Army Legends: Historic Military Gear and Firearms | Compilation | Pawn Stars

RICK: Hey, how’s it going? BRUCE: All right.
How are you? – All right.
What do you got here?
We got a 1884 Colt 45 revolver.
It’s not loaded, is it?
Nope.
[chuckles] OK.
[clicks] [music playing] I come to the pawnshop today and try to sell my 1884 Colt revolver.
I really don’t know how much it’s worth, but for it being 1884, it’s in really good shape.
So I’m sure it’s worth something.
[music playing] So where did you get this?
A buddy of mine called me. there was an estate for sale.
And I went over, and I purchased the estate.
And I really don’t do anything with guns, so I’m just looking to sell it.
Do you know much about these guns?
BRUCE: I really don’t know a whole lot, and I just know that that gun was made somewhere around 1884 and it’s nickel plated.
RICK: Yeah, these things were great.
It’s a Single Action Army.
It was originally manufactured for the army, and that’s why, I guess, the name stuck with it.
Even the civilian models are called that.
Colt designed a revolver for the US army in 1873.
It became an instant hit.
In fact, it was so popular its overall appearance basically didn’t change for 70 years.
So it’s a classic example of getting it right the first time and not screwing with it.
These were the Glocks of their day.
They were really, really high tech when they came out.
The engineering on these things, the machining, was incredible.
Cheaper guns, what would happen was they’d start getting really worn out, and the timing wouldn’t be correct.
So when they fired it, the bullet wouldn’t be able to be lined up with the barrel, and bad things would happen.
[laughter] Samuel Colt invented the first practical, rotating-cylinder revolver, and it changed everything.
The last thing in the world you wanted was to be staring down the barrel of a Colt, and you got just anything else.
Because the Colt was the M16, and everything else was a cap gun.
This thing is in remarkably good shape for it being this old.
Believe it or not, there are fakes of these things.
I don’t think this thing is fake, but then again, you rarely see them nickel plated, especially for this year.
So I’d really like a guy to come in here and take a look at this thing.
Sure.
Thanks.
If this gun is real, there’s no question I want it.
But before I make an offer, I have to have someone come and check it out.
Hey, Rick, how’s it going?
Good.
So this is it.
RICK WASHBURN: What are you concerns?
RICK: I just want to make sure it’s real.
Let me take a look here.
I’m president of Weapons Specialist Ltd.
We deal with every type of weapon you can think of, from a flint knife or spear all the way through rocket launchers and tanks.
If it can hurt you, we’re the people that deal with it.
[cylinder clicking] This was probably one of most famous pistols that ever existed.
It was called a Peacemaker.
It was called a Frontier.
It was called a Single Action Army.
It’s the kind of gun that all the famous gunfighters would have had as well.
Hollywood made it famous.
It was probably the most used firearm of the period from 1873 to the turn of the century.
It was used at one time or another by practically every noted gunfighter, good or bad, from John Wesley Hardin to Wyatt Earp.
It’s in very, very good condition.
Although, you probably wouldn’t want to fire a gun like this.
This is strictly a collector’s gun, but it’s got fairly nice rifling.
There’s a little pitting, which leads me to believe the gun was not shot a lot.
Based on everything I can see here, Rick, I think this is a real, original 1880s Colt– well, mostly original.
These serial numbers match.
See, it’s got a matching serial number here, here, and here, so all those parts were original parts.
However, the serial number on the gate does not match the other serial number, which takes a little bit away from the value.
But these things broke a lot.
Sometimes they were replaced.
It could still be something that happened in the day.
RICK: OK.
So what do you think it’s worth?
I’d say between $3,000 to $5,000.
RICK: OK.
I really like this gun, and I’m thrilled it’s real.
Even though one of the serial numbers doesn’t match, it’s in remarkable shape, and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I want this thing.
All right, did you want to pawn it or sell it?
I’m looking to sell it.
What do you want for it?
Now that I know what it’s worth, I’m thinking like $4,000.
Think again.
[laughs] Three.
