'Pawn Stars' guest wanted $5,000 for a coin — then an expert revealed it was 8 times more valuable

The reality show “Pawn Stars” may be set in a pawn shop in Vegas, but the kind of items people bring there could range from vintage to iconic, along with fascinating back stories of their own. Sometimes, neither Rick Harrison nor the customer has any idea about the item, and then the expert walks in to shock everyone by announcing its real value. One such item that turned up in America's most famous pawn shop was a gold-coloured coin with the face of the country's first President, George Washington, engraved on it.

Harrison was quite intrigued when he saw it, but explained that the coin wasn't currency, since there wasn’t any denomination on it. Rather, it seemed more like a medal, and he grew even more curious after flipping the coin to take a look at the other side. There were Masonic engravings on it, related to the Freemasons. It was a secret organisation that evolved from the guilds of stonemasons and cathedral builders in the Middle Ages.

It was a big part of the American Society of the 1700s, and Washington was a part of the organisation. Even today, if one takes a look at a dollar note, the all-seeing eye of the Masons is printed on it. If authentic, this item could be worth thousands of dollars. However, neither Harrison nor the guest was sure of what its value was. The latter said that he was looking to make $5000 off it.

"Perfectly honest, I don’t know if it’s worth five bucks or 50,000 bucks,” Harrison said. He therefore decided to call in an expert, David Vagi. Vagi was the Director of NGC Ancients at the time, and he, too, was thrilled to see the medal. “If it’s real, it’s a fantastic item,” he said. The expert then revealed that this was the first ever Masonic medal ever designed and that there were only 20 of them out there.

“They were struck in 1797 by a silversmith and engraver named Peter Getz, and he belonged to the Pennsylvania Lodge of the Masons, and he knew George Washington,” Vagi explained. The year 1797 was engraved on the medal, and it was also the final year of Washington’s presidency. “They’re right from the absolute crucible of early American politics, religion, and society,” he explained. The guest was quite excited upon hearing all this and rightfully so. When he asked Vagi if it was worth $5000, the expert assured him that it was a lot more valuable than that. “Now you're talking my language,” he said. When asked how much this Masonic medal would be worth, the expert said that it would be about $40,000, eight times more than what the guest had asked for at first.

“You still want five grand?” Harrison asked jokingly, knowing what the answer was going to be. He was open to paying $20,000 for it, which he later raised to $23,000. However, the guest decided to hold on to it for the time being. “I’ll probably take my show on the road ‘casue they say good things come to those who wait,” he said.