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New Nat Geo channel militaria/weapons show


History Man
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History Man

I was contacted by Bray Entertainment about an upcoming show that is in need of collectors and their items and was asked to post here to help.

 

Here is the email:

 

Bray Entertainment, the Co-Creators of Pawn Stars is filming a new Documentary Series for a large cable network. The program will be called "Lords of War". It follows Sean Rich and his team of experts as they explore different weapons and war antiques from all around the country. An episode would revolve around an auction and appraisal.

 

 

We are reaching out to people like you to see if you could help us out with items to be featured on the show.

 

 

To apply for this please send -

Current picture of yourself.

Picture of the items.

Brief description of the items.

 

 

This is a great opportunity for people who are looking to advertise their companies, share their collectibles, and be on TV!

 

Due Moday July 30, 2012

 

 

If you have something please send an email to: [email protected]

 

 

Philip

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Let's wait for Bob Chat to give us some of his thoughts!

Yup, its the history channel's version of combat cash! I dislike how these people copy the show topics from other channels... but it will be interesting to see their version. And its funny to see the off shoots of pawn stars too, like american restoration and the new counting cars... soon they will have one of the guy at the clark county museum and the antique gun store owner.

Ryan

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Bray is one of the co-creators of Pawn Stars. Sean Rich was the first militaria and firearms "buddy" to Rick Harrison on Pawn Stars and did something like 50 episodes. He lives in San Diego County.

 

The producers called me a month or two ago and I turned them down because I'd heard a certain person was going to be part of the appraisal team, but it turns out that wasn't the case and after they called me four times last week I said OK: don't know that I have any big whoopee items to bring on the show, but I thought it would be interesting to go through the process since in this age of recession TV everyone of us poor pickers, gator killers, commercial fishermen, gold miners and others with jobs with no benefits seems destined to get our five minutes of fame on cable TV.

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Yup, its the history channel's version of combat cash!

 

Actually this one sounds more like the Real Deal show that ran on History Channel.

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..........but I thought it would be interesting to go through the process since in this age of recession TV everyone of us poor pickers, gator killers, commercial fishermen, gold miners and others with jobs with no benefits seems destined to get our five minutes of fame on cable TV.

FS, let us know when you will be on the show! :thumbsup:

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vintageproductions

It is exactly like Real Deal.

They called me two months ago and I said no.

Then they called eight times in the last few days and told them no again. Luckily my excuse was, "I am still under contract with Discovery Channel", and they promptly got me off the phone. Just mention another network and they don't like you anymore.

Plus, like Forum Support said, because of one of their appraisers, I definetly want nothing to do with the show.

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It is exactly like Real Deal.

They called me two months ago and I said no.

Then they called eight times in the last few days and told them no again. Luckily my excuse was, "I am still under contract with Discovery Channel", and they promptly got me off the phone. Just mention another network and they don't like you anymore.

Plus, like Forum Support said, because of one of their appraisers, I definetly want nothing to do with the show.

 

 

:lol:

 

Bob

 

I dont have to mention a net work for people not to like me...... :blush: :blushing:

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:lol:

Bob

I dont have to mention a net work for people not to like me...... :blush: :blushing:

Come to think about it :think:............. :pinch:

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History Man
Bray is one of the co-creators of Pawn Stars. Sean Rich was the first militaria and firearms "buddy" to Rick Harrison on Pawn Stars and did something like 50 episodes. He lives in San Diego County.

 

The producers called me a month or two ago and I turned them down because I'd heard a certain person was going to be part of the appraisal team, but it turns out that wasn't the case and after they called me four times last week I said OK: don't know that I have any big whoopee items to bring on the show, but I thought it would be interesting to go through the process since in this age of recession TV everyone of us poor pickers, gator killers, commercial fishermen, gold miners and others with jobs with no benefits seems destined to get our five minutes of fame on cable TV.

 

 

I might do it just to see what it is like, the concept is almost like "Antiques Road Show" but I can see the resemblence between "Real Deal" and it. One thing is for sure it seems that they are coming up with a new show every other week surrounding buying and selling, talk about hitting a dead horse! If you dont mind me asking, who is the certain person on the appraisal team?

 

Philip

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I've been generally disappointed in the History channel in recent years.

 

Let's hope Bob's show on Discovery gets fired up again!

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Plus, like Forum Support said, because of one of their appraisers, I definetly want nothing to do with the show.