See you.
[laughter] No, two grand.
$2,500.
Realistically, I’ll probably get $2,500.
I can pray and try to get three grand for it, but usually people don’t walk in here and just pay sticker price.
It just doesn’t happen.
Two grand.
[music playing] It’s cash money.
$2,000 it is, cash money.
All right.
Let’s go do some paperwork.
OK.
He’s hardheaded and stubborn, man.
He don’t want to budge any at all.
But two’s not bad, so now I guess I can go out and have fun at the crap table.
So I’m happy.
– Hello. How can I help you today?
– Hi.
I found this awesome jacket at a thrift store.
I loved the style and all the patches.
I knew it meant something to somebody.
– This is definitely cool.
We even got some dice right here.
Perfect for Las Vegas.
– There we go, yeah.
I found this jacket in a thrift store, and it looks like a military jacket. It’s super cool. I was attracted to all the patches on this jacket, so when I saw it, I knew it had some importance to it. I thought I’d have to pick it up. I’m getting married, and I’m hoping to make a little bit of money off of it. I’d like to get at least $350 for this jacket.
– This is a pretty cool find.
And I’ve actually bought some military patches before.
I even bought a dress one time with military patches on it.
The patches are Vietnam-era.
You will find them with various different numbers on them.
– Oh, I’m thinking of some numbers in my head right now, but they’re dollars.
What do we got here? “Jacket, field, M-1943” So this is a World War II jacket.
– Mm-hmm. – It’s got quite a few patches.
Are they on the back too as well?
– Yeah, they are. – Wow.
Yeah, I see some airborne patches from the Air Force, and we got some paratroopers and stuff here.
Oh, this is pretty cool.
“Official U.S. Army photographer.” – Yeah.
– “American Forces Network, U.S. Army.” There’s an American flag here with– I don’t know if that’s Japanese, Korean, or Chinese.
– Yeah, I was trying to figure that out too.
– Jackets like this are really cool.
You know, World War II stuff is highly collectible, and these patches could be super valuable, because many of them were not mass-produced.
They were tailor-made for a specific battle or a group of people, so each one is rare.
How much are you looking to get for it?
– I was thinking about 350.
– Um, that’s not out of the question, but I think a lot of the value here is gonna be in these patches, because there’s tons of patches, especially from this period, World War II-era, that patches are worth, you know, $100 to several hundred dollars. You know, I’m really gonna have to have someone come and take a look at this, because there’s maybe 100 patches on here.
– Yeah, yeah. – If you have a few minutes, I’ll make a phone call.
– I do. – Get my guy down here and he’s a real nerd for military stuff.
– Okay.
– He’ll probably know all about these patches and about this jacket. – That’s what we need.
– Give me a few minutes, all right?
– Okay. Thank you.
I would love for an expert to come in and look at this jacket, because I’d like to know a little bit more information about it and some details about some of these really cool patches.
– Wow. – Pretty freaking cool, huh?
I’m pretty sure it’s World War II.
I mean, you could probably tell me better.
– Absolutely, yes, this is a model 1943 field jacket, standard issue infantry field jacket.
The jacket itself is very common, but military patches, especially from World War II, some of them are highly collectible.
Now, the thing that makes a patch good, it’s the rarity of the patch or, like, a famous division, if a division or regiment did something really well-known.
I mean, I can already tell you in here, this is 82nd Airborne.
They jumped into Normandy on D-Day.
This is 101st Airborne.
If you ever saw “Band of Brothers,” that’s all 101st Airborne guys.
– I thought the photographer patch was pretty cool.
– Yeah, that’s interesting.
I will say this, I don’t know whose jacket this was, but if I had to guess, being a photographer makes sense, because if you were in World War II, you would be in a specific infantry division.
You wouldn’t get the chance to meet all these people.
A photographer might be. I think it was somebody’s collection of their time during the war.
Let me take a look at some of these other patches.
So the more I look at this, the more excited I am by it.
I mean, well, I’ll do the big one.
