With one of the biggest reality shows on television, the Pawn Stars crew has struck pawn shop paydirt
more times than even they can count.
But not every deal they make on the show is a perfect play, and when they get ripped off,
they get ripped off big time.
Here are the worst moments when the Pawn Stars got seriously cheated.
Shoeless Joe Jackson fake
In the season six episode "Say It Ain't So," Rick shelled out $13,000 on a book he believed
might contain the authentic signature of baseball great "Shoeless" Joe Jackson.
Rick couldn't have been more excited during the appraisal:
"Do you know how rare it is to find his signature?"
"No, not at all."
"It's the rarest sports signature, period."
But despite the seller's questionable certificate of authenticity, and Rick's own reservations…
"Of all the signatures in the world this is the most faked."
...he took a gamble and bought it anyway.
After shelling out the cash, Rebecca, his book expert, told him that the signature was
likely a fake.
So Rick then sent it out to another authenticator who reiterated the bad news: not only was
it a forgery, it was a laughably bad one.
So much for that home run, Rick.
Willie Mays strike-out
In a 2012 episode, Corey made the blunder of forking over $31,000 for what he believed
was a game-worn Willie Mays San Francisco Giants uniform from 1961.
But the red flags with this one were apparent from the jump.
For starters, the uniform was pristine—which Chumlee noticed right away:
"This doesn't look game-worn.
Willie Mays was a badass, he was sliding around on the dirt and the grass.
I'd imagine there'd be a bunch of stains on it."
Good observation, Chum.
Also, the seller had no authentication paperwork whatsoever, which is never a good sign.
But Big Hoss took a gamble and boy, was he all kinds of wrong.
Not only did Gold & Silver Pawn fail to retail it at a ridiculous asking price of $80,000,
but they only ended up getting only $19,200 for it at auction around two years later,
a nearly $12,000 loss.
And it gets worse.
Hauls of Shame reported that the uniform was never worn in a game by Mays, because it never
even belonged to Mays.
That technically means Corey didn't get as ripped off as he could have, but we seriously
doubt he's happy with how that deal went down.
"School's in session.
You just got schooled."
Wells Fargo heist
In a fifth season episode called "Corey's Big Play," Rick made the unusual mistake of
buying something he was unsure of: a 19th-century Wells Fargo strongbox containing an old prison
ball and chain.
And "unsure" is putting it lightly.
"Ok, What are you trying to say?"
"It's fake."
He still dropped $450 on the box, only to have his hopes of a profit shot down by expert
and show regular Mark "The Beard of Knowledge" Hall-Patton,
"This is a complete fantasy piece.
It's a complete fake."
"G------- Rick"
Leave it up to the Old Man to rub it in.
Auction losses
If the World Famous Gold and Silver Pawn Shop can't retail an item, they always have the
option of sending it to auction.
That's what Rick tried to do with several big ticket items including a 1940s Indian
Motorcycle with a sidecar and a Vic Flick owned and played Fender Stratocaster, which
he put on the block at Julien's Auctions in Los Angeles.
Unfortunately, he took a hit for "$29,000 on the motorcycle, and $35,000 on the guitar."
Ouch.
He must not have done well with his other items either, because he reported his total
loss at around $100,000.
"Sold most of my items, I'm getting my ass handed to me.
Ahh, it doesn't feel good."
Blindsided by the bayou
When the History Channel launched Cajun Pawn Stars in 2012, the boys from Las Vegas apparently
felt blindsided by the move.
According to TMZ, the network had promised no spin-offs would be produced.
The History Channel called the new addition a "southern spin" on the original, and they
weren't kidding.
"I got some gator, I got some raccoon.
Which one we gonna cook?"
Neither the network nor the Harrisons commented publicly on the tension, but former Pawn Stars
manager Wayne Jefferies said he was the mole that talked to TMZ, and he said he got fired
for it.
Looks like in this case, Pawn Stars didn't get ripped off by a customer — they got
ripped off by their own network.
"See ya later, dork."
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