Something about Pawn Stars

[H Richard]

I watch it from time to time and also Antiques Road Show. You can learn a lot from the appraisal's. You never know when you may run into something and you know it's worth a lot more than the asking price. Problem is finding someone who wants the item. That's why the Pawn boys pay half what it's worth, as they may be sitting on it for a long time before the item sells.

Wife and I both enjoy roaming antique shops. Maybe that's why I like pre-war S&W, as well as antique camera's and cameo's.

Problem I am pondering now is at what point do you start selling off the stuff you collect. The kids don't want it and will sell it for whatever they can get for a quick sale. I'm thinking about age 85 I should start selling off some of the nice stuff. Da#*, that's only 16 more years.

 

[jframe]

I'm amazed at the idiots who buy things like the old flintlock pistol that one guy tried to sell. He'd bought it at a yard sale or something, and had absolutely no documentation or anything. Turns out it's a fake, and he was raising hell on the sidewalk about how his wife was ticked that he'd bought it in the first place and paid as much as he did for it. Hope his couch is comfortable.

 

[feralmerril]

My dad died right at 90 in 2003. He has alzheimers and I had just retired. Mom had died 10 years earlier. Dad was stubborn and at first refused to go to a rest home. He lived 8 miles from the nearest store and had lost his drivers license. I ended up going home and liveing with him for 6 months takeing care of him and trying to reason with him into selling out and going to assisted liveing. Yes, I could have had him declaired incompetent, but I couldnt bring myself to do that! He normaly had been neat and well organised all his life but with the alzheimers he had let everything go to hell and we lived in squaller!
Mom and him both were collectors of everything and never threw anything out. He wouldnt part with a P coat that was so old it was brittle! He would say thats good quality, and picked it out of the trash where I threw it. That night I was going through a family album and seen a picture of my mother standing with grandpa, dads, dad, wearing it in 1941!
I still had my house in california but was liveing with dad in wisconsin. We had a big auction. I think we cleared about 4 K on everything but the house and land. I think that figured out to about 5 cents on the dollar, had I been able to haul everything back to california and get california antique shop prices!
Just prior to the auction a heavy hail storm wrecked dads old crown vic. It looked like someone had walked around it with a ball peen hammer in each hand working it over! Dad had taken the insurance money and wouldnt fix the car. At the auction he told the auctioneer no way would he take a bid of 2K that someone offered. He wanted 4K!, or all these people could just go home! A old close friend of mom and dads overheard pa argueing with the auctioneer. She yelled out a bid of 4K!! My folks were well liked! The auctioneer just looked at me and rolled his eyes in disbelief!
Haveing gone through all this, I also am getting a wake up call on my gun collection. I dont have a son. I do have some step grandsons that their mothers wont even allow to have toy guns, much less the real ones!
I do have a daughter with two daughters. I have told her I want certain guns passed down through the family even if they have to be stored for waiting for a great, great grandson. However that may be something like 5 guns out of 50? Guys, unless you have sons, get real!!
I see some of us think you need 6 guns of the same model and barrel length! Now while they all might be a "good" investment, just how well do you really think that your uninterested widow will be able to sell them for what you think they are worth? I got news for you. Overall, she might get 30% of the value IF she is real, real, lucky!
I think I am preaching to myself.

 

[Mickey D]

Dad, where you been all my life!

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

If I remember, the old hardware store down near the river on Bay St. was still selling guns. AFAIK, the only hardware store in Jacksonville still selling guns is Curry Thomas Hardware in the old A&P Grocery building on Beach Blvd. I think it was the late 60's early 1970's when they moved into the A&P building.

I remember a couple of pawn shops in Jacksonville then...but I can't remember the name- it'll bug me all day!
Thanks!

I think that the last time I was in Jax for any amount of time was in the early 90's, and many of the old places had disappeared, although the waterfront had been yuppified. I tried to look up old downtown gun shops, but I have a recollection that the only dealer had all his stuff in the back and showed only by appointment. It was a brief visit, so I never really checked it out. Some scenes of my youth have definitely disappeared.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

I think I am preaching to myself.

Nope. Some of us know exactly what you are talking about. Not all of us like to be reminded.

