'Pawn Stars' guest walked in with 'crutches' that had pistols hidden inside and got $15,000 for them
When one thinks of crutches, there are two things that definitely do not come to mind. Neither are they considered vintage collectibles, nor are they seen as weapons. But it turns out that centuries ago, crutches were being put to lethal use. On an earlier episode of “Pawn Stars,” a guest brought a couple of crutches to the show, hoping to sell them for a decent price. These crutches were not the usual ones, since they had pistols attached to them.
The guest had no idea what these crutches would be worth today, so Rick Harrison decided to call in an expert. Alex Cranmer, CEO of International Military Antiques, walked into the store, and he was amazed by what he saw. He might have seen crutches with pistols attached to the sides in the past, but there was something quite unique about this pair that caught his eye and left him amazed. “Wow, that is so cool,” he said as he inspected one of them. “So normally there would be a side plate here that holds the lock to the wood of the stock. They did away with the side plate and actually put in sort of little brass washers on each end and you can see the screw is designed. So they took the original screws, created brass washers, and grafted them right into.”
When it was time for him to put a valuation on it, the expert said that he’d like to test if the pistols worked. The guest, Rick, Alex, and Chum Lee, made their way to the shooting range where the expert had hung some apples as targets to test out perhaps the most lethal crutches ever made. Chum Lee volunteered to take a shot and see if the pistols worked. The expert put some gunpowder and bullets in the pistols, and everyone held their breath, hoping that they’d work, which they did. One of the apples was blown to smithereens, and this made it a lot easier for Alex to put a value on them. “I think at the right auction, $25,000 for them,” he said.
The guest giggled with happiness upon hearing this and wanted exactly what the guest had valued it at. Rick, however, was never going to pay that kind of money, as he also had to make some money back when he sold it. After a bit of negotiation, both parties agreed that $15,000 was a good price, and a deal was struck. Fans of the show found the crutches amusing and left some hilarious comments on YouTube.
“When you're crippled but hitman life is forever,” one user commented. “Clint Eastwood on crutches: Did I fire one shot, or was it one? You decide... punk!” another joked. “These are probably some of the most unique Blackpowder pistols that I have ever seen. I’ve owned three of them, and this is awesome,” a fan added.
