'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison gets good deal on French jewelry as guest was wrong about its origin
"Pawn Stars" isn't all about vintage cars, movie memorabilia, and musical instruments, but it also features artifacts that have historical significance, often related to presidents and royalty. The pawn shop boss, Rick Harrison, has an eye for such items and uses his knowledge to squeeze out a profitable deal. The customer who claimed that the buttons belonged to Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France before the French Revolution, later learned that they had no connection to French Royalty. Harrison jumped on this opportunity and clinched the valuable set for just $3,500.
Adam, who usually brings Harrison antique book deals, brought the collection of jeweled buttons to the shop. "I came down to the pawn shop today to try and sell my buttons owned by Marie Antoinette. I want to sell them because I don't deal in buttons," Adam said in his interview. He told Harrison that it was a very rare set, as on the box was the 'bourbon coat of arms' which Marie Antoinette had on all of her possessions, according to the seller.
"Yes, the Bourbons were a long line of kings and queens in France. Bourbon's was the family name, and after Marie Antoinette was married to Louis XVI, she became a Bourbon," Harrison acknowledged. "This woman loved living the high life, but the average French person, who was basically starving at the time, got sick of her really quickly after the French Revolution. She was eventually arrested and executed," Harrison explained.
Adam further added that the buttons had paste diamonds and they were 'definitely something fancy enough' to be worn by a queen. When asked about the price, the seller told Harrison that he was looking to get $10,000 for the set. Harrison then flexed his knowledge of French history and delivered the bad news to Adam. "What happened was, the French Revolution, Napoleon came to power, and later he was defeated, and the English put the monarchy back in place in France, and the Bourbons re-ascended the throne. Then, they modified their crest, and this necklace right here was added," he explained, pointing at the Bourbon Coat of Arms. He then guaranteed that the buttons could not have belonged to the former queen, as she was dead by then.
With this, Adam's face dropped as he was now on the back foot. Seizing the opportunity, Harrison acknowledged that the buttons were still from the French Royalty, so he would pay $2,000 for the set. The seller countered with $4,500, but Harrison wasn't willing to go above $3,500. In the end, Adam accepted the deal, giving Harrison the edge.
"I'm glad he prodded him along to accept the $3,500 because it really was a good deal for him," Harrison's son, Corey, said in the end. Harrison also noted that while the buttons didn't belong to the queen, they could be worth a lot of money if they managed to find out who they belonged to.