 

I asked and he does not show up on their list of appraisers and a friend who knows Sean well said he wasn't around when they did some filming recrntly, and - besides - this character is tied up in another show at present, much to everyone's surprise.

 

I have a friend who was an appraiser on the REAL DEAL and this Lords of War sounds just like that in format.

 

With so many of these recession TV shows for pickers, buyers and sellers, the odds of of any of them getting renewed beyond their initial contract are pretty slim, so if this makes to the air, don't blink or you'll miss it!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Spent a couple hours doing "hurry up and wait" this morning and then a few hours taping my segment: all for what might be five minutes of showtime if it ever makes it on the air. That's hard work and I can now have some understanding of what Kammo Man and Vintageproductions went through during the several motnhs they filmed COMBAT CASH.

 

I have to come back Sunday for the auction part, and based on the notices in local papers, it sounds like anyone can show up to check that out in northern San Diego County:

 

Sean Rich, star of History Channel's Pawn Stars, will be hosting an antique weapons and militaria appraisal and auction event Wednesday, August 15th, 2012 through Sunday, August 19th, 2012. For five (5) days, Sean Rich and his team of experts will be examining, evaluating and appraising antiques and weapons of all kinds for collectors and enthusiasts. The event culminates with an auction on the final day, Sunday, August 19th, 2012. The free event is open to everyone, collectors and spectators alike. BRING YOUR YOUR ANTIQUE WEAPONS AND MILITARIA DOWN TO BE EXAMINED BY THE EXPERTS! [email protected] Guy Stuff USA 507 Grand Ave. Carlsbad CA, 92008 (760) 434-9090

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vintageproductions
Spent a couple hours doing "hurry up and wait" this morning and then a few hours taping my segment: all for what might be five minutes of showtime if it ever makes it on the air. That's hard work and I can now have some understanding of what Kammo Man and Vintageproductions went through during the several motnhs they filmed COMBAT CASH.

 

 

Welcome to what was our world. There were sometimes full day shoots that never made it on the air.....

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  • 4 months later...

Well, it looks like this show MAY finally be coming on TV. I say "may" because National Geographic just pulled some web pages that dealt with the episodes. However there are websites now saying the first episode will air on January 23. I have a hard time imagining NatGeo is going to start up a new mostly gun-oriented show in today's climate and I think that's why the pages were pulled.

 

Those pages are still in Google's cache so here are synopsis's of a few episodes;

 

Lords of War: Itchy Trigger Finger

 

 

SEAN AND THE TEAM ARE JUST OUTSIDE COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, IN THE HUNT FOR THE BEST MILITARY ITEMS AND COLLECTIBLES FOR THEIR AUCTION. SHOOTER COMES ACROSS A WWI BAR RIFLE, AND HEADS TO THE RANGE TO SEE IF IT STILL FIRES LIKE IT DID AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY. HAMMER EXAMINES WHAT SEEMS TO BE A 17TH CENTURY SPANISH RAPIER, USED BY THE WEALTHY TO SETTLE MATTERS OF HONOR. SEAN EVALUATES TWO OVER-UNDER GUNS THAT APPEAR TO HAVE NO TRIGGER. HE THEN HEADS TO THE TEST RANGE TO SEE IF THEY STILL FIRE. HAMMER AND SEAN MEET AN ENTHUSIASTIC JOUSTER WHO HAS WHAT COULD BE A MEDIEVAL JOUSTING LANCE.

 

Lords of War: Sunken Treasure

 

THE GUYS HEAD TO COLORADO FOR AN EXTRAVAGANZA OF MILITARY COLLECTIBLES. SHOOTER FIRES A MAC 10 SUBMACHINE GUN, THE ICONIC WEAPON OF HOLLYWOOD MOVIES, DEPICTED IN FILMS SUCH AS "PULP FICTION." SEAN EXAMINES A 76-POUND BAR OF SILVER THAT MIGHT HAVE COME FROM ONE THE MOST FAMOUS SPANISH SHIPWRECK RESCUES EVER. AND JIM GOES TO THE SHOOTING RANGE WITH A CIVIL WAR REENACTOR TO SEE IF HIS 1853 ENFIELD RIFLE STILL FIRES JUST LIKE IT DID WHEN THE NORTH WAS FIGHTING THE SOUTH.

 

This is the one I filmed (the "military love story").