This was known as a blood chit, so this is a Pacific-issued patch, and it was typically used by American pilots and airmen, and they would sew it on the back of one of their jackets or on the inside, and if they went down, this would basically translate to something like “I’m an American soldier.
Please help me, and you’ll be rewarded.” And so that patch is extremely rare.
This is an $800 patch.
– $800? – Yeah.
– We’re getting closer to that 350 you wanted.
– Yeah. Oh, no.
– So what kind of value do you think this thing has altogether?
– I’ve been doing this for almost two decades.
I’ve never seen anything like this.
It truly is one of a kind.
♪ 6,500.
– Wow, yes. Thank you.
– Wish I gave that 350. Thank you.
– Sorry. Good luck.
– Thank you. Wow.
– I’m sure you liked what he had to say.
– A lot more than $350.
– With that being said, it’s really cool.
I could give you 2,500.
That’s a lot more than you were asking.
– Maybe 4,000.
– You know, I wish I could, but I have to be able to sell it.
I mean, at $2,500, I’m in it at a fair amount.
– Would you go up about 500 more dollars? 3,000?
♪ Just a little bit more.
– I’ll do 3,000.
– 3,000? Deal. – Let’s go write it up.
– Thank you. – All right.
– Leave it right here. Come on. – Okay, thank you.
I’m getting married soon, and I was hoping that the $350 would at least help with the cake, and then now getting $3,000 is gonna pay for a cake and hopefully a photographer too. RICK: Hey, it’s you again.
So what do you got for me this time?
Brought in another gun for you.
Remington New Model Army, the second most common used .44 in the Civil War.
Cool gun.
Didn’t Clint Eastwood use this in “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly?” You got it.
[mexican standoff music] I came to the pawn shop today to try to sell my Remington New Model Army.
It’s one of a number of these that I currently have, and I’m looking to buy something else.
Hopefully, I’ll get about 2,000 for it.
RICK: It’s a great gun.
Do you know when this was manufactured?
ROB: This would have been made in about 1864.
OK.
It was definitely one of the guns of choice during the Civil War.
But there was probably, like, 30 different styles of revolvers the Union Army ordered just because anybody who could make guns, they would buy them off of.
ROB: That’s right.
In 1859, the US military only had 12,000 soldiers.
In 1864, there were 7 million on both the Union and Confederate sides.
Yeah, that’s a lot of guns.
The Civil War created a huge demand for guns, so a lot of smaller gun companies like Remington and Sharps got huge as a result.
ROB: And this is a really good one.
The outside shows a little wear, but if you look in the bore, the bore’s like a mirror.
It’s had very little use.
RICK: I mean, it’s in pretty good shape.
During the Civil War, this was still a high-tech gun.
One of the preferred methods was to have two, three, five, sometimes 10 of these cartridges preloaded, and that was a huge advantage to some other guns.
You know, you could just pull one out, make sure your loading lever’s at the right angle, and then– OK, Clint Eastwood made this look so much easier in “The Good the Bad and the Ugly.” [laughs] ROB: It’s a good thing you’re not fighting right now, isn’t it?
Yes, it is, because, uh– I think you’d have been shot about 10 times.
RICK: I always like to do business with regulars, and Civil War guns are always good sellers.
But I just don’t know as much about this as I do a lot of other guns.
ROB: All right, let’s just cut to the chase.
Let’s make a deal.
RICK: Uh, let’s slow down a little bit.
If it was a Colt, I could tell you all about it.
I would make you an offer right now.
But it’s not.
I don’t see a lot of these every day, and my understanding is there’s, like, a million reproductions of these right now.
Go ahead, you know, call in someone, you know.
Let some crazy guy come in here and tell you what I already know.
OK, I’ll do that.
[laughter] All right, I’ll be right back.
Regular or not, I’m not buying this thing until I know 100% it’s real.
Craig.
Rick. RICK: How’s it going?
Good.
RICK: That’s the gun.
The guys call me down here when they need to know the actual market value of a gun– not what it’s listed for, but what it sells for.
A Remington New Model Army.
