'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison offers $50,000 for a nickel but the seller wasn't impressed
Rick Harrison, the owner of the store featured on "Pawn Stars," is known for being adamant about bringing the price down during negotiations. But once in a while, he comes across a rare and valuable item that he agrees to pay big bucks for. There was one occasion when the owner of the famous gold & silver pawn shop agreed to pay $50,000 for a tiny nickel. Despite such a hefty offer, Harrison failed to secure a deal as the seller, named Mark, refused to let his 1867 Proof Shield Nickel go, claiming it deserved more.
In the episode, Mark brought the ring to Harrison's table, claiming he had something interesting for the pawn shop boss. "Hey man, I've got a coin I'd like to sell. An 1867 Proof Shield nickel," he told Harrison as he walked in. The veteran pawn star immediately recognized the rare coin as he asked the seller, "Where in the world did you get this?" The guest shared that he had had the coin for about 15 years, and he had it graded and preserved as it was an extremely rare piece.
Harrison acknowledged that the coin was "really neat" before getting into the history of it. "This was just a practical choice. I mean, half dimes were expensive; they were made out of silver. This was a nickel alloy that would last a long time. It wouldn't wear out, and everything else like that. It's a very cool nickel. There are only 25 made," Mark shared.
Harrison added that the coin was special as it was a proof coin, which meant it was a polished blank coin that was put into the minting machine. "They made sure it was a perfect coin. Proof coins from the 1800s are a rare, rare thing. It could be worth some serious money," Harrison noted. He then asked for the price, and Mark told him that he was looking to get $90,000 for it.
Hearing the number, Harrison decided to call in his expert, David Vagi, the director of NGC Ancients. "It's a fantastic coin. Wow!" Vagi exclaimed as soon as he saw the coin. "Well, this is one of the great rarities in the American series. It's kind of on everyone's checklist who wants something like the 100 greatest United States coins," he told the guest and Harrison.
Mark then told Vagi that the coin had been in his family for years, and it was significantly rarer than similar ones from 1867. "And when they graded it, they gave it a star, which means it's got really good eye appeal, right?" he asked Vagi. The expert confirmed that the star meant that the coin had exceptional eye appeal. Coming to the appraisal, Vagi estimated that the coin could sell in the range between $63,00 and $80,000.
Once Vagi left, Harrison got down to business. He asked Mark to share his best price, and he came back with $90,000 again. "I mean, that would be throwing $20,000 away in a heartbeat," Harrison said, before offering $50,000 for the coin. Mark then put his foot down and quoted his final price of $80,000. Unfortunately, Harrison wasn't willing to pay that much.
"They offered me $50,000 for the coin. You'd have to be totally in the desert with no water in order to take that offer. He could have had it for $80,000 when it was getting to go for $120,000 or $125,000 in the next few months, probably," Mark said in the end, as he walked away.
More on Market Realist:
'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison geeks out on Val Kilmer's 'Top Gun' jacket and agrees to pay $17,000
'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison comes across a dinosaur bone and ends up paying a fortune for it
'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison had to reject this guest's item because it could 'bankrupt the shop'
