Anyone EVER watch Pawn stars?

[AsahinaKimi]

While volunteering at the VA, the History Channel is often on in Module 1 and 2 so sometimes I go there on break an sit and watch Pawnstars...its kinda fun. Found out they have a website:

http://pawnstarswebsite.com/

Plus some of the guys are on twitter:

Austin Russell Verified account
@chumlee_

Pawn Stars Verified account
@pawnstars

Rick Harrison Verified account
@GoldSilverPawn

corey harrison Verified account
@corey_harrison

Richard harrison
@ThePawnFather

The father Richard Harrison is a riot. Just funny as hell!

[patricia92243]

1. Hubby watches it all the time. Pretty interesting show.

[pipi_k]

2. Yep

We watch it frequently at my house


Funny guys!

And lots of interesting items, some with great history

[eShirl]

3. it sucks and I watch it

and yes, the Old Man is my favorite character even though he can't act worth spit

[yuiyoshida]

4. I wonder is he really acting or ...

Is he really that way? I have watched it too on occasion, and its fun.

[Brother Buzz]

5. 'Pawn Stars' Shop May Have Melted Stolen $50,000 Coin Collection

'Pawn Stars' Shop May Have Melted Stolen $50,000 Coin Collection
March 11, 2014

A man whose $50,000 coin collection was first stolen, then hocked, cannot recover it from Las Vegas' famous "Pawn Stars" pawn shop. Reason: The hock shop claims it melted the coins down.

According to a criminal complaint filed by the State of Nevada in Clark County Justice Court, a coin collection valued by its owner, David Walters, at up to $50,000, was stolen from Walters' Las Vegas home in November 2013 by Walters' niece, Jennifer Beckman.

Court documents say Walters' collection--kept in a bag hidden under a dresser--contained such rarities as a 1903 St. Gaudens $20 gold piece and Silver Morgan coins from the 1880s. It also contained contemporary 1 oz. American Buffalo gold pieces.

<snip>

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/pawn-stars-pawn-shop-melted-stolen-coins/story?id=22851656

[hack89]

6. They did nothing wrong

your link says that no law was broken.

[pipi_k]

7. Yep, that's true...

And when people bring stuff in to pawn or sell, the staff usually always ask how they came by it.

A really good liar could make up a plausible story, which, without police reports that the items were stolen, wouldn't raise any red flags.

Now it's too late.


A lesson to people who own valuable stuff...

get a safe deposit box

or

if your items are lying around the house, check on them at least once a week.

[AsahinaKimi]

8. Wow....

Well I suppose this is an occupational hazard that happens from time to time in that sort of business!

[Art_from_Ark]

22. They may not have done anything "wrong" from a legal standpoint,

but either they are absolutely clueless about the value of old American gold and silver coins, or they knew the coins were hot and wanted to destroy the evidence.

No dealer who is worth his salt is going to melt down a US $20 gold piece or an 1880s Morgan dollar in decent condition (although if it is a "1903" St. Gaudens $20 gold piece, it is going to be fake and therefore unsaleable to a numismatist).

[hack89]

25. Or the value of the gold was greater or equal to the value of the coins

We don't know what condition the coins were in while we do know the price of gold is high. Without an insurance appraisal we have no idea what the real value of the coins was.

[Art_from_Ark]

26. No, that's just plain wrong

The value of the metal of a US *collector coin* in decent condition (and I'm not talking about damaged coins, or worn "junk silver" coins that were manufactured in the billions in the 1940-69 era) is NEVER greater than the numismatic value of the coin. If that $20 gold piece (which is a collector coin) were real (and who knows if it was because the date didn't match up with the type), it would be worth at least $1366 as of this writing, versus $1324 for the metal content. The pawn shop could tack another $20 to the $1366 price and sell it easily to a collector.