This is a great gun for a number of reasons.
Number one, the government liked it ’cause it was cheaper.
I think the cost was 15 bucks a gun.
The Colt was 25.
OK.
I know they make a lot of reproductions of them.
Yeah, they actually make more reproductions of this gun than they made original ones.
Still in production today, and there are a lot of reproductions out there.
A lot of times when I get called to look at a Remington, I show up and it’s an Italian reproduction.
Very good gun, no historic value.
You want to look at the patina.
You know, this gun has not been, in my opinion, refinished, and it’s in great shape.
If you look at the top, you see the Remington nomenclature here.
There are three lines here.
They made then in a two-line and a three-line version.
The three line version’s later, so I would expect this gun to have a later serial number.
If it doesn’t, then that suggests a problem.
So let’s take a quick peek.
“92 952.” This is a 90,000 series gun, so in my opinion, this gun is authentic in every way.
RICK: OK, cool.
Kinda what I expected.
RICK: All right, now the big argument, because this guy never agrees with me.
[laughs] What is a gun in that shape going for?
There are a couple of drawbacks to this gun not being full mint or anywhere near it.
Grips are a little loose.
I would say, as it sits, for what it is, the price would be retail about $2,000.
RICK: OK.
Thanks, man. CRAIG: Rick.
You’re the best.
Now that we know this thing is genuine, I would love to have it for the shop, and these Remingtons don’t come around nearly as often as Colts do.
But it all comes down to the price.
So you want to give me $2,000?
No.
ROB: You don’t?
1,500 bucks.
1,500?
So we’re gonna kind of do this little dance here again, huh?
It’s not a dance.
I mean, I want to give you 1,500 bucks for it– OK, 1,900.
No.
[laughs] No, I think 1,500 bucks is a fair price.
I can’t do 1,500.
I– you know, I did pay 1,700 for it.
I’ll just cut to the chase, 1,600.
I’ll lose 100 bucks on it.
RICK: [sighs] Just the fact that you’re a really good customer and keep on bringing me guns, yeah.
ROB: All right. – OK.
ROB: Appreciate it.
We wound up settling on 1,600.
That’s a little less than I hoped to get for it.
That’s a very nice gun.
You know, I got enough.
It– it worked.
And what do we got here?
I’ve got a United States officer’s cadet uniform from West Point.
I can’t believe they’d actually wear this thing in the summer time.
It’s– it’s all wool and leather.
Well, they make them sweat it out.
RICK: [laughs] PHIL: I’ve collected for a long time.
And now– this item because I need the money.
And the lowest I’ll take for it is $3,000.
So how did you come about this?
I purchased this from a military auction about 15, 18 years ago.
RICK: Cool.
One of my favorite antiques is American militaria.
I really like it.
I mean, my dad was in the military.
And the stuff just really interests me.
It says, “US officer model 1895.
Lou wool undress tunic.” It’s cracked from model 1902.
And very, very rare to get them with the original hardware.
RICK (VOICEOVER): When Phil showed me the jacket, I was blown away.
I couldn’t believe that this jacket was 100 years old and in this great of shape.
PHIL: It’s not just a common uniform by any West Point officer.
This uniform belonged to Griswold.
When he said “Griswold,” that immediately got my attention.
Griswold was the only guy from Nevada that was a general during World War II.
And that’s huge.
He was the commanding general of the Third Army.
He was one of the generals that went into the Philippines, I think Guadalcanal.
And you can check it out.
And it says, “Griswold.” And it says, “12-17-09.” One of his family members contacted me by– my email to verify that that is his signature.
RICK: Yeah. It’s neat.
I can tell it’s real because the iron ink is already beginning to oxidize.
That’s why it turns that brownish color.
PHIL: Yes.
RICK: That’s how you can tell it’s old.
PHIL: Takes years to turn that color.
All his other uniforms were donated either to the Smithsonian or– or to West Point.
I’ve dealt with a lot of military items in the past, but I’ve never had anything associated with a general.
