Pawn Stars guest who brought a 'football helmet' told it's a ‘one in a million’ piece worth a fortune
It's easy to mistake an ancient artifact or rare artwork for everyday items at a garage sale because one simply doesn't expect to find such treasures in someone's basement. But a collector got lucky and hit the jackpot with a garage sale find that initially seemed to be worth $1,000.
When the seller named Kevin brought it on the popular show "Pawn Stars," it was revealed that what he thought of as an old football helmet from the 1800s, was in fact an Anglo-Saxon iron helmet. "I thought it was super cool," Kevin said told The Sun. "It reminded me of an old football helmet." "It's really, really old looking, I thought it might just be something cool to have," he continued.
The helmet that Kevin found, is the kind that was typically used by nobles and kings for protection. After Chumlee reviewed the piece and explained its history to Kevin, he asked how much Kevin was hoping to sell it for. Kevin explained that he was expecting about $750. Bob Dodge, the founder of Artemis Testing Lab later took the helmet and was immediately taken aback. "What you've got appears to be an authentic Anglo-Saxon helmet," Bob said while looking it over.
"To find one in this condition...you just don't find them." "Iron doesn't last for 1,500 years," the expert continued. "So when you do find them, they're usually powder." Later, the helmet was examined using an X-ray gun to confirm what kind of material the helmet was made of.
It turned out that the helmet was forged from carbon steel, which means that it was an authentic helmet from medieval times. "This is carbon steel, so this is what it should be made out of," the expert said, adding that the helmet was truly one in a million. "It's that rare — I've got goosebumps," he admitted. He also talked about how the museum would be willing to pay more than $15,000 for the helmet.
The valuation blew Kevin's mind, although "Pawn Stars" could only offer $7,500. The collector then asked for $15,000 before lowering the price and selling the helmet for $10,000.
In another episode, a woman who was looking to sell a "Les Paul" guitar from Gibson was stunned to find out the real value of the guitar. The seller, Gabby initially suspected that the guitar belonged to DJ Ashba, who was the former lead guitarist of Sixx: A.M. and Guns N' Roses. She explained that her boyfriend was building a children's hospital and she is simply looking to sell a few items in hopes of raising funds.
Looking at the guitar, Harrison was impressed. "I'm kind of impressed. DJ Ashba, I mean there's a lot of guys out there who are kind of rock stars but he really is a rock star," he said on the episode. After DJ Ashba's input, Harrison estimated that the guitar would be worth $20,000 to $30,000. Finally, Harrison came up with a solution and offered Gabby $20,000 for the guitar. "The kids at the hospital get the money, and I'll end up making a deal with him. I won't make no money off him and everybody's happy," he said. Gabby, quickly accepted the offer and told Harrison that he had a deal.
