'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison offers $11,000 for 'creepy' artifact but things don't go his way
Not all art is meant to be soothing, as some of it might be disturbing, but "Pawn Stars" boss Rick Harrison keeps his focus on profits when he purchases artifacts. That's why he made an offer to pay a five-figure amount, even though he found the artwork creepy. But that wasn't good enough for the seller, and Harrison failed to close the deal.
The guest had brought a piece of surrealist art by Pedro Friedeberg. Harrison said that he was a big deal in the ‘60s and the ‘70s, but acknowledged that what he saw in front of him wasn't too appealing. “Interesting. Actually, a little creepy too,” he said. It seemed like a clock with the head of a doll attached to the top and multiple hands along its sides and the bottom.
Some of those hands were candleholders, while others held a set of cards. It was unlike anything one would see in the mainstream art market. The guest said that he was hoping to get $18,000 to $20,000. Obviously, the pawn shop owner was never going to pay a guest what he wanted. He wasn’t even sure of its value. So, he called in an expert to take a look at it.
Harrison had certain concerns about the structure. There were signs of damage, like chipping. There were marks of wax deposits, and one of the sets of cards had faded. But the expert revealed that it was not the case. “I don’t think the damage is going to impact an artist like Friedeberg,” he said.
“It wasn’t about being pristine when he composed his work. It was kind of just the overall aesthetic. That being said, from a value standpoint, a piece like this, I think, with the condition and everything, it would probably be in the neighbourhood of $20,000,” the expert added. The guest was overjoyed to hear this, as he had correctly valued what he’d owned. However, getting Harrison to agree to the price was the problem.
The guest said that he wanted $18,000 for it after the expert left. “That’s not going to happen,” Harrison said, before offering $8,000. It was less than half of what the expert had valued it at. The guest wasn’t going to accept such a low offer and asked for $15,000, before going down to $12,000.
Despite this, Harrison tried to go lower as he offered $11,000, but the guest stood his ground as he was never going to accept anything less than $12,000. Ultimately, the pawn shop owner’s stubbornness cost him another unique item.
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