'Pawn Stars' guest says he 'almost fainted' after hearing the value of his vintage handcuffs
"Pawn Stars" is one show where even the most ordinary-looking old items may turn out to be valuable artifacts that Rick Harrison is quick to buy. Although Harrison focuses on the item and his profits most of the time, he wasn't comfortable when he came across a pair of handcuffs made in 1925. The guest then insisted that he tried them on, and he absolutely hated the experience, as expected.
Handcuffs for prisoners were never made for comfort, but this one took it to a whole different level. Harrison conceded that he had never seen cuffs like these in the past. So, he needed an expert to come into the shop and check them out for valuation purposes. Even the guest did not know what these were worth. He purchased it for $100 as a gag gift for his daughter’s boyfriend.
In came a man named Mark. He was an expert in restraining devices and said that he had worked most of his adult life as a locksmith. “What the heck are those things? They’re like really disturbing,” Harrison asked. The expert confirmed that the cuffs were indeed made in 1925, thanks to a marking on them, but revealed that only a few such items were ever made before they were discontinued. There were a few reasons for that. He also said that these were called 'McKenzie Mitts.'
First of all, getting these cuffs on would have required the prisoner’s co-operation. There was no way someone could force these onto someone else’s hands. Secondly, these cuffs were solid steel. After they’d been locked, they could be used as a lethal weapon to knock out or even kill somebody. And thirdly, since a prisoner could not use their hands at all, if they had to go to the toilet, it was the guard’s duty to do a rather unsanitary job.
Mark then asked the guest how much he had purchased them for and was impressed upon learning that it had only cost a hundred bucks. That’s because, as per the expert, those cuffs could bring in $3,500 to $4,000 at auction. The guest did not expect that at all and seemed pleasantly surprised. "The moment I heard the expert say they were worth $3,500, I almost fainted," he said. Once all that was taken care of, it was time to dive into the negotiations.
The guest asked for $3,500 at first, but then lowered his price to $2,500. Harrison wanted to get it done for cheaper and offered to pay $1,600. This was much too little for the guest, and the pawn shop owner knew it. So, he came up to $2,000, and that was the deal agreed upon by all the parties that day. The pawn shop now had a rather disturbing piece of history on its shelf.
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