 

[ky wonder]

i have good friends who run pawn shops and pawn shops are on my routine circle of gun shops where i seek out quality antique weapons.

one pawn shop " kid" gave my phone number to a guy one day because he did not think that the old pistol the guy was wanting to sell was worth the $100.00 he was aking because there was no magazine with the old automatic, and it was not a new type pistol and he did not want it,

the seller was in his seventies and had found the pistol in a old building he was tearing down on their homeplace, the gun was a model 1900 colt auto with the unaltered sight safety, the gun was as new on the inside, but the outside was showing about 60% of the original
flaking blue, crisp readable lettering and a low three didgit serial number, do you have any ideal how rare these are? i paid the old man what he asked, and gave him a like new taurus stainless 22 revolver for the gun, and even tho he priced his gun i still somewhat fell like i took advantage of the guy, but he was happy when he left and so was I, a $30. 00 after market mag later and i was the proud owner of a fully functional $4000.00 pistol that is the holy grail for colt auto colletors

people will look down on pawn dealers who charge 25% a month on there loans to people who can not get credit elsewhere, and these same people will pay the local grocer a 30% margin on the stuff they buy from his shelve on a item that will turn weekly if not daily.

these guys provide a service, if it was not needed they would not be in buisness,

there is 3 generations of experience in that shop, in a city that supports a 24 hr pawn operation, like they say in the opening, they never know what is going to come thru the door.

i have seen people in biloxi ms. who could not get any more cash advances on there credit card, go to the big box store and buy high end items on there credit cards and then bring it straight to the pawn shop to trade for cash. to get back on the tables

 

[R. G. Amos]

I am of the opinion that this whole thing is staged. I question whether any one shop even in a large city would get the variety of things that show up there.

 

[Toyman]

My wife and I were in Las Vegas mid November and went to the PAWN STARS shop. We talked my son, who is a Las Vagas police officer into
driving us to the store. At first he refused as he had worked the area and it is pretty seemy. The shop is smaller than you think, great use of the
TV shots making it seem bigger. The place was packed but most were tire kickers, probably attracted by the show as we were.
There was a display of several championship rings, college and pro with a large belt buckle all with large diamonds none for sale. I did not see any firearms.

 

[Rule 303]

I have three grown childern, two son in laws and a daughter in law and best of all, I have nine grandchildren.

All are shooters. My daughters, my son, my son in laws, and my daughter in law who killed burglar(s) comming into her parents home when she was ten years old. My grandchildren are also hard core shooters.

Guess what's going to happen to my firearms and ammo when I go to Valhalla. They've promised to have a family reunion on the first weekend of the summer after I buy the farm, go to the range, put my ashes on a shooting table and have a picnic and day of shooting.

My daughters, daughter in law, son and son in laws all have CHLs.

I now give all of the kids and grandkids guns and ammo for Birthdays and Christmas each year. This is going to be an Ammo Christmas.

Rule 303

 

[gunlovingirl]

I watch it from time to time and also Antiques Road Show. You can learn a lot from the appraisal's. You never know when you may run into something and you know it's worth a lot more than the asking price. Problem is finding someone who wants the item. That's why the Pawn boys pay half what it's worth, as they may be sitting on it for a long time before the item sells.

Wife and I both enjoy roaming antique shops. Maybe that's why I like pre-war S&W, as well as antique camera's and cameo's.

Problem I am pondering now is at what point do you start selling off the stuff you collect. The kids don't want it and will sell it for whatever they can get for a quick sale. I'm thinking about age 85 I should start selling off some of the nice stuff. Da#*, that's only 16 more years.

I LOVE Antiques Roadshow! I sent my name in for tickets when they were in Louisville, but wasn't drawn. I can spend an entire day in antique shops! I had to sell off some of my stuff. It was either that, or buy a lot bigger house! Which would have been nice. One of my dreams has been to own a big Victorian home, furnished with period correct antiques.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Rule 303,

You done good.

520

 

[don95sml]

Call me cynical, but I think a lot of that is staged. Now maybe things are different in Las Vegas, but locally my pawn shops would not be involved in some of the deals they have portrayed.

