'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison pays big money for a guitar that is part of rock 'n' roll history
Fans of "Pawn Stars" know how stingy Rick Harrison can be when he is negotiating a deal. But there are times when the celebrity pawn shop owner goes into fanboy mode, for an item that's considered a Holy Grail. It happened when a rare piece of rock 'n' roll history was brought into America's most famous pawn shop. When the guest named Landon brought a 1941 Gibson SJ-200, which was once owned by the great American singer and songwriter, Stephen Stills, he had almost everyone drooling.
In the episode, Landon, a guitar collector, walked into the pawn shop with an old case, with a historic guitar inside. "So this is a 1941 Gibson SJ-200. It was owned by Stephen Stills of the band Crosby, Stills, & Nash," he told Harrison. "I bought the guitar in an auction a few months ago. I was thrilled and a little bit terrified because it was expensive. But I'm looking to sell it today because that's kind of my hobby," he added. Harrison couldn't help but confess that he was amazed to see the guitar. "Everyone who was around in the '60s knows of Stephen Stills. He's a guitar player who played for Buffalo Springfield. 'What It's Worth,' that was the name of the song. I mean, literally, it was considered the rebellion hippie anthem of the 1960s," Harrison said.
He further explained that Stills went on to create "Crosby, Stills, & Nash" and he is still playing to this day. "If he's not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I'd be shocked," the host said. Landon then told Harrison that Stills was the first person to be inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame twice. "He was inducted first for Buffalo Springfield, and then for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on the same day," he said. Landon further shared that he had all the documentation to prove that the guitar belonged to Stills. He added that the collector who bought the guitar from Stills also obtained a signed bill of sale.
Harrison admitted that the bill added a bit to the item. "I love this guitar. It's really interesting. But I have to be careful. So if everything checks out, this thing could be a serious jackpot," he said. After Landon told Harrison that he was looking to get $110,000 for the guitar, the host called in his expert, Jesse Amoroso, to authenticate the item. As soon as Amoroso walked in, he was taken aback by the sight of the guitar. "You do not see these. It's the 1941 SJ-200. It was their highest-end guitar. They introduced this model in 1938, went to war, and they stopped making 'em," he explained before calling the item "the Holy Grail."
After playing some tunes on the instrument, Amoroso was convinced that it was the real deal. Despite the cracks and repairs, the expert believed that the guitar was worth $75,000 to $90,000 by itself, and the fact that it was owned by Stephen Stills added another $20,000 to $30,000 to its value. "This is the one. If you're going to buy one, this is the only one that's available," he told Harrison before leaving. Getting down to the negotiations, Landon seemed ever more confident about his ask of $110,000. However, being a businessman, Harrison first floated an offer of $80,000 to bring the ask down a bit. Landon countered with $90,000, and when Harrison didn't budge, the deal almost fell through. Before leaving, Landon asked for $85,000, and Harrison accepted.
"All right, cool, man, let's-- let's do some paperwork. You'll have cash, and I'll have a guitar I got to sell," Harrison told the guest, who later revealed that $85,000 was actually higher than his bottom line, so it wasn't only Harrison who hit the jackpot.