Morgan dollars from the 1880s are fairly common except for Carson City mint coins (which ALWAYS command a nice premium) and some other mints of various dates. Nevertheless, unless the coins are scruffed up, holed, or otherwise damaged, a pawn shop should be able to easily sell common dates at 10% above their silver value. Heck, given that it's Las Vegas and the shop is no doubt visited by lots of tourists, they could easily sell those dollars with a sign saying something like "Get a genuine silver dollar from the Wild West! Only 15% over the silver value!"

And there is no way that you're going to get a better price by melting down a 1 ounce Buffalo gold coin instead of selling it in its original coin form. But it is almost guaranteed you'll get a lower price by melting it.

[hack89]

27. Remember we only have one side of the story

it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

[Art_from_Ark]

29. Whose side of the story is missing?

According to ABC, the former owner says the coins were stolen, and Pawnstars says they melted the coins.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/pawn-stars-pawn-shop-melted-stolen-coins/story?id=22851656

[hack89]

32. We have only the owners word for what was stolen, their condition and their value

we also do not have the store's side of the story as to what they appraised the value of the coins at.

[Art_from_Ark]

33. And on the other side, the pawnbrokers melted the evidence

And of course, pawnbrokers are going to lowball their appraisal of coins' values, since most of them don't know shit about numismatic coins, and they want to pay as little as possible for what they get even when they know the market value. Hell, the Miami pawnbroker in the Versace murder case only offered Andrew Cunanan $190 for a one ounce bullion coin, even though the price of gold was in the $300+ range during that time. And because it was a "$50 gold coin" she said she remembered it because "it was uncommon". Well, unless it was a Panama-Pacific $50 gold coin, it wouldn't be uncommon since it would be just a regular old one ounce bullion coin that had been issued by Uncle Sam in large numbers for 11 years up to that time.

[hack89]

34. ok. Time will tell. nt

[Art_from_Ark]

35. There are basically two types of people who sell coins to pawnbrokers

People who have inherited a collection and know diddly-squat about coins and just want to get rid of them, and people who have stolen coins (like Cunanan) and just want to get rid of them. In either case, the pawnbroker knows he or she can lowball an offer because nearly anything they offer that sounds "reasonable" will be acceptable to the seller.

[Art_from_Ark]

42. Checking on buy prices in a leading numismatic newspaper,

Coin World, I see that there is at least one long-time advertiser who is offering $22 and up for run-of-the-mill Morgan dollars, which is around $5.50 higher than the metal content. In other words, that $22 can be considered to be the wholesale price of generic Morgan dollars in average (not uncirculated) condition. So it makes absolutely no sense, from a legitimate business perspective, for a dealer to send off Morgan dollars to be melted into silver bars or whatever, since they would only be worth about $16.50 (theoretically) as a bar of silver (but actually less than that since they would have to refined from .900 to .999 fine to make them attractive to investors).

Another thing that really caught my attention was this excerpt from a Daily Mail article:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2579469/Meltdown-pawn-shop-reality-television-star-tell-customer-sorry-turned-coin-collection-gold.html

Silver & Gold's spokesperson, Laura Herlovich said coins are usually in plastic cases with a value already assigned to them by an expert.

She added: 'If the grader is not someone we trust, the cases are cracked open and the coins are sent out to be melted down.

'That was the case here. I don't know for sure, but I believe a majority were melted down. They weren't worth what he [Walters] thought they were worth.'

That is either the stupidest business practice imaginable, or there is something else going on there.

First of all, I have no idea what their spokesperson means when she says that "coins are usually in plastic cases with a value already assigned to them by an expert", but it sounds like BS to me since she seems to be talking about grading company "slabs" which never come with a "value" assigned by an expert, only a grade. Giving a coin a "death sentence" merely because it's in the "wrong" type of holder is either idiotic, or...

There are two so-called "first tier" coin grading companies in the US-- NGC, and PCGS. There is also a "second tier" company called ANACS. All of those companies grade and "slab" coins in hard plastic holders that have traceable numbers.

There are also various "third tier" grading companies that don't command much respect in the numismatic community, but that's usually because they tend to overgrade coins. The vast majority of coins in their holders are genuine, but improperly graded to try to make them seem more valuable than they actually are. While it might make sense to crack a coin like that out of its "case" (slab), sending it off immediately to the smelter is stupid. If there is a question about its authenticity, why buy it in the first place? And if, for example, it's a real silver dollar, it's worth more in coin form than in melted, generic silver form.

