'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison gets Rolling Stones icon's jacket by paying a fortune for it
"Pawn Stars" boss Rick Harrison is known for going into fanboy mode as soon as he comes across guitars that once belonged to rock legends, even calling some of them holy grail items. That's why it isn't surprising that memorabilia belonging to Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards caught his attention. When the pawn shop boss had the chance to buy a jacket worn by the legendary musician for less than $2,000, he didn't let it slip away.
The guest who brought it, claimed that Richards had worn the jacket in the 2004 Gram Parsons tribute concert that was held in California. The guitarist was the headliner of the show, but not as a part of the Rolling Stones. The jacket looked pretty cool, and the guest said that he wanted $1,750 for it. The guest came into possession of it thanks to a friend who worked for a charter plane company that flew the Rolling Stones around. Richards had left that jacket on the aircraft once and never really bothered to get it back.
This was not a big sum of money, and the prospect of buying a jacket once worn by Keith Richards intrigued Harrison. However, there were several issues about the item that the pawn shop owner was not sure about. First of all, there was no tag on the jacket that would reveal the maker. Secondly, there was no proof anywhere on the jacket that it was once the property of the Rolling Stones guitarist.
Harrison had to be sure before negotiating for an item like this, and so, he called in an expert to get it checked out. It was a man named Warwick Stone. He was the one who revealed Parsons’ influence on Richards. It turns out that the former had taught the latter how to write country music compositions. These influences could be heard in the popular Stones’ songs like Wild Horses. It was then time to talk about the jacket itself.
The expert was just the right person to take a look at it, as he had been to the 2004 Gram Parsons tribute concert.
The expert’s first job was to ascertain whether it was real or not. He took the jacket in his hands and noted the fine quality of the material. He then said that the design of the jacket was in line with what Richards would wear on stage at the time. And of course, he was at the concert, so he saw what the guitarist wore. The expert seemed confident that this jacket truly was worn by Richards.
He then placed a value of $3,500 on it, which was good news for all parties concerned, as Harrison would have no problem paying the guest what he had asked for. The guest did not ask for a higher amount either, and the deal was sealed.
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