ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / ECONOMY & WORK

Rick Harrison stunned as 'Pawn Stars' guest walked in with the 'deadliest item' ever on the show

Rick Harrison had several doubts from the start, but they were all cleared later on by his friend.
PUBLISHED 7 DAYS AGO
Screenshot showing Chum Lee, Rick Harrison, and the guest on "Pawn Stars." (Cover image source: YouTube | Pawn Stars)
Screenshot showing Chum Lee, Rick Harrison, and the guest on "Pawn Stars." (Cover image source: YouTube | Pawn Stars)

Rick Harrison has seen everything from lethal weapons concealed in crutches to missile systems on “Pawn Stars." Despite having doubts about the legality of owning such items, he does end up buying them for a low price. But one guest took things to another level by offering keys to weapons of mass destruction. “I think I have the deadliest item that’s ever walked through your door,” he said. The guest opened up a small box and revealed a couple of keys that looked funny. As per the guest, they were used to launch ballistic missiles.

An ICBM is an intercontinental ballistic missile, which is basically one of the deadliest weapons mankind has ever made. The keys were Russian, and the guest said that he had obtained them from a famous Russian who worked at the cosmonaut school. To think that a turn of these tiny items could destroy the world was an unsettling thought for everyone. “There’s a real creepiness about it,” the guest said.

“I’d say if these are real, there’s no question of their importance. I’m getting chills just thinking about it. One turn of these keys could destroy the world, and now they’re sitting in my pawn shop. And Chum’s got one,” Harrison said with a chuckle in the end. The keys could be worth a lot of money, but the 60-year-old was unsure whether these were the real deal. He even said that they looked like something he could make in his garage.

Screenshot showing the launch keys. (Image credit: YouTube | Pawn Stars)
Screenshot showing the launch keys. (Image source: YouTube | Pawn Stars)

The guest said he wanted $10,000 for the pair. Harrison did not have any idea about the value of the items or if they were even real. So, he decided to call in an expert. In came Mark, the Clark County Museum Administrator. He immediately knew what the item was the moment he laid eyes on it. “These are nice,” he quipped. “They’re launch keys. They’re Russian.”

When Harrison said that he had an issue with the fact that it seemed like something he could make in a garage, the expert quickly corrected him. “If you made this out of titanium, you’ve got a bigger garage than the one I know, and you’ve got some really heavy machinery. Titanium is really hard to work with. They had to use titanium because of the amount of heat that was generated in their system,” Mark explained.

Screenshot showing the expert with the keys.  (Image credit: YouTube | Pawn Stars)
Screenshot showing the expert with the keys. (Image source: YouTube | Pawn Stars)

However, the expert also mentioned that they were not used for launching ICBMs. He mentioned that people often think that way, but it was not the case. “They were used for launching spacecraft,” he said. However, Mark also mentioned that spacecraft launch keys were rarer than missile launch keys, which could make them more valuable.



 

The problem was that Harrison had no clue how long his money would be tied up in this. He was not willing to pay anything more than $1,500. “It’s $1,500 and I’m taking a complete crapshoot here,” he added. The guest was not willing to agree to this low price and decided to keep the keys with him for the time being.

More on Market Realist:

'Pawn Stars' guest brings a missile and Rick Harrison asks 'should I call Homeland Security now?'

'Pawn Stars' guest brings a WWII code breaker machine but Rick Harrison just couldn't afford it

'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison buys Secret Service memorabilia after asking expert if it was legal

RELATED TOPICS PAWN STARS
MORE ON MARKET REALIST
Had the contestants not gotten their gamble right, they would have lost everything they'd earned.
16 hours ago
The revelation came thanks to a fan who asked the question during a "Jeopardy!" taping.
16 hours ago
The entrepreneurs' decision came as a big shock to the sharks, and they did not hide it.
17 hours ago
Tina double-guessed her third answer, "Does April have 31 days?" Harvey gave her the stink eye.
19 hours ago
All the theatrics didn't work when sharks started scrutinizing profit margins.
21 hours ago
"Can I stop at any time?" the player nervously inquired. "You can stop any time you want, yes," Carey assured.
22 hours ago
Guests on the show would run with it if they ever got that kind of money on Pawn Stars.
1 day ago
The guest even said to keep the kids in the dark about how valuable these items were.
1 day ago
The company had fantastic sales but a crushing debt with a high interest rate that the sharks hated.
1 day ago
It was only Carey's second season in the show and he could have been part of a massive scandal.
2 days ago
“I won’t say anything, and you know why,” he said, with a gesture to zip his lips.
2 days ago
The ring was rescued by the guest's mother thanks to a stranger early in the morning.
2 days ago
"She blanked out. It happens to the best of us," a fan sympathized with the player.
2 days ago
The instrument originally belonged to the guest's grandfather who suffered a horrific injury.
3 days ago
The contestant's wife seemed embarassed at that point of time, and worried as well.
3 days ago
The co-founders of Dino Don got the shark that they always wanted on board.
3 days ago
One can understand why the measure is in place but the shopper was having none of it.
3 days ago
"My husband and I definitely noticed it! We had to rewind it a few times," a fan reacted.
3 days ago
All of the sharks agreed that she had a great product and the drive to be successful a businesswoman.
4 days ago
It's possible that the dog played a little part in making it easier for them to get a deal.
4 days ago