'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison pays a small amount for an illegal smuggling item

Rick Harrison was confused by the effort someone would make for an unsuccessful smuggling attempt.

PUBLISHED SEP 25, 2025

Screenshots showing Rick Harrison and the guest on "Pawn Stars" (Cover Image Source: YouTube | Pawn Stars)

Rick Harrison often comes across sellers who barely have an idea about the value of items that they bring on "Pawn Stars." But there were times when guests walked in with things that were not strictly legal, and Harrison decided to dig deeper. He even ended up paying $65 for one such item that was used to smuggle firearms across the border during the World War II era, according to the guest. They were basically wooden boxes carved to look like books in which guns could be smuggled.

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Smuggling of such items has always been a big problem, and things weren’t a whole lot different back during World War II. The wooden books were confiscated by the authorities, and the guest revealed a letter that confirmed the same. It also confirmed the time period to which these items belonged. The guest said that he wanted $600 for the wooden books, which did not seem like a big amount for such an antique item.

The items also had an intriguing story behind them. The letter revealed that German firearms and ammunition were being smuggled into the United States. However, they clearly did not reach the desired destination. The guest said that he had found the books in a friend’s attic, prompting Harrison to ask if his friend was into smuggling illegal firearms into the country.

Screenshot showing one of the fake books. (Image credit: YouTube | Pawn Stars) — Screenshot showing one of the fake books. (Image source: YouTube | Pawn Stars)

The pawn shop owner was baffled at the amount of work that went into these fake books, as they were useless. One close look at them or even a simple touch would reveal that these were not real books. Cutting a hole in the pages of a real book and hiding a firearm there would have taken a lot less effort and would have been much safer to hide from the authorities.

Although they were impractical, these items were unique, and that was the problem with them. There was nothing Harrison could compare them with before making an offer. He was going to have to take a shot in the dark, and that is usually not worth a lot of money. The guest had said earlier that he wanted $600 for them. However, when the pawn shop owner asked him how much he wanted, the seller did not quote that same figure.

Screenshot showing the letter that came with the fake books. (Image credit: YouTube | Pawn Stars)

"You probably know more about this stuff than I do. Name a price,” he told Harrison, who said that he’d offer just $50 for them. There was an element of curiosity, but that’s about it. The guest bargained a bit and had no choice but to settle for $65. While it was nowhere near the $600 he wanted, the guest did not seem too disappointed with what he got.