[Art_from_Ark]

19. As a coin collector, that story raises some alarm bells with me

First of all, there is no such thing as a "1903" St. Gaudens $20 gold piece. Those particular coins were not minted until 1907.

Second of all, melting numismatic coins makes little sense since both $20 gold pieces and 1880s Morgan dollars can almost always be sold to a legitimate US coin dealer for more than their precious metal value (unless they are damaged). If the coins are melted, they have to be assayed. Both types of coins only contain 90% precious metal, which is going to sell for a big discount to the spot price if it is not made pure (which requires extra effort and expenses, including assaying).

Thirdly, 1 oz. American Buffaloes are always bought and sold at a premium to their gold value. They are specifically created as a fully-liquid bullion item backed by a government. Melting such a coin to sell its gold makes absolutely no sense from a legitimate business standpoint since in coin form they are far more liquid and valuable than they are in generic, unassayed form.

[Incitatus]

20. If you're going to keep $50k in gold in your house, you should spend a few hundred on a safe. nt

[Tommy_Carcetti]

9. I'll admit, occassionally I will.

I will say all the Harrisons come off like major doucebags, although Chumlee seems nice.

As with all reality shows, it's heavily scripted and contrived....but at least the artifacts themselves are kind of cool.

[Ineeda]

10. ^this, and

Rick, especially, is obnoxious, with his fake Muttley laugh. (Dick Dastardly's dog.)

[OriginalGeek]

11. We like the show

Chumlee was a victim of an internet death hoax last week - my co-worker was all upset until I showed him it was a hoax. lol. But my daughter and I watch it all the time. I like when Rick knows a guy. He always knows a guy. One of my favorite guys he knows is the Count from the Counting Cars show - I like that show because he makes some badass rides. If I could afford it I'd get him to customize a car for me.

[AsahinaKimi]

14. I would love to go strolling though their shop

I bet I would find something I wanted... like an antique katana for my collection..

[Brigid]

17. Maybe that's where Michonne got hers.

[img][/img]

[pipi_k]

28. Counting cars

is an awesome show.

I love classic cars.

And it's so great to see a piece of junk car go in and then come out looking absolutely amazing.


Plus the Count himself is awfully cute...

[OriginalGeek]

36. My Grandpa has a 1965 Pontiac LeMans

He is the original owner and he lets me come over and drive it every once in a while (It's not his daily driver but he likes to keep it running - we go out for ice cream and such). He recently had it returned to running condition while retaining as many original parts as possible and it's a pretty beautiful car. I have often wondered what the Count would do with it if I brought it out to him however I don't think I would want much - I would want to keep it as original possible - Grandpa still has the original wire wheel covers. Other than consumables (belts and hoses and gaskets and tires and paint and such) the only non-original part on it is the air-cleaner cover - that got stolen 30 years ago while it was in the shop for routine maintenance. He found another one from the same era just not the original one that came with the car. But every time he had it repainted he got the original pale yellow.

What I would really like to do is win the lottery and buy a 68 Firebird and let the Count go to town on it. Dream car right there. Keep the LeMans original and totally freak out on the Firebird.

My wife and daughter both agree with you on the Count's handsomeness.

[Codeine]

12. What a stupid, awful, contrived wreck that show is.

And I know because I've watched a ton of episodes.

[AsahinaKimi]

13. Bwahahahaha!

its totally okay... cause the VETS at the VA hospital just love these guys.

[Beaverhausen]

15. I watch sometimes, but it's pretty fake

they find people who are selling some interesting stuff and invite them to the shop.

it's fun though..rick, chumlee and the old man are quite a bunch of characters

[Kali]

16. I don't watch teevee

but on one of my last visits to MFM, he was watching this and I sat for a few "items" one was some kind of homemade assault vehicle and I think another was some kind of civil war weapon.

