'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison uses classic bargaining move to buy Civil War medal for just $1,250
The pawn shop owner lowballed the guest for a rare Civil War–era Medal of Honor awarded to First Defenders of the capital.
Aug. 11 2025, Published 10:45 a.m. ET
When it comes to buying historically significant items at bargain prices, perhaps there is no one better than "Pawn Stars" boss Rick Harrison. From prehistoric fossils to presidential items, this man has been finding a way to pay as little as possible to get exceptional items for his shop. He did it again in an earlier episode of the show when one guest brought a Medal of Honor that was awarded to the soldiers of the Civil War.
What made this medal special was the fact that it was awarded to a First Defender of the capital. The First Defenders were the first regiment that responded to President Abraham Lincoln’s call asking for volunteers to defend the capital when the first scuffles of the Civil War started breaking out. The medals were awarded to those who were a part of the group, 20 years after they answered the call.
The guest said that he wanted $1,500. You’d think that’s a low enough price for such a historically significant item, but Harrison was not going to pay even that to the guest. First, however, he needed to make sure it was legit. He believed the ribbon might have been replaced, but the rest of it looked good. It could also be a highly convincing fake. So, he took some pictures of it and sent them to his trusted friend, Mark Hall-Patton.
Also known as ‘The Beard of Knowledge,’ Hall-Patton loved the medal. “These First Defenders medals are quite scarce. You do not see many of these. There were only a little less than 500 of them made. They were made only for the first five units to make it to Washington on April 18, 1861. They were actually the first militia units in defence of Washington when the Civil War started,” he said.
Hall-Patton also believed that the ribbon on the medal might have been changed, but he had no doubts about the authenticity of the piece. ‘They were all individually issued, so the fact that this one is named is absolutely correct,” he added. When Harrison asked if it was a legitimate piece and not a fake, the expert said, “Absolutely.” That was all the pawn shop owner needed to know before going into negotiations.
Funnily enough, he did not ask the expert how much he thought it would cost in this case. Maybe he was worried that it could be worth way more than what the guest had asked for. The art of lowballing is truly something Harrison could teach in a university setting. The guest asked for just $1,500 for an item of such historical value, and the pawn shop owner said he’ll pay a thousand bucks.
He argued that it had been issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and not the Government of the USA. The guest then countered with $1,250, which was readily accepted by the pawn shop owner. That was the deal struck between both parties.
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