"Pawn Stars"

[Chris Liontas]

Anyone see the episode with the Civil War Cavalry sword with the strange hilt?? I was confused as I thought the hilt was replaced on that sword and the expert gave it a glowing recommendation. Any comments from that show?

[Orgone]

I watched that show just twice before I started screaming at the television. NO dealer who hopes to make a profit on any of those the goods would buy at these prices. Most of the stuff these ******* buy would not support the overhead of a brick and mortar store! :thumbdown:

[KASTAUFFER]

Kurt, I remember the coat, but I thought the insignia seemed odd. Didn't it have Commissary insignia on it? Not saying that it was wrong, but would need to know more about Griswold's pre-WWI service before I laid down that kind of money!

 

I really enjoy the show, but I like the old man the most! Was Chumley named after the walrus on Tennessee Tuxedo?

 

 

It did have commissary devices on it. In 1910 he was commissioned a 2nd Lt in the Infantry from the USMA. I bet the devices were added by someone assuming the uniform belonged to the same Griswald.

 

If I recall correctly he paid @1500 for the uniform on the show, which sounded like more than it was worth to me.

 

Kurt

[Bob Hudson]

I will say it is nice to have a show that gives some credence to militaria collecting: much better than having everyone assume that we're just collecting this stuff in order to supply our own personal militias.

[hmm161-78/82]

I was thinking $300-400, choked on my soda when I heard $800 and told my daughter I'd take the $400 an run as fast as I could!

[VMI88]

I realize part of the schtik is an Antiques Roadshow-like expert appraisal, but sometimes it just gets ridiculous. For instance, the guy with the jet ejection seat who would have been happy to get $300 for it. Instead of just giving him the money for an item that is clearly worth much more than $300, the pawn shop owner calls in an expert, gets it appraised for $3500, and then tells the guy he can't afford to buy it for anything close to that price! He missed a good buy and now the seller is going to wander around for months or years trying to get a couple of thousand bucks for an ejection seat that probably isn't as valuable as he thinks it is.

 

The same thing happened with the antique blunderbuss -- at least in that case the pawn shop ended up buying it, just for more than the original asking price. I doubt if the pawn shop is nearly as scrupulous when the cameras aren't rolling!

 

I do agree the end result will be that every idiot with a Korean War Ike jacket is going to think it's worth hundreds of dollars.

 

Bill

[gunbunny]

What disturbs me about the show is that they seem to feel the need to shoot every old gun they take in! The blunderbuss was a prime example. They seem to think the weapon isn't worth anything unless it can actually fire! They should be told firing some weapons actually decreases the value instead of raising it, let alone the risk of having it blow up in their faces. Watching that one dimwit try to fire the blunderbuss made me cringe!

[USMC RAIDER COLLECTOR]

This I know for sure..the show where the guy supposedly brings a Span-Am war cannon is a canned load of crap. The guy was paid to bring it in and the supposed expert traveled with him because they are friends. They want the show to have some history oriented items since it is on the History channel. It's T.V. guys..which means it is mostly canned loads of crap. It is fun to watch. Just don't believe half of what you see.

[Gldank]

That was the first segment I ever saw of Pawn Stars. I truely believe that there is an arrangement between the shop and the military appraiser! I was pretty amazed how nice the uniform items were having been worn for Halloween and such but fell out of my chair at the $800 quote! I have picked up head to toe mint WWI unform groups for less. How about the spill about the Death Clock later on in the show! Do they buy to resale? It does not seem like it! Holy Moly

 

 

I saw this episode last night....here are my misc. observations.

a

1) I like the show and try to watch it, but why is it on the "History Channel"? Am I missing something here?

 

2) I predicted to my wife the set would be $350-$400......going about $250 on the cap.

 

3) Why you don't get a name on the grouping, I'll never understand. Maybe the owner doesn't think about asking the question, but the supposed "expert" on WW1 and WW2 stuff ought to know better. He knew enough that it should be a "grouping".......

 

4) I wonder if there isn't an arrangement between the shop and the military appraiser.....the appraiser quotes double what he really thinks, knowing that the owner is going to not pay the full appraised amount. Then the owner can kick it back to the appraiser....even if he makes a $50 quick fee or something.......in other words, the owner could sell the uniform to the appraiser for $450ish with the $50 premium being a "you got first shot at it" fee.

 

I'm going to watch to see if there is a pattern with any other WW1/2 items.

 

Anyway....neat show to watch.

 

Chumley better have good insurance.

[ekclete]

I happened to be in LV recently and visited the shop. A few military things in there but way over priced but a lot of the stuff was over priced in there from what I could see.

 

The big seller, in our few minutes there, were black tee-shirts with 'Chum-Lee' in white letters across the front. The shop comes across a lot nicer then it is on the show.