And anything associated with a general means it’s associated with more money.
So how much did you want for it?
I’d probably go $3,500 on it unless it’s worth more.
$3,500?
Yep.
RICK: I’m– I’ll have to do a little digging to find out what it’s worth.
OK.
RICK (VOICEOVER): This West Point jacket is in great condition.
But before I can put an offer on it, I need to have it authenticated.
I have a friend that works the Clark County Museum, and he is an expert on American militaria.
I’ll see you tomorrow, man. – All right.
Thank you.
PHIL (VOICEOVER): I welcome the expert’s opinion because that’s gonna help me sell the uniform.
And I’m sure he’ll agree that it’s worth– worth at least $3,500.
OK.
This is the infamous jacket I told you about.
Ah, yes.
I’m looking forward to this.
I’m the administrator for the Clark County Museum system, which means I run the three museums that are operated by Clark County, Nevada.
Now, do you mind if I open these up and take a look?
PHIL: No. Go ahead.
MARK (VOICEOVER): What’s interesting is not just that it’s a West Point jacket, but it’s– it was a man who made quite a career in the military.
He became a Lieutenant General, which is quite high in the military.
And he was a Nevada native.
This is a very unusual thing.
As I’m looking at areas like the button holes here, the way that those are lined, you know, the way the stitching is done, all of that seems correct to me.
This– this has been added on.
And that’s probably a later piece.
And you can see that it’s– it’s a different kind of fabric.
It’s not the same fabric as here.
It’s been added on.
Probably the original one got torn.
It’s not wrong, in that it shouldn’t be on there, but it’s a later addition to the jacket.
And this is very typical.
This– when you look at the sleeves, this– this striped lining, very typical.
It’s a very typical material at the turn of the century.
The wear seems correct.
And this would have gotten a lot of wear because in West Point, you would have worn this a lot.
I mean, I know what you can do if you want to fake something.
I see nothing on here that tells me that that’s been done.
So if this was offered to me, I would take it for the museum.
Looks right to the time period.
The insignia’s right.
The construction is right.
The materials are right.
I think you’ve got a very, very nice piece here– Thank you.
MARK: –and just a wonderful coat.
MARK (VOICEOVER): I’ve deal with a lot of uniforms over the years in many museum collections, and it was very nice seeing one that is from that time period in that kind of condition, because it was very good condition, and was right.
Well, in your personal opinion, what do you think it’s worth?
I can speak to whether it’s real or not.
I can tell you what I know about it.
But, you know, I can’t tell you anything on the value.
You can check that on your own.
I’ve been trying to get prices out of him for years.
He won’t give them period.
He just tells you if it’s real.
PHIL: OK.
RICK: And that’s why I come and see him.
Thanks, man. MARK: Thank you.
I really, really, really appreciate it.
I– I appreciate you bringing it by.
Thank you, Phil, for coming in. I appreciate meeting you.
Thank you for taking a look at my uniform.
The moment Mark said it was real, I knew I had to have it.
But the question was is, how much can I pay for it and still make a profit? – All right.
So we know it’s real now.
So give me my money. – OK.
Yeah. Well, let’s negotiate.
OK.
[laughing] So hey, man.
The big question, what do you want for it?
$8,500 Yeah.
Well, that’s what I want for it.
But as far as what’s reasonable– Yeah.
–I’d probably go around in the $3,500 price range on it.
It’s really, really cool, but it’s so hard to price things when there’s only one of them.
This jacket is probably one of the most significant historical items you can have in your store.
It has a name behind it.
RICK: Yeah, I know.
It’s– it’s a really, really high end piece.
I mean, there’s nothing you have here that I’ve seen that comes close to what– what this would do for your store to have– have this kind of quality in your showcase.
I gotta make money, and I just don’t know if I can on it.
That’s– that’s the problem.
I mean, literally, I think I’d buy it for $1,500.
How about — how about $1,500 cash and $1,200– $1,200 in trade.
That, I couldn’t– I can go $1,500 cash.
You know, I mean, I don’t mean to beat you up, but it’s just everything scares me to death.