I just know he would have had something interesting to add to your thread. He seemed to like the show.

[Brigid]

18. Saw an episode just this weekend.

The guys went to a salon and got manicures!

[Logical]

21. Totally scripted but better than most reality TV shows. n-t

[yuiyoshida]

23. Pawn Stars topped cable viewership for the week with 4.673 million viewers.

Last edited Tue Mar 18, 2014, 03:05 PM - Edit history (1)

[Systematic Chaos]

24. The scripting in Pawn Stars doesn't detract much from the entertainment value...

...of the show, especially because there's very little in the way of "plot lines" from show to show. It's just mostly scripted jokes and interactions unique to each episode.

And they don't go out of their way to make anyone believe it's not scripted, either. So I'm fine with how they run it. It's a chance for the owners to have fun, and hopefully the rest of the staff shares in the wealth a little. All four guys seem down-to-earth and real enough that I doubt they're total assholes to their support staff.

Now, let's talk for a few minutes about 'Hardcore Pawn'.

This show is obviously scripted, but they try and build up season-long "plot lines" which you just keep hearing about. It seems to me that they're trying to pass it off as real family drama in the business. This, while they're also putting in 2-3 "encounters" with insane customers who have to be run out of the shop by those towering walls of security. If those people were really that hostile and fucked in the head, do you really think they'd sign releases so that their faces get shown on national TV? My wife and I figure each "crusty" bags about $200 for being a momentary part of the cast and going through that kind of humiliation. There are a lot of other complaints I have about Hardcore Pawn, including no real experts being brought in to appraise merchandise and horrible haggling that seems to be way too much in the store's favor.

At least on Pawn Stars, it's made to look as if Rick will buy an item off someone hoping to just get 20-25% markup if it's an expensive collector's piece. This gives the appearance of fairness to the customers, which in Las Vegas is really sort of jaw-dropping. If those guys are really that decent to bargain with, I would have no qualms about trying to sell a rare and valuable item through them rather than at an auction, especially since they're only about 5 miles from my place. Hardcore Pawn? It seems almost every time like that family isn't happy unless they're going to see a profit margin anywhere from 80% all the way up to over 200% on some things! And what is up with their back room full of shit nobody will ever buy? How many rows of older non-smart, 720p flat-screen TVs do you need?

That's just my two cents' worth of compare and contrast between the two big pawn shows.

Oh, and as someone who was formerly downright fucking huge (and who is still in need of shedding 100 lbs. or so), I gotta give major props to Chumly for losing the weight he has. I'm not sure, but I think it may have been done without resorting to surgery, which is even better!

[pipi_k]

30. One of the most worthless

shows on TV...yep, that's "Hardcore Pawn"

Mr Pipi loves watching it just to annoy me.

There is not even ONE redeeming feature about that show.

Family dysfunction at its finest...are they really that crazy or is that all scripted too? One episode Les wants the children to take more responsibility. Next episode they're taking responsibility and he's telling them HE is the boss and they don't know what they're doing.

I hate them.

[greytdemocrat]

31. Ha!!!

I watch it for the same reason as your Mr. Pipi. My wife hates it!!

On the other hand, we both love Pawn Stars.

[AsahinaKimi]

40. I do believe they mentioned

That Chumly had gastric by pass surgery.

[yuiyoshida]

37. Here's a new website..

http://www.gspawn.com/

[Digit]

38. They ruined the show with the scripting IMO

At one time I loved the show, but Chumley's escapades, the old man's stubborness, and Rick's son believing he knows it all got old real quick.

I notice from the responses that most people don't feel as I do which is fine. We are all different.

I do love American Pickers and as far as Pawn shows, I prefer the Cajun pawn show.

[UncleYoder]

39. any place

that will take a goat on loan is all right with me.

[Marthe48]

41. We watch it

We both liked it better when it started--they showed a lot more items, now its focused more on the script. One of our relatives and her husband went out to Las Vegas last year, and said there were people lined up around the block and people connected to the show were going up and down the line choosing the most interesting items to show on the program.