The $1.5 Million Dollar Deal That Shocked Everyone on Pawn Stars

I’m looking to get a million and a half.
>> What are you trying to get out of it?
>> $90,000.
>> Okay.
>> The first seller walked in with something that immediately caught Rick’s attention. Thousands of ounces of silver stacked in coins and massive bars.
>> I got some 90% silver dimes over here, some quarters. I got these bars. And this thing alone is almost 75 lb.
According to the seller, most of the collection consisted of pre-1964 US coins, which are valuable because they’re almost entirely silver.
>> It’s really important for me to scan all the edges on these to make sure there’s no modern coins in here. When you look at an edge of a quarter or dime today, you see copper and nickel. Pre64, all silver, no copper.
>> Rick then went on to weigh the coins, and the total came out to 3,372 o of silver.
>> So, what do you want to do with it? I want to sell it. When they make them this big, they don’t make them in odd weights.
>> So, you’re saying this might not be pure silver?
>> What I’m saying is there might be a chunk inside that’s not pure silver.
>> To make sure the bars were solid, Rick decided to test them for any hidden metals.
>> First off, you have to drill deep enough to make sure there’s not a lead core or some other metal in the middle of the bar. Then, you melt down all the filings until they liquefy and you create a small button. The last step is dropping some nitric acid on it. When nitric acid reacts with pure silver, it turns a creamy white. After testing everything, Rick added up the numbers. The total value came out to just over $110,000.
>> Well, let’s make a deal.
>> That is the deal.
>> You can’t go like 115.
>> No. I mean, there’s not a lot of profit here. I’ll go 111,000 even. I’ll go up 99 bucks.
>> 111 sounds good to me.
>> The next seller walked in with something you don’t see every day at a pawn shop.
>> I got you a grenade.
>> Oh, get that thing out of my store.
>> Oh, dude. I took it apart before I brought it in. The seller explained that he found it while hunting through flea markets and estate sales and believed it was extremely rare.
>> But this particular one I have never seen before. So, what do you know about it?
>> It was either made by the OSS or the CIA 60 years ago.
>> The seller believed the grenade dated back to World War II and may have been connected to early American intelligence agencies.
>> This grenade definitely intrigues me, but until I get it checked out, I have no idea what it’s worth. The expert confirmed the grenade was made for the OSS, a secret World War II intelligence agency that later became the CIA.
>> They made it look like a baseball because they figured that every American boy can throw a baseball. This grenade is like the holy grail of ordinance collectors and it goes for a ton of money. How much did you pay? $5. $5 American.
>> The expert revealed that the last one sold for over $2,000, proving the grenade had serious value.
>> So, how much do you want for it? I’m thinking 16 now. I know how it operates around here and I want to leave you a little money to make in it.
>> You can do that.
>> All right, let’s go write it up.
>> Sounds good.
>> I have something to show you. I think I have the deadliest item that’s ever walked through your door.
>> That’s just a key.
>> But what is it a key to?
>> This next seller walked in claiming to have something that could end the world.
It was a pair of Russian ICBM launch keys supposedly used to fire nuclear missiles during the Cold War.
>> I’m getting chills just thinking about it. One turn of these keys could have destroyed the world and now they’re sitting in my pawn shop. Okay. How much did you want for them?
>> Um, I was thinking somewhere along the lines of 10,000. The seller wanted $10,000 for the keys, but without any paperwork to prove their story, Rick wasn’t taking any chances, so he decided to call in his expert for a closer look.
>> A lot of folks tend to think that they were used for like ICDMs and nuclear missiles and that sort of thing, but no, they were used for launching spacecraft.
The expert confirmed that the keys likely came from Biconor Cosmodrome, the launch site of the Soviet space program.
These weren’t ICBM keys meant to launch nuclear missiles. They were used to launch cosminauts into space.
>> So, they’re still probably a pretty rare item. Oh, exceedingly. Yeah, because there were a lot more ICBM keys out there than there would be spaceflight keys.
>> So, yeah, they weren’t doomsday keys, but they were still a piece of Cold War space history. And for the seller, that was enough to stick to his $10,000 asking price.
>> You know, I would give you like $1,500 for it. And I am taking a complete crapshoot here.
>> I’ll keep it.
>> Okay.
>> This next seller walked into the shop claiming he had something extraordinary.
>> I have a piece from Albert Einstein.
>> Really? Handwritten math.
>> The seller explained that even though it isn’t signed by Einstein, the handwritten math is still very rare.
>> So, how much do you want for this?
>> I’m asking 18,000.