I’m getting 50% on what I was getting for diamonds.
I’m getting– – Oh, really?
RICK: Yeah.
I mean, the prices have dropped that much on everything.
Well, give me some trade.
Give me something.
I want to buy something from your store.
Give me $1,500 cash and $500 trade.
OK. Deal.
PHIL: Sounds good.
Yeah.
We did get a deal. RICK: We did get a deal.
All right.
It’s cool because I didn’t think we were gonna be able make a deal. PHIL: Yep.
Well– I’m happy with the deal.
He– he bought the jacket, and I got some cash, and I get to go on a shopping spree.
RICK: 13, 14, 15.
RICK (VOICEOVER): I am really pumped.
I bought a jacket that I really love.
I know I can make money on it.
And I’m really excited.
CHUMLEE: What do you got here?
Well, my father’s old collection of Army toys from when he was a kid.
I think they’re, like, 1950.
CHUMLEE: You can tell they weren’t mine.
They would have had firecracker marks and burns all over them.
[laughter] NICK: I came down to the pawn shop today with my mom to try to sell my Army toy truck collection.
I’m only going to sell them today because I want some money for a video game controller.
I want to get $200 today but I’ll take at least $100.
CHUMLEE: What do you know about them?
NICK: Oh, they’re made in Japan. I think it’s a complete set.
I’m not sure.
CHUMLEE: How do you know they’re made in Japan?
NICK: On the bottom of every truck and on the license plate it says Japan.
CHUMLEE: What are you thinking about them, boss?
RICHARD: These are called stamped tin toys.
They’re probably mid ’50s, somewhere around there.
These toys here– when kids used them there was no video games.
They had to use their imagination.
Now they don’t. CHUMLEE: No.
We are lucky.
That’s true.
RICHARD: OK, Chumlee.
After World War II, occupied Japan started making a lot of tin toys, not like cheap plastic crap you get today.
What you got here is you got an ambulance, a Jeep, a staff car, a model of a tank and model of a Deuce and a Half.
CHUMLEE: That’s a pretty big deuce.
[laughs] RICHARD: 2 and 1/2 ton truck, Chumlee.
The craftsmanship was not the best on them, but they lasted a long time because they’re metal.
NICK’S MOM: Yeah.
I mean, they still have a lot of moving parts that work.
All the wheels turn except for the front on this.
RICHARD: Yeah.
They’re in pretty nice shape.
Japanese tin toys are collectable as hell, but the value depends on condition and a lot of other little things.
I wouldn’t even know where to start on price.
So what are you looking to do with these?
I’d like to sell them. I need a new Xbox controller.
All right.
Well, how much is that Xbox controller?
$100, but I’d like to get $200 for them.
RICHARD: Eh, you’d better call Johnny in.
All right.
Well, we’ve got a guy who knows all about toys.
So you guys got a little time?
Yeah. Yeah.
CHUMLEE: All right. Let me give him a call.
Hopefully, you get that Xbox controller.
NICK: I’m really glad the guys are bringing in an expert today.
Because then I’ll get my full value for them because they don’t seem to know too much about them.
JOHNNY: Hey. What’s up, guys?
I own Toy Shack.
We specialize in Hot Wheels and vintage toys.
CHUMLEE: Check it out– some old tin toys from Japan.
I was hoping you could tell me more than that.
JOHNNY: Well, they’ve been making tin toys since the mid 1800s.
A lot of the tin toys were made in Germany.
The United States made some.
And then Japan started producing these in the ’40s through the ’60s.
These are really big collectors because you got people that collect military stuff and you also got people that collect a lot of the tin toys from back then.
So does that make them worth more?
JOHNNY: Most definitely.
There’s a lot of value and demand in tin toys, depending on how complex the piece is, how rare it is, and the condition of the piece, as well.
Do you mind if I take a closer look at him, just to– CHUMLEE: Yeah. Check them out.
JOHNNY: Part of the condition is if all the mechanics inside the car work.