 

Lords of War: Blunderbuss Blowout

 

THE GUYS HEAD TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FOR AN EXTRAVAGANZA OF MILITARY COLLECTIBLES. JIM SHOOTS A 19TH CENTURY COLT .45 REVOLVER, AN ICONIC PIECE OF AMERICANA FROM THE WILD WEST. SHOOTER AND SEAN EXAMINE A POTENTIALLY PRICELESS WWI HELMET, CLAIMED TO BE DECORATED BY A YOUNG WALT DISNEY. SEAN FIRES A REVOLUTIONARY WAR ERA BLUNDERBUSS, AN ENORMOUS GUN THAT PIRATES USED IN ORDER TO DEBILITATE TREASURE SHIPS BEFORE BOARDING THEM FOR PLUNDER. JIM LEARNS ABOUT A MILITARY LOVE STORY -- WITH MATCHING RARE WORLD WAR TWO UNIFORMS.

 

I can't wait to tell the story of how totally unreal my reality TV experience was. The love story is real but the presentation is total fiction and I hope to get an Emmy nomination for my acting if this ever makes it on the air (or on the cable, as it may be).

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Welcome to what was our world. There were sometimes full day shoots that never made it on the air.....

 

Bob, I heard rumors that there were some "lost episodes" of Combat Cash! Or at least enough unaired stories to make up another episode.

 

 

Looking forward to seeing the new show, it will be interesting to see how they portray the firearms.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Bob, I heard rumors that there were some "lost episodes" of Combat Cash! Or at least enough unaired stories to make up another episode.

 

 

Looking forward to seeing the new show, it will be interesting to see how they portray the firearms.

 

 

Lords of War is primarily a weapons show with a bit of militaria mixed in.

 

I have heard that Combat Cash didn't get more episodes because it didn't contain enough conflict between the stars. Have you seen the Family Guns series with the owners of International Military Antiques? It's as much about contrived father-son conflict as it is about historic artifacts. Pawn Stars has that as does American Restorations which started out as cool show about restoring things and is now about father-son, husband-wife, boss-employee relations and seldom shows how the techniques used in restoration.

 

It looks now like Lords of War is coming to the air for sure starting January 23rd.

 

lords.jpg

 

The episode that might include my segment is scheduled to air Jan. 30th. A previous synopsis of the episode mentioned my segment, but the new one does not. Maybe they read my remarks here and cut it, which wouldn't bother me. In fact, in retrospect, it's a little embarrassing because the whole thing is faked.

 

lords2.jpg

 

I did have some fun filming it (interspersed with long periods boring waits), but it is a charade.

 

It started when they asked me to give them an appraisal on the items i had brought it for appraisal.

 

Yep, you read that right. The guy doing the appraisal was a great knife guy, but knows nothing about militaria so I had to tell him what it was and what it was worth.

 

As we started to actually film it, the producer stopped us and said, "Wait, wasn't there a patch, an eye patch?"

 

I have an eye problem problem that crops up a couple times a year and I wear an eye patch while it's being treated. I had sent the producers photos of me with and without the patch since I never know when I might need it. I didn't need it at the time of the shooting, but I did happen to have a patch in my car, so the producer asked me to go get it so I'd look more colorful. We had a rare coastal California heat wave that week and I can tell you eye patches are no fun on sweaty days!

 

The actual "appraisal" was shot in several takes with two cameras hovering over our shoulders and a producer just out of camera range. He'd give us an idea of what to say and then stop us a lot to say something like, "That was great, but now say it this way and use this word instead..."

 

The poor appraiser was wearing a buckskin shirt which was even worse than my eye patch as it got hotter, and this was the first "appraisal" he'd filmed for the series so it took a while to get into the groove.

 

I have to say that the actual filming of the alleged appraisal was fun - it was acting really. and as someone who spent 30 years on and off in radio, I like ad-libbing this kind of thing and seem to be pretty good at it. Now maybe if and when I see myself on the National Geographic Channel I might have a different opinion. Several years ago I hosted a dozen episodes of an T interview program and I felt so insecure about it that I never once watched it (maybe I should have worn an eye patch for that show).

 

After spending a couple hours shooting the appraisal, they told me to come back Sunday morning for the "auction."

 

This being TV, when I showed up at the appointed time Sunday I found I had to wait two hours before they'd shoot my purported auction.

 

Here's what was real about the auction: the artifacts and the auctioneer. What was not real was the auction audience (the bidders) and the bidding itself. When I arrived to shoot the auction segment, I had thought it was going to be a real auction and was surprised at how many bidders they had for a Sunday morning.

