ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / NEWS

'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison makes a sweet profit in an item that was once considered illegal

The item was from prohibition era and that raised eyebrows in the pawn shop.
PUBLISHED MAY 12, 2025
Screenshot showing Rick Harrison with the possibly illegal items (Cover image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)
Screenshot showing Rick Harrison with the possibly illegal items (Cover image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)

Rick Harrison is very shrewd when it comes to getting a good deal for rare and vintage items on "Pawn Stars," but sometimes he needs more than just an expert's opinion on the price of an object. When a "beer barrel" and "an alcohol meter" from the prohibition era showed up at Harrison's table, the pawn shop boss was worried about getting in trouble for buying something illegal. Nevertheless, he found the items too cool to let go and bought them for $1,400. Not only was he safe from the law, but Harrison turned in a $600 profit on the items as well.

Screenshot showing Harrison looking at the items (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)
Screenshot showing Harrison looking at the items (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)

The guest named George brought the two vintage brewing items to the famous pawn shop in Vegas. "I got the beer barrel and the alcohol meter from my grandfather after he passed. I know it was old and worth something, so I just held on to it for a while. I'm looking to get about $2,000. The lowest I'll take, close to about $1,400," he said in his interview.

Screenshot showing the guest talking about the items (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)
Screenshot showing the guest talking about the items (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)

As soon as Harrison saw the barrel, he noted it was from the Harvard Brewing Company. "This is pretty neat. Harvard Brewing Company was right outside of Boston, I think it was," he said. He explained that when the American government banned alcohol, the Harvard Brewing Company faced financial hardships. So they came up with the idea of illegally making beer and labeling it as near beer. "And they got away with it for a while, until the feds showed up at their brewery. The government took the brewery. But this is the crazy thing: the government continued to make beer. And it eventually went broke," Harrison said.

Coming to the alcohol meter, Harrison accepted that he had no idea of how it worked, or how valuable it was. Thus, he asked George how much he was looking for the pair. The guest quoted an asking price of $2,000, which seemed too high to Harrison. He countered with an offer of $1,200, but George wasn't willing to go that low. Harrison then went up to $1,400, and the guest accepted the deal.

Screenshot showing the items (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)
Screenshot showing the items (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)

In a rare occurrence, Harrison took the items to an expert after the deal was made. "I have a friend down in San Diego who is a brewmaster, so he's going to know what these things are worth. And maybe I can sell 'em to him and make a little money," he said. Harrison then took the items to Pete Zien of The AleSmith Brewing Company for him to take a look. The beer expert quickly assembled the alcohol meter and noted that it was in pristine condition. "I imagine that it would dictate the dollar amount at the higher end of the spectrum," he estimated.

Screenshot showing Zien talking about the items  (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)
Screenshot showing Zien talking about the items (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)

He expressed that the barrel was one of the thickest he had ever seen, which meant it was quite old. "You know, back in the old days, these things found their way onto ships. They were-- being on railroads, so they were hardy. They would reuse these over and over again as well," he explained. Coming to the appraisal, Zien estimated that the meter alone would be worth over $700. Since the barrel was from the pre-prohibition era and had survived for a long time, he estimated that the two items were worth $2,000.



 

After making a $600 profit, Harrison said, "You know what? And they're going to look great in my bar," in the end. 

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
The video showed how the new tech takes even more time to unlock doors.
16 hours ago
Harvey later regretted clapping for the controversial answer, being a married man.
17 hours ago
Harvey was very invested in the game and reacted to every answer with enthusiasm.
22 hours ago
The creator's simple hack can make sure that people avoid splurging too much on groceries.
1 day ago
The contestant's answer wasn't the only one that made the host crack up.
1 day ago
The company received multiple complaints from customers finding wiry pieces of metal in the product.
2 days ago
The survey results were nothing like any of them had anticipated.
2 days ago
The soon to be birthday girl, Ja-Juana fell into temptation and lost the big prize.
2 days ago
The player, Gary got too excited and almost tore down the prize board off the roof.
3 days ago
The player, Megan Zandrowicz, walked away with a fantastic $65,000 from the show.
3 days ago
In the end, the guest regretted using the beautiful Mettlach Cameo Platter for her parties.
3 days ago
The contestant Mary, won a trip to Vancouver as a perfect birthday present.
5 days ago
The player was in for another heartbreak after she failed to solve the puzzle.
6 days ago
The player, Elisa Butcher's risky dice roll stunned everyone as she won a brand new Volkswagen car.
6 days ago
The star of Boyz II Men got sentimental after looking at the item from their first album cover.
6 days ago
It wasn't an ordinary ring but the 2004 Patriots Super Bowl Ring, which Harrison refused to let go.
7 days ago
Harvey was in disbelief after he misheard what Ming-Na Wen's teammate said.
7 days ago
Harvey could feel the pain as he collected the answers from the contestants.
7 days ago
The owner of Harry Karstens' First Ascent Denali Ice Axe was shocked to learn how valuable it was.
Oct 22, 2025