>> Cory’s first concern was authenticity.
The paper wasn’t signed and without proof it could just be old math on a page.
>> Do you mind if I have someone come down and take a look at it?
>> No problem.
>> After closely examining the ink and handwriting, the expert confirmed the math was authentic and written by Einstein.
>> So, um, big question. What’s it worth?
>> I put this value right at about $5,000.
>> Although it was genuine, the expert explained that without knowing exactly what the equations were for, the value was lower than expected.
>> I’d give you three grand for it. I mean, that’s like the most money that makes sense to me. You couldn’t come anywhere near the 14,000 mark?
>> No, no, no. 3,000 is what I could do.
>> I can’t go that low.
>> For this next item, Rick traveled out into the desert after hearing about a World War II tank that might be for sale.
>> Apparently, there’s an authentic Sherman tank for sale that was used in Wuima during World War II.
>> The seller explained this wasn’t just any tank. It was an M4 A3 Sherman that actually saw combat during World War II.
>> This thing actually saw action in Euima.
>> This one did. It did see action. It was knocked out three times in the first 24 hours.
>> But history always comes at a price, and this one wasn’t cheap.
>> I’m looking to get a million and a half.
>> Okay, but we get to drive it.
>> You can drive it, and you can shoot it.
>> Before even thinking about a deal, Rick wanted to experience the tank for himself.
>> Here we go.
>> Oh my god. Once the expert saw the tank in action, he confirmed there was massive demand, justifying the $1.5 million price tag.
>> You know, I mean, when me and Alex started discussing me buying a tank, I was thinking I could get into something like this for a couple hundred grand, but um that’s so out of the ballpark for me, [laughter] man.
>> What do you got here?
>> Got an 1884 Colt 45 revolver. The next item was a piece of Wild West history, an 1884 Colt 45 singleaction army revolver.
>> Do you know much about these guns?
>> I really don’t know a whole lot. I just know that that gun was made somewhere around 1884 and it’s nickelplated. These were the Glocks of their day. They were really, really high-tech when they came out.
>> Rick knew the design instantly. The same model used by outlaws, lawmen, and cowboys for decades. But since there are a lot of fakes, and even nickelplated variants are rare, he called in an expert to verify it. Based on everything I can see here, Rick, I think this is a a real original 1880s cult.
>> The expert confirmed it was the real deal. Mostly original and in great condition for its age. But one serial number didn’t match, which brought the value down to somewhere between $3 and $5,000.
>> What do you want for it?
>> Three. Two grand. 25. Two grand. All right.
>> This next seller walked in with a weapon that looked straight out of history. Do you know where it’s from?
>> You know, actually, I’m not too sure, but uh obviously it’s not from this century.
>> Well, no, it’s not from this century for sure.
>> After examining it closely, Chumley noticed markings that suggested the crossbow might be European.
>> What are you looking to do with it?
>> Well, I’m just looking to sell it.
>> So, how much are you looking to get out of it?
>> I was thinking around 20,000 if that’s possible.
>> Cory agreed that it could very well be worth $20,000. But to be sure, he called in an expert.
>> This is a pretty classic mid- 18th century crossbow. 1740, maybe as late as 1770.
>> The expert explained that while the crossbow is rare, it was likely not used in battle and was meant for recreational target shooting.
>> Last and not least, what’s it worth?
>> Based on how old it is and the condition it’s in, I think it’s worth $10,000.
>> Based on what Alex just told me, um, I’d offer you about 5 grand.
>> I think for that, I’ll hang on to it for now. Maybe sell it later on in life. The next guy walks in with a guitar that he claims is a handmade masterpiece by one of the most legendary luers in the business, James Dquisto.
>> What are you trying to get out of it?
>> $90,000.
>> Okay, that’s a lot of money. I think we really got to get someone else down here and see if they know any part of a story that I’m not familiar to.
>> The seller shared that he’s had this guitar for 30 years, kept it in pristine condition in a humidity controlled room, and only played it on rare occasions.
So, it’s basically a collector’s item.
>> Guy wants a lot of money for it.
>> Justifiably so, anything with Jimmy’s name on it is uh quite revered.
>> The expert confirmed the guitar was indeed from Fender’s custom shop, but said there was no solid documentation proving Diquisto personally built it.
Instead, it might have been a collaboration with another Fender master builder who trained under Jimmy.
>> He’s asking for 90 grand. What do you think it’s worth?
>> I think we’re much closer to $10,000.
Hearing that, the seller decided to walk, hoping to find documentation that could prove its true origins.