 

The audience were brought in by a casting director and they neither knew nor cared about militaria or weapons: think of them as extras in a movie, some of whom got lines to speak.

 

The producers walked us all through the bidding before it started, telling various audience members what they would bid and when, and what the winning bid would be. The auctioneer of course had similar instructions for pretending to run the bidding.

 

It was filmed first with no microphones on the audience or auctioneer: they just miked myself and the "appraiser" to get our rehearsed reactions to the bidding (imagine me the seller smiling and shaking my head in approval as the bidding went higher and higher, well beyond the appraisal).

 

They then filmed two takes with the other mikes on and we stood there in our corner mouthing our reaction. The show's host Sean Rich (you remember him as the first militaria and weapons expert on Pawn Stars "I'll call my buddy Sean") roamed the auction floor during those two takes.

 

Since it was not a real auction, the items went home with me and I sold them on ebay for just about what I told the "appraiser" they were worth. It is a pretty distinctive grouping (you can see it here http://www.usmilitar...ficer-uniforms/ ) and I imagine the people who bought it from me would be shocked to see it auctioned off on TV. The family that sold it to me would also be shocked to see the high price it sold for, although in reality - something not found on reality TV - it sold for not much more than I paid for it.

 

In addition to the appraisal and auction I also filmed before and after segments, similar to those ones you see on Pawn Stars with people standing in the parking lot talking about the transaction. The reaction to the appraisal was filmed before the appraisal :) The Lords of War producer, by the way, was one of the original producers of Pawn Stars.

 

If I get on the show the segment should take less than 5 minutes and for that they shot maybe three or four hours of video combined from the two cameras.

 

I should point out you get no money for being on a show like this (unless you're Sean Rich or one the appraiser/expert cast members), and since they use only your first name you don't even get any free PR that could, say, help promote your militaria business. Pawn Stars used to refer to even the experts only by their first names, but they now plug their business names.

 

The producers called me three times before I agreed to be on the show: I used to do video production in addition to broadcasting, so I'd finally decided it would be worth the hassle to how the process worked for "reality TV." It certainly confirmed what we've heard: "There is no 'real' in reality TV."

 

Being a picker/dealer in Southern California I know at least two people who have been sellers on Pawn Stars, have met one buyer from Storage Wars and have a few acquantainces who have provided items to be placed in storage units on Storage Wars ("salting" they call it). Another acquaintance was a buyer on Real Deal, a History Channel appraisal/auction program. And, of course our very own USMF colleagues Owen and Bob did Combat Cash (another not-active forum member is the current militaria buddy on Pawn Stars).

 

I guess I figured that eventually everyone in the US will have to be on a reality show, so it was time to do my duty.

 

But at this point I decided it would be more valuable duty to help confirm details of what goes into making these shows. Combat Cash is no longer on the air because they would not play along. Dave Hester of Storage Wars got fired for not playing along. Go to Google and type in Hester sues - I never thought I'd stick up for Dave Hester (although he was nice enough the one time we met and chatted) but Storage Wars in not only faked, I have seen it cause real economic harm (don't even get me started on the totally bogus Auction Hunters).

 

Because of the storage auction shows, storage units that used to go for $100-200 will now often go for $1,000 or more, even though 99% have crap for contents, which is why the TV producers salt theirs with goodies they bought or borrowed elsewhere. Guys I know who've bought storage units for a years and scratched out a living selling the contents at swap meets can no longer afford to by units.

 

But worse than that, much worse, are the naive people who've watched those shows and gone out and spent all their savings (or money borrowed from family) to pay inflated prices for storage lockers. When I go to the swap meet it's easy to tell these people because they've got dozens of moving boxes full of junk, all lined up in neat rows, none of it selling. I saw one hapless young woman calling out, almost crying out, "A dollar, no more than a dollar for anything." She looked to be in pain and clearly taken a bath on her storage unit purchase. No reality show producer had salted her storage unit with goodies. It was sad so see, and I've encoutered many more similar examples.

 

The Storage Wars and Auction Hunters stars don't need to care about what they get for the units they buy: Dave Hester had a contract to get $750,000 for the current season of Storage Wars and I'm sure his fellow cast members were not far behind. Same with a show like American Pickers: I often hear people wonder how they stay in business when they buy $40 items and proudly announce it will retail for $70? Well, they surely make in excess of half-a-million dollars each per season, something they could never do from their retail stores. By the way, their producers go to each pick before they do and decide what will be purchased and for how much, so when Mike and Frank arrive it's a matter of filming pretend negotiations.