If it’s not working, you probably lose about half the value.
Also, I see some conditions here.
It looks to be exposed to the elements a little bit.
That does affect the value, as well.
CHUMLEE: So he brought these in and he’s looking for a new Xbox controller and a little spending change.
Well, do you see that right there?
JOHNNY: I would put a value on these anywhere from $150 to $180, as a group.
All right. That’s good.
CHUMLEE: OK.
Well, appreciate it.
JOHNNY: There were some signs of rust on these toys.
Also, some of the mechanics didn’t seem to be all 100% functional.
So the value of these toys would be on the lower end.
You’re 18, right?
NICK: No.
I’m 14. CHUMLEE: All right.
Well, I got to make sure I negotiate with your mom, then.
All right.
I mean, I see an Xbox controller in there, but I don’t see much of anything else.
NICK’S MOM: I mean, I know you’ve got to move them but we just think that, yeah, there might be a little value there.
CHUMLEE: I could go about $75, and that leaves me enough wiggle room.
NICK’S MOM: What do you think?
[clock ticking] I need at least $100 for them, so– If he’s going to get that controller, yeah, he needs $100.
$75 is a little low.
CHUMLEE: What do you think, boss?
[clock ticking] Yeah.
I’ll go for $100.
CHUMLEE: All right.
Boss says it’s good. $100 bucks, it is.
NICK: I was a little worried when he said $75.
I’m glad my mom got him up to $100, so now I can go get my controller today.
See, I helped you.
[laughs] – What is this?
– This is a World War II officer’s mess kit.
– Okay.
Let’s check it out.
– Sure. – Wow.
We’ve probably got enough plates here for half a dozen officers?
– I counted eight. – Which is sort of neat, because when you go out and buy a set of China for use in your home, it usually comes in a set of eight.
– Right. Right. – [laughs] – Well, I got it at a Army surplus place in New Mexico, and they were going to throw them away, so I said, “Could I have one?” And they gave it to me free, so I’m trying to get 500, but we’ll see how it goes.
– It’s typical of a lot of stuff from, like, World War II, because there was that massive divide between officers and enlisted men.
If you look at old pictures of World War II, you can see the poor enlisted guys with their platter, and they would go up to the line.
They would get a lot of slop.
And they would still have the officers have servants serving them dinner on platters in a tent.
[both laugh] Let’s see what you got.
This is U.S. 1960.
So this is actually not from World War II.
Might have saw service in Vietnam, but it doesn’t look that used, so I’m assuming it stayed in the States.
The one thing about, you know, our U.S. military– they have a tendency to over-make things and then just store them forever.
– Right. Would you be interested in buying this?
– Um…
How much you want for it? – I wanted about 500, is what I’m looking for.
– Dollars? – Yeah.
– It’s pretty cool, but my problem is, I don’t know if this is gonna sit around here for three days or three years.
So I will give you 200 bucks.
– Um, what about 350?
– No.
– Can you do better than 200?
– No.
– No?
– No, I’m just gonna teach you pawn shop math.
It’s 200 bucks. – Okay. All right.
– Okay. – 200 it is.
– Okay. We got a deal. – All right.
The 200 was $50 less than what I would have taken, but it’s better than nothing, and I’m gonna go add it to my money to pay my mortgage.
So that’s what I’m doing.
COREY HARRISON: What do we have here?
Well, I have my grandfather’s old army coat from the Philippine-American War.
Well, there was no Philippine war.
American-Philippine War?
No, there’s the Spanish-American War, where we took the Philippines from Spain.
Yeah, that sounds about right.
[laughter] I’m coming down to the pawn shop today to try to sell my grandfather’s army coat.
I inherited it through the family, and have had it hanging in a closet for years, not quite sure what era it was from.
All that was ever mentioned was the Philippines.
I don’t have an exact price.
I’m just hoping to get some money for it.
A large amount of money.
RICK HARRISON: So you think it’s from the Spanish-American War or what?
When was the Spanish-American War?
1890s.
We were much more powerful than Spain.
