Pawn Stars guest brings in a rare item from out of this world — a literal meteorite worth a fortune

From stolen items to rare historic artifacts, items that turn out to be a lot more valuable than previous estimates often make it to reality shows such as "Pawn Stars" and "Antiques Roadshow." However, in an episode of "Pawn Stars," something literally out of this world landed on host Rick Harrison's table, when a man named Christopher turned up with a meteorite that he found in a dried lake in Southern California. What appeared to be a worthless small rock at first, turned out to be worth an astonishing amount, forcing Harrison to make a deal.

Older Than Earth Itself?

After bringing the unique rock to the table, the owner shared that the meteorite discovered by him landed on Earth after traveling billions of miles through space. He said that the rock was made out of nickel and iron, and even had a 'fashion ring,' which marked its entry into Earth's atmosphere.

Asking for $4,700 for the item, the owner claimed that it had been on the planet for about three to four months. He said that the patina (pattern formed by extreme heat, pressure, and friction) was still intact and rusted, making it a relatively fresh find. While the rock did seem appealing, Harrison said that he didn't know much about it and couldn't even tell if it was a real meteorite.

To verify Christopher's claim, Bob, who is the owner of a meteorite-recovery lab, examined the rock and asked the owner where he found it. Christopher revealed that he came across the rock using a magnet. Pulling out a magnet of his own, Bob confirmed that the meteorite had a "strong attraction."

He then went on to look at it under a microscope and concluded that it was a real meteorite. "That rock is older than this planet. That thing was solid before this planet solidified," Bob said. The owner then confirmed that it was graded and cataloged and a part of the meteorite was with UCLA. UCLA has over 2,400 samples of space rock, "the largest collection of meteorites on the west coast", according to its website.

Bob then said that if it was an un-cataloged meteorite, it would have been worth merely $10. However, since the item was recognized, it was probably worth $4,000, which was close to what the owner had estimated. However, Harrison told Christopher that he had planned to sell it forward and make money off it, and since it only looked like a rock, he offered $1,800. But, after further negotiations, Harrison and Christopher sealed the deal for $2,100. 

But unlike Christopher, who valued his item accurately, another seller Gabby was way off the mark while estimating the price of a DJ Ashba guitar. Gabby was looking to sell the "Les Paul" guitar for about $5,000. To verify the claim, Harrison called Ashba himself who confirmed that it was indeed his guitar.

It was only after the musician's input, that the guitar's estimated value shot up to a whopping $20,000.