'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison pays a fortune for the pamphlet signed by Martin Luther King Jr.
"Pawn Stars" boss Rick Harrison is known for playing hardball with sellers to get vintage items at low prices, so that he can make a handsome profit. But at times when he finds something really fascinating or promising, the pawn shop owner doesn't back off from splurging. Martin Luther King Jr. is undoubtedly one of the most iconic figures in US history. One of his most popular moments was when he delivered a speech in 1967 condemning his country’s involvement in the war in Vietnam. When a copy of that speech, signed by the orator himself, showed up on “Pawn Stars,” Rick Harrison was more than intrigued.
The guest, a collector of items related to the Vietnam War, had a good idea about the item he owned, but Harrison was never going to deal before being absolutely sure. The guest had said that a similar item had been sold earlier for $11,000 and believed that the value of what he possessed was $12,500. However, that is not the amount he wanted from the pawn shop owner.
Harrison knew that anything signed by Dr. King was worth a lot of money as they’re exceedingly rare. The guest also said that it took him more than a decade to find an authentic, signed piece of a document. What he found was the holy grail. The pawn shop owner believed that the signature was authentic, but he needed a second opinion just to be absolutely sure of what he was going to spend a lot of money on.
In came a man named Steve, who was an expert in such items. “I’m pretty sure it’s real, I just want to make sure it’s real,” Harrison said. There was no question over the authenticity of the document. The questions were about the signature. The expert pulled out a magnifying device, which he attached to the camera of his tablet. The first thing he checked for was the type of pen that was used for the signature.
“Well, the first thing I do want to look at under magnification is for a nice oxidized aged ballpoint pen,” he said. After looking at it for a while, the expert came to the conclusion that the type of ink and its age checked out. The next job was to compare the signature with others that Dr. King had done. Handwriting analysis often busts a lot of fakes, so it’s no wonder that the expert resorted to this method.
Thankfully, the signature was not faked and was absolutely authentic. Harrison then asked Steve what he thought the document was worth, and the expert said $12,000. “Told you,” the guest said upon hearing this. He knew the pawn shop owner was never going to pay that amount of money, as he needed to make some money off it. Therefore, the guest asked for $10,000.
Harrison tried negotiating, but he was met with a man who would not budge from what he was asking for. Ultimately, the 60-year-old agreed to the guest’s price and a deal was struck. Even at $10,000, this was a great purchase for the store, which could later sell for a lot more.
More on Market Realist:
'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison buys ex-US President's letter for $1,300 from disappointed seller
'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison goes beyond the $1 million mark to buy a historical document
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