ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / NEWS

'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison gets 60 million-year-old fossil for a lot cheaper than you'd think

Harrison got a good deal for the fossil although it wasn't what he had thought.
PUBLISHED JUL 9, 2025
Harrison talking to a paleontologist about the fossil he bought (Cover image source: YouTube | Pawn Stars)
Harrison talking to a paleontologist about the fossil he bought (Cover image source: YouTube | Pawn Stars)

"Pawn Stars" boss Rick Harrison is known for his ability to bag uber cool items for significantly lower rates than the asking price. One of the oldest among those was a collection of 60 million-year-old fossils, but that wasn't the only time prehistoric remains ended up in the pawn shop. He once paid $1,000 for a fossil belonging to a dinosaur, but it wasn't the biggest item that he bought. At the same time, this discovery made Harrison and Chumlee approach a paleontologist, who helped them make a bigger discovery.

The seller brought fragments of a dinosaur's bones, which she believed could be assembled to make its hand. She wanted $1,500 for it just to pay her rent, although she had no idea about the fossil's true value. While Harrison and Chumlee squeezed out a $1,000 deal, they later sought assistance from paleontologist Andre LuJan, who helped them put the hand together. He also informed them that while it belonged to an animal from the Permian period, the hand was worth $5,000.

The duo then joined LuJan for an excavation in Texas, where Harrison and Chumlee found dinosaur remains worth $20 and $300, respectively.

Harrison did find an actual dinosaur skull once during a tour, in a collection that a seller brought to him. The seller told the pawn shop boss that the skull was of an African crocodile, while the other two items were from the dinosaur era. "I got them at an estate sale down the street from my house," he shared. 

Screenshot showing Rick Harrison talking to the seller (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)
Screenshot showing Rick Harrison talking to the seller (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)

Looking at the items, Harrison noted that the crocodile skull was the most amazing item due to its size and appearance. He then asked David for the asking price, and the seller told him that he was looking to get $8,000 for the skull, $3,000 for the fish, and $1,000 for T-Rex tooth. Hearing the numbers, Harrison decided to call in his expert, Andre Lujan, President of Paleo Tex, LLC. The expert immediately noted that it was a great collection, but he still needed to make sure everything was real.

Screenshot showing the expert talking to the seller (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)
Screenshot showing the expert talking to the seller (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)

Coming to the appraisal, Lujan told Harrison that the Priscacara fossil would be worth about $500. However, the Dyrosaurus skull was the real deal, he said. "This is a really nice specimen. Honestly, it's the best one I've ever seen. It would be worth about $16,000," he told Harrison. Once the expert left, Harrison got down to business.

Screenshot showing Harrison talking to the expert (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)
Screenshot showing Harrison talking to the expert (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)

The pawn boss straight away passed on the fish and was interested only in the Dyrosaurus skull. "I have a lot of fossils at the shop, and it's not super unique to me, but this right here, you're asking $8,000 for it, and quite frankly, it's worth more than that. I'll give you $9,000 just for this," he told David.

However, the seller didn't want to let go of the item for that amount as he had just learned its true value. But Harrison chose to play hardball, and eventually, David accepted the deal.

More on Market Realist:

'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison pays a lot more than what the guest expected for his paintings

'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison spends big on Houdini's handcuffs — Chumlee ends up wearing them

'Pawn Stars' guest brings one of the oldest American coins ever made. Then, he found out its value

RELATED TOPICS PAWN STARS
MORE ON MARKET REALIST
The video showed how the new tech takes even more time to unlock doors.
6 hours ago
Harvey later regretted clapping for the controversial answer, being a married man.
6 hours ago
Harvey was very invested in the game and reacted to every answer with enthusiasm.
12 hours ago
The creator's simple hack can make sure that people avoid splurging too much on groceries.
1 day ago
The contestant's answer wasn't the only one that made the host crack up.
1 day ago
The company received multiple complaints from customers finding wiry pieces of metal in the product.
2 days ago
The survey results were nothing like any of them had anticipated.
2 days ago
The soon to be birthday girl, Ja-Juana fell into temptation and lost the big prize.
2 days ago
The player, Gary got too excited and almost tore down the prize board off the roof.
3 days ago
The player, Megan Zandrowicz, walked away with a fantastic $65,000 from the show.
3 days ago
In the end, the guest regretted using the beautiful Mettlach Cameo Platter for her parties.
3 days ago
The contestant Mary, won a trip to Vancouver as a perfect birthday present.
5 days ago
The player was in for another heartbreak after she failed to solve the puzzle.
5 days ago
The player, Elisa Butcher's risky dice roll stunned everyone as she won a brand new Volkswagen car.
5 days ago
The star of Boyz II Men got sentimental after looking at the item from their first album cover.
6 days ago
It wasn't an ordinary ring but the 2004 Patriots Super Bowl Ring, which Harrison refused to let go.
7 days ago
Harvey was in disbelief after he misheard what Ming-Na Wen's teammate said.
7 days ago
Harvey could feel the pain as he collected the answers from the contestants.
7 days ago
The owner of Harry Karstens' First Ascent Denali Ice Axe was shocked to learn how valuable it was.
Oct 22, 2025