash register dings.]
Earlier, I bought a beautiful civil war era flask for 600 bucks, but I had a few questions about a note concealed inside.
I'm hoping that if I get the story validated, the flask could be sold for even more, so I'm calling in my buddy mark to take a closer look.
This is what I called you about.
Nice little flask.
[Sniffs.]
Not full.
That's unfortunate.
Yeah.
My name is mark.
I'm the administrator of the Clark county museum system.
I've been in the museum field for over 30 years, so there is not much out there I haven't seen at one time or another.
It's a 19th-century silver flask.
I know it's sterling silver, but there's a little note in it saying it's from the civil war.
Um I know that doesn't mean anything.
I was just wondering with the name on it and when it was made and everything if you actually could tie it to the civil war somehow.
All righty.
It's inside? Mm-hmm.
Ah, there it is.
Great note.
Ooh.
"Silver whiskey flask "carried by David Alexander Shepherd I "1823 to 1883 "before, during, and after the civil war "in which he was entrusted with the funds "of two confederate banks "with the instructions to stay out of the way "of the Yankees, and if this were not possible "to shoot his way out of a corner with a pair of damascus steel target pistols.
" I know, it sounds like something out of a book, doesn't it? Yeah, that's a pretty good plotline, but, you know, my guess is that, you know, while it's a wonderful story, without any further documentation, I'd go with what you can tell that it is.
It's a high-end flask, you know, about 1840s, very well-done, all hand-engraved.
It is silver, and it really is in beautiful condition.
You know, to have one that is in this kind of condition is wonderful.
Normally, they're banged up.
The only ding I can see is this one on the bottom of the cup portion here.
So that's what the bottom was for.
Yeah, yeah, that was just a cup, and you could drink out of that.
Oh, okay, I thought it was, like, some sort of hidden compartment or something.
No, no.
You know, you can pour it into there and have a wee nip and go on about your way.
So I think you did just fine.
This is a beautiful piece.
Well, thanks a lot, mark.
I appreciate it.
Not a problem.
I'll fill it up, and we can use it next time you're in.
There we go.
Thanks, have fun.
I'm kind of disappointed we couldn't validate the story, but the good news is, the flask is real.
It's in incredible shape, and I should have no problem doubling my money on this thing and selling it quickly.
[Upbeat bluesy guitar music.]
  earlier, a gentleman brought in a pair of antique dueling pistols.
I think they're real, but they didn't have no proof mark, so I'm calling Sean in to give me a hand with this.
Hey, Sean.
Good to see you again.
My name is Sean, and I'm an expert in antique arms and armor.
What I think is so cool about antique firearms is the connection that you can make.
You know, once you're holding something in your hand that who knows who held it before I did? They look 98% real to me, except for one thing.
There's no proof markings on the barrel.
Okay.
This type of gun is considered a dueling style.
Primarily, these would have been purchased by an officer.
These because they're cased, you have all the accessories that you need, so it was perfect for traveling, but there were those circumstances that sometimes you needed to settle a dispute, and I wouldn't want to be on the business end of any one of these things.
You got that right.
In these dueling situations, these guys both opposing forces were so nervous, but it was the fact that they showed up at all to show that they were brave, and they were gonna follow through with it, 'cause it was horrible to be considered a coward.
Now, you're concerned about there being a lack of proof marks.
This type of gun, when you push this pin out, okay See, this barrel lifts right out of there.
Okay.
So they put the proof marks on the bottom, and this name, Stubbs, was most likely the barrel maker.
Oh, okay.
So they would part all the different elements of the guns out to certain people that would be their profession.
There would be one guy that would make barrels.
They are definitely real, and this would date between 1790 and about 1820.
Now, the big question: Value.
I mean, gosh, you've got everything here, and it's the original interior, the original trade label, and that's what really makes it about case-set guns, especially of this period.
I would say $5,500 to maybe $15,000.
Wow.
Yep.
Sean, thanks for coming in.
Absolutely.
I'm really surprised about how much these guns were worth.
I just didn't think they would be worth that much.
So what do you want for them, guy? Well, from what he's saying, I mean, can I get $5,000? No, because that's probably what I'm going to end up getting.
Guy, if you want it, you got 3 grand.
That way, I can make 9, and I'd feel comfortable about it.
How about $3,500? How about $2,500? You're going the wrong way.
No.
You go up.
I go down.
I tell you what, I'll go $3,250.
I'll split it with you.
That's the best I'm gonna go.
That sounds fair enough.
You got a deal.
Chumlee, would you please write him up, please? I was really happy to get $3,250 for the guns.
When I came in, I was hoping to get $2,000, so it worked out pretty well.
[Cash register dings.]
Hey, Rick.
Hey, dad.
You look comfortable.
You're a big who fan, aren't you? Yeah.
Well, here, we bought you something, me and Corey, thought you might like that.
Don't say I never did anything nice for you, man.
Thank you.
My dad is the biggest who fan, so when this thing walked into the shop, we knew we had to get it for him.
Contract for the who to play at Woodstock.
Where'd you guys get this thing? It just walked through the door.
Supposedly, he found it at a garage sale with some albums.
How much you pay for it? 200 bucks.
Congratulations.
I mean, if it's real, it's worth a few thousands bucks.
It's pretty sweet, right? Yeah, um, one little problem, guys.
What's that? It's not real.
What? What do you mean it ain't real? They used to give these away in albums.
I mean, don't you see a problem with a contract to the who at a garage sale in, like, perfect condition? It was 200 bucks.
We took a shot.
We know you're the world's biggest who fan.
I have seen, like, 100 of them.
Okay, then it's not real, and we screwed up big you guys owe me 200 bucks.
Try to do something nice for you, and you turned into a [Bleep.]
Hole.
I know, and I appreciate it, guys, but it's worth right around 25 bucks.
Ha Anyway, nice gesture, dad.
You should have checked it out, son.
Whatever, man.
 We won't get fooled again  I told you not to buy it.
You're lying through your teeth, Corey.
You're lying through your teeth, Corey.