 

Had I been thinking I would have packed a suit case full of common junk, brought it with and tried to sell it all to him. At the prices I have seen on the show for military, I would have made a small fortune and enough to cover the entire cost of my entire trip to Sin City! Thanks Clete

[jgawne]

I laughed really hard at that. I mean, hell, why not just bring in a WW2 German Para uniform while you are at it.

 

I mean, on one had its is easy to say the "expert" is an idiot, but then who knows what he was paid to say. Sad he did not do a real appraisal and point out the added value if the wings weere there, the discharge, any paperwork, tell them when selling a uniform make sure you look around the house for anything military that goes with it... etc.

 

I have never seen an expert announce the value in front of the customer first, with sdome sort of pre-agreement witht he owner that anything he says is "X" less than it will sell for.

 

hey, it's TV. I would not be surprised if everything in the show is fake. I mean, in the long run all they want to do is get viewers and make some ad revenue. nothing else matters.

[Hired_gun]

There were two that I have liked the most.

 

First was the late 1800's Hotchkiss Cannon. I don't know if it was real as their "expert" claimed it was, but it sure was a beautiful gun. The owner had it displayed in his living room.

 

The other I like is the guy who paid big bucks for the "old" flintlock pistol only to find out it was a modern reproduction "aged to perfection." Man was he POed!

[jgawne]

didn't you find it odd how quickly the guy was able to make up a round for that 'rare' cannon?

[Troy13]

The other I like is the guy who paid big bucks for the "old" flintlock pistol only to find out it was a modern reproduction "aged to perfection." Man was he POed!

 

That was was funny. First of all his wife was making him sell it. Then in the interview after he learned it was a fake he stated that "she was really mad that he bought it in the first place, now think how mad she's going to be when she finds out that it's a fake!" He then turned away and dropped a few f-bombs. Guess he was sleeping on the couch for a while.

 

Troy

[BOLO]

That was was funny. First of all his wife was making him sell it. Then in the interview after he learned it was a fake he stated that "she was really mad that he bought it in the first place, now think how mad she's going to be when she finds out that it's a fake!" He then turned away and dropped a few f-bombs. Guess he was sleeping on the couch for a while.

 

Troy

 

I think he knew it was a FAKE ! his story sounded like BS about how he bought it at the gun show and he was told it came from a very old collection , no serious gun collector would bring his gun to a pawn shop to resell, I think the whole story was set up just for TV

 

pawn shops pay the lowest price they can get it for and resell for the highest they can get, only desperate people try to sell to pawn shops.

[shrapneldude]

Anyone happen to see last night where the guy had 2 Trench Knifes and the Harper's Ferry rifle?

I think their expert was a bit off on his appraisal of the trench knives for sure, $150 for a MK1 Au Lion is pretty low, even if the handle was varnished. Don't really see much spot-on appraisals on this show, generally extremely high...and the guy talks about the items he has restored as though he's already sold them for those crazy high prices. "We're gonna make money on this coke machine" -- when they paid over $2K to have it restored, I think it'll be a long time before someone with that kind of money decides they want a restored coke machine, but who knows.

[jjdevi1]

Dan,

 

I thought about placing an ad on Craigs list offering to pay the guy what he was asking for both knifes. The Au Lion even without the scabbard was a 400-500 dollar piece, but the 1917 was extremely clean, the Jewel scabbard is one of the nicest I've seen in a long time, and in the right market the knife would go for $800-$1000 with no problem.

 

The guy who appraised them other than getting the models right was a moron. Then again, I think the three fat guys on there are a pack of morons! LOL The old man being a common as dirt moron. Just my opinion though. I'm pretty sure the whole thing is a sham anyway.

[ponyradish]

Dan,

 

I thought about placing an ad on Craigs list offering to pay the guy what he was asking for both knifes. The Au Lion even without the scabbard was a 400-500 dollar piece, but the 1917 was extremely clean, the Jewel scabbard is one of the nicest I've seen in a long time, and in the right market the knife would go for $800-$1000 with no problem.

 

The guy who appraised them other than getting the models right was a moron. Then again, I think the three fat guys on there are a pack of morons! LOL The old man being a common as dirt moron. Just my opinion though. I'm pretty sure the whole thing is a sham anyway.

I wonder if the appraiser bought those knives for the $450.00. GOOD BUY! Pony.

[gunbarrel]

I wonder if the appraiser bought those knives for the $450.00. GOOD BUY! Pony.