If by "staged" you mean that a scene is sometimes replayed in order to include new dialogue, I agree with you. Still, it is entertaining. I like the "old man", who besides being pretty sharp is also willing to be the brunt of jokes and suffer a few indignities.

 

[luis]

Call me cynical, but I think a lot of that is staged. Now maybe things are different in Las Vegas, but locally my pawn shops would not be involved in some of the deals they have portrayed.

Selling artwork in a pawn shop - hmmmmmm, selling antique cars in a pawn shop - hmmmmmmmmmmmm, selling a practice roping setup in a pawn shop (where the pawn brokers go to the ranch to look at it) oh come on now get real.

JMHO

I do not think that the show is a set up. Many years ago my family new a family that owned a pawn shop. The pawnshop was really a front for a major antiques business. He told us that the pawn store was very effective getting people in with antiques. People walked in thinking that they would get more for their stuff because pawnshop employees weren't knowledgeable like those of an antique store. He never told us how much came into the pawn store that were valuable antiques but he did say it was very well worth it.

These guys could easily have a partner in LA, SF or Texas to sell off the real money items.

 

[feralmerril]

Some of you no doubt remember me posting several times of once owning a colt new frontier .45 colt. That had belonged to Audie Murphy.
I didnt know it had been bought new by audie when I bought it. It was about in 1974. I had just had my taxs done in reseda calif. I had just found out I was getting several hundred back instead of oweing a couple hundred. I walked out of my tax ladys office on reseda blvd, and into that pawn shop on sherman way and reseda blvd. The colt was in the case, looked unfired and back then, I belive was $250. I nailed it. After owning it and shooting it a few times I bought George Gartons book, Post war colt single actions. Its mate was in the book. The one in the book was #5354 and said it was one of a consecitively matched pair that audie willed his two sons. I got a letter from colt that said it was shipped with its consecatively numbered mate to wolfram leather company in monrovia Ca, in 1965.
Mine was #5355. Of course it could have been up or down? I called Garton. He said mine was the missing one and that he had bought his from one of murphys sons. Evidently the other son had just took his to the pawn shop and didnt tell them it was his famous fathers!
I made a safe queen of it. However in 1986 my Ex wife "liberated" it when she ran off!
If it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody! What do you suppose it would be worth now?

 

[m657]

I like Pawn Stars...a little Americana from a less-than-usual perspective.

And where they get their profit isn't my business. If someone sells grandpa's blunderbuss for too little, that's HIS problem.

I've had a friend take over a pawn shop as payment on a bad debt. He learned how to make a living in an unexpected field.

And really....how different is Pawn Stars from City Hall...we accept pennies on the $$$ for a sad pitiful return on our own dreams every time we let the bureaucrats escape without jail time....

 

[raveneap]

I get a kick out of watching the show. Real? Staged? Dunno, but it's good entertainment.

 

[The Tackman]

I look forward to watching the show when I see that it is on. If they can make a profit good for them. I love capitalism and this show is a great example of it.

 

[Noah Zark]

I got hooked on watching Pawn Stars because like much of TV there's nothing on. So on Sunday nights after Iron Chef America I would switch to Pawn Stars. Now it's on Monday evenings on History Channel, but right after Cake Boss on TLC.

I enjoy seeing what people drag in, whether its genuine, and how much they sell it for. I also enjoy the antics. They make Chumlee out to be the "village idiot," but in the one episode when the heavyset kid has to take a quiz, he asks Chumlee all kinds of questions about items in the shop and Chum knows the answers the kid does not!

Then there's the Old Man, who IMO positively makes the show. Like the episode when Bald Rick is diagnosed with high blood pressure and is given squeeze-type stress balls to work with. He throws them away, and the boys give him grief about not following doctor's orders. Cut to the Old Man in front of the Chrysler, saying "I don't know about these young people. I've been stressed for 60 years and you don't see me sitting around all day playing with my balls." That might have been scripted, but the Old Man delivers his straight-faced dry wit comments perfectly.

Noah

 

[sureshotbob]

Misty you sound just like my wife! years ago if we were out in the truck or even on the bike she would see a antique shop or tag sale and want to stop!!!!! normally I'd just step on the gas or roll on the throttle. But in my old age {54} now sometime's I'll stop and have even found a few treasure's.