It only lasted 10 weeks.
The United States ended up acquiring Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
Do you know anything else about it?
MARK: Yeah, I’ve had it since my grandfather passed away.
RICK HARRISON: How old was your grandfather?
He was 101 in 1986.
RICK HARRISON: That would have made him awfully young for the Spanish-American War, and I doubt if he would be a sergeant at the time.
He would’ve been like 12, 13 years old.
You lying to me, dude?
I’m not lying to you, man.
OK, It happens all the time, like facts get confused with the family. – Oh, absolutely.
RICK HARRISON: The Spanish-American War started and ended in 1898.
So this guy’s either got his story confused, or his grandfather fought in a war when he was age 13.
I’m in a quandary here myself.
It could be World War I. It’s got a really weird collar.
MARK: These must represent artillery shells, don’t they?
RICK HARRISON: Yes, they do.
Sometimes these can be worth money right here.
The 92 I’m assuming is the unit, but there’s nothing in this thing to date it.
You know, I’m just not familiar with these things as I should be.
There’s a huge market for old military items, but you have to know what you’re getting into.
Even though this jacket is interesting, I gotta know what war it’s from.
Only then will I have a clue on what it’s worth.
So why did you want to sell it?
I can’t take care of it like it should be taken care of.
If it’s a museum piece, it deserves to be in a museum.
RICK HARRISON: OK, I understand.
Do you mind if I bring someone in to look at it, so he can tell me what it is.
I’m with you on that one.
RICK HARRISON: We’ll know which war it’s from.
We’ll know everything about it.
And then we can figure out a price.
Great. RICK HARRISON: OK?
Sounds good to me. RICK HARRISON: Thanks, man.
Thank you.
When the guys told me an expert was gonna come in, I felt quite happy about that.
Because I’m sure that he will have more information than I’ve been able to find.
Rick. RICK HARRISON: Mark.
Good to see you.
What do you got?
I don’t know exactly what I have.
I think it’s from the Spanish-American War.
I’m Mark.
I’m the administrator of the Clark County Museum System.
When I’m looking at the coat, I’m looking for the type of coat it is, what kind of insignia is on it, if the insignia is correct to the coat, in order to narrow it down what it is that you’re looking at.
What you have is a model 1902 dress uniform coat.
It’s US Army.
This particular one is artillery, because you’ve got the red on it.
That’s artillery.
The interesting thing on it is these two stripes here.
The red one is time in service stripe.
The white stripe means he was in war.
He was in battle.
The 92nd Coast Artillery was in the Philippines.
When was your grandfather born?
1885.
So well, it’s not the Spanish-American War.
That’s 1898.
Could have been the Philippine Insurrection.
The Philippine Insurrection was a war that we fought against insurrection forces after we took over the Philippines at the end of the Spanish-American War.
It’s missing the US insignia that should be right here.
You’d also have a belt. Otherwise, though, it’s fairly complete.
Is it rare?
Coast artillery at that time was a very large part of the army, but still unusual.
You don’t see many from 1902.
It’s neat that it’s pre-World War I, though.
– Mm-hmm. – All right.
– Lovely. – OK.
So.
You’re the best, man.
Thanks a lot.
MARK: This is a wonderful piece.
It’s in very nice shape.
I suspect that collectors will be quite interested.
RICK HARRISON: So how much do you want for it?
You tell me what you’d be willing to offer right now.
RICK HARRISON: $200.
You can come up more than that, can’t you?
Not really.
I mean, it’s pre-World War I. It’s got the interesting insignias, but you are missing insignias.
You’re missing the belt. I’m assuming I can get like $300 for this thing.
I mean, you can get 300.
All you got to do is open up your own shop, get a business license, do all that other stuff, and then you can price it for 300 in your store.
You shop it, buddy.
[laughter] – All right.
You wanna go write him up, Corey?
COREY HARRISON: Let’s go do some paperwork.
MARK: I decided to settle on 200.
I know they’re gonna find a collector that’s gonna preserve it, put the medals on it, and make it perfect.