 

The guy said that he would take $350, but in the end he got PO'd and left. Good for him! Appraisals of $150 for the Au Lion and $250 for the M1917/1918 ACC with scabbard had to be an attempt to get these knives for next to nothing. The expert knew enough about them to also know their true worth. He either had to be in cahoot with the pawn shop owner, or he was going to be waiting outside with $450 to buy the knives from the seller like Pony says. And the deal with the lacquer finish--what a bunch of crap. In this case, on a brass and steel knife, it would take no time at all to get it off with a solvent and no harm done. Although I enjoy the show, this really turned me off.

[General Apathy]

What really gets me in this whole "antiques appraisal" thing is when people are advised to insure their artifact for MORE than projected retail!

 

I wonder how many of them go right home and phone in and increase their coverage.

 

The inland-marine property insurance industry is laughing all the way to the bank.

 

Hi Bluehawk, For many years I wholeheartedly agreed with your statement and thought why insure it for more than retail, that is until two weeks ago.

 

This little story is about military vehicle prices, it could be vehicles of any nationality but this one just happens to be two German WWII Schwimwagens. The Dutch owners of two Schwimmers have stored their vehicles together in a barn in Holland along with around twenty other vehicles, American and British. Nothing to report on that, they stored them there successfully for many years with no problem and covered by normal vehicle road insurance.

 

So two weeks ago at an ex-museum auction in Normandy a Schwimwagen fetches an auction record of 85,000 Euros plus 23% buyers commision and plus taxes.

 

Three days later the barn in Holland burns down and all the military vehicles in there are lost, around twenty or so including the two Schwimwagens. So what do you figure the owners of the two schwimmers need to pay now to get

replacement Schwimwagen's seeing that the auction one sold for 85,000 plus commision and plus taxes.

 

What do you think the new owner of the 85,000 one would be willing to let his go for now a week after paying 85,000, now that there are two less in the collecting community.

 

I think it will amount to that the two Dutch owned vehicles will have been underinsured on normal road type insurance and not valued high enough to cover replacement.

 

Now looking at this as I have for years that insurance is too dear anyway, and that without insuring above your items value then you will not replace stuff if you don't. Currently I have no insurance on any of my collection, it's a lot of money to find each year as I am retired and also I figure that insurance companies will argue all the way to the line as to what you owned and what it was worth.

 

Cheers Lewis

[Capt.Confederacy]

The guy said that he would take $350, but in the end he got PO'd and left. Good for him! Appraisals of $150 for the Au Lion and $250 for the M1917/1918 ACC with scabbard had to be an attempt to get these knives for next to nothing.

 

Amen. I had just gotten around to watching that episode and couldn't believe the low ball figure for those knives. I'd have taken 'em in a heart beat for $350.

[teufelhunde.ret]

Keep in mind folks - its reality TV (AKA - entertaiment). You may not agree with the prices or valuations, but, they are doing something right to have lasted 20+ years... and making lots of profit!

[shrapneldude]

Keep in mind folks - its reality TV (AKA - entertaiment). You may not agree with the prices or valuations, but, they are doing something right to have lasted 20+ years... and making lots of profit!

 

 

Even if it's staged, one thing I do like about the show, is that the guys seem to be somewhat honest at least about the making money part of it. They can't really hide the fact that they're going to re-sell because they're operating a store I suppose, but one thing has bugged me about dealing with people at shows and such. I've had guys come up and pretend they're really interested in an item, and at shows and anyone who's ever bought from me in person can tell you, I keep my prices well under "retail" on face-to-face deals -- there are guys who will say "I need this for my collection!" and an hour later, it's sitting on their table for almost double what they paid me for it. My problem isn't with them trying to turn a profit -- we all do it if we can, my problem is the BS act they put on to get it. When I buy, unless it's USMC for my collection, I usually let the seller know I plan to sell a little bit of whatever it is to make back some or all of my money (I'd go broke collecting any other way!) It probably puts some people off, but have found more than not that being honest about it leads to a lot less hard feelings. And they don't seem to use the other classic "It's total garbage...I'll give you a quarter for it" routine -- knowing full well the item is worth big money. Yes, they pay much lower than retail for stuff, but they pay reasonable re-sale prices, and they don't offer offensively low prices or lie and tell the seller their item isn't worth anything.

 

They may not know what they're doing with military stuff, but their business style is OK with me.

[Manchu Warrior]

All I know is if I ever sell my junk I am packing my van and heading off to Vegas to find Pawn Stars. However, I will remember to leave my WWI knives at home.

[maddog1129]

I am a little confuse because I thought General Griswold's West Point uniform was what was sold, or was it just the cape. And if I remember correctly it was appraised for 3 grand which seemed rather on the high side to me for what it was.

 

They kept talking on that episode as if Gen Griswald's uniform was his west point cadet uniform -- it was most definitely NOT a cadet uniform. It was a regular Army officer uniform, which just happened to be tailored by the West Point tailor shop.