 

Despite all the fakery, I still think there are some good shows for learning about collectibles. Antiques Roadshow and PBS's History Detectives, certainly and I even still like Pawn Stars. They overpay and underpay just like we real world pickers do, but I give them lots of credit for getting into the history of items. As I have mentioned before, I find Pawn Stars has made it easier for me as a militaria buyer because so many people tell me things such as, "I watch Pawn Stars and understand you guys have to make a profit."

 

It'll be interesting to see where Lords of War falls on the spectrum: if they do air the discussions of the history of the items such as my grouping, cool. But if they have lot of fake auctions with artifically inflated prices, not so cool: it's not what you expect from as distinguished a brand as "National Geographic."

 

But there is silly money to be made if you get a hit show, so I'm sure we'll see a lot more of these.

 

Myself, I'm waiting for Honey Boo Boo to travel with the American Pickers in search of a storage unit full of antique weapons.

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FS, let us know when you will be on the show! :thumbsup:

 

Since I decided to write about what it was like to film the show, I suspect I will not be part of the show when it airs January 30.

 

We recently dropped cable TV and get all our TV through the Internet and Apple TV box and it looks like the Nat Geo does not run recent shows online so I need to find someone who still has a VCR and could tape it for me, just in case I do get my five minutes of anonymous fame, "Here's Bob!"

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Great write up, Bob.

 

Since I decided to write about what it was like to film the show, I suspect I will not be part of the show when it airs January 30.

 

Really? Did you have to sign any non-disclosure type stuff?

 

American Restorations which started out as cool show about restoring things and is now about father-son, husband-wife, boss-employee relations and seldom shows how the techniques used in restoration.

 

Yeah, that really pissed my wife off. Despite being a "reality show" and understanding not much is spontaneous, she used to enjoy seeing all the work--the complete transformative process--and the end product.

 

But with this new format we haven't tuned in since.

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Great write up, Bob.

 

 

 

Really? Did you have to sign any non-disclosure type stuff?

 

 

 

Yeah, that really pissed my wife off. Despite being a "reality show" and understanding not much is spontaneous, she used to enjoy seeing all the work--the complete transformative process--and the end product.

 

But with this new format we haven't tuned in since.

 

The only thing they had me sign was a "model's release" which says they get to put me on the TeeVee.

 

Yes, American Restoration used to be about the challenges and techiques of restoration, then they started making it more about his dumb arse kid and his buddy, then apparently his girlfriend - now wife - decided she wanted to strut her MILF bum on TV. Now, some guy brings in an item to be restored, picks it up at the end, and in between we have bad soap opera.

 

It reminds me of what Junior (who is not really a "junior") said about American Chopper, words to effect of, "Some people think this is a show about making motorcycles - but it's not. It's a show about a family that happens to make motorcycles." Which means the soap opera comes first.

 

Family Guns with the IMA father and son is the most annoying example yet, since both father and son are such bad actors (although they did a great job of ripping off two Combat Cash segments almost verbatim).

 

Just found out my segment on Lords of War is once again mentioned in the promo on the website, so set your VCR's folks so I can my dumb arse self on TV.

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  • 2 weeks later...

What gets me, as I am never amazed at the stupidity of the American public) is that SAG and the writer's guild still has not been able to stake a claim that these shows are indeed scripted.

 

And as for IMA, while I know the things a big put on, I still have such a bad taste in my mouth from how bad the thing was, I dare say I will refrain from buying anything from them - although I had stopped years ago as they insist on selling non-US WW2 items as "US WW2 Type." And as much as I try, it's hard to seperate the Combat Cash silliness from the actual guys. So really, I think all you get is publicity amoung people that don't know anything.

 

Maybe we should just do an internet show where we go to people's collections and have them show us their cool stuff and tell the stories of it. I always wanted to do that. Years back there was a pitch for a TV show based on the GI Journal for WW2 people but it did not fly as it was non sensational enough. We did not have Hitler's underwear or links to Nazi bases on the moon.

 

Mind you, I know a former producer for the History Channel who recently told me he's not going to work for them again as they have totally given up on history, and just want the same type of crappy shows they are putting on now.

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