Expert on 'Pawn Stars' reveals that the guest's $1 million violin is actually worth only $500
Sellers on "Pawn Stars" are usually prepared for a tough round of negotiations with Rick Harrison, knowing that they won't get the exact amount that they're asking for. The pawn shop boss is a stickler for authenticity, and most of the time, bringing in an expert to verify the same pays off for him. For instance, when a guest named Kenneth brought a claimed 1763 Stradivarius violin worth a million dollars, Harrison dodged a bullet by not bidding on it before calling in his expert, who revealed that the item was a replica and was worth nothing more than $500.
In the episode, Kenneth brought the old and worn-out instrument to Harrison's table, claiming it was a rather important item for him to have. "I got a Stradivarius violin dated 1763. I bought a new house a couple of months ago. There was an old cedar chest, and I was going through it. There was a violin at the bottom of it. I pulled it out and took a look at it. My heart just started beating. I thought I found a real Stradivarius fiddle. And I'm gonna make millions of dollars off of it," the guest shared in his interview.
Given how valuable Stradivarius violins are in the market, even Harrison couldn't believe his eyes. Antonio Stradivari was an instrument maker back in the early 1700s. His instruments were considered the best ever made. Many people would argue that even today, the sound quality and precision cannot be matched. That's why they go for millions of dollars," Harrison explained.
"You're either the luckiest man alive or I don't know what you are," Harrison said to the guest while checking out the instrument. However, Harrison had his doubts as the chances for the guest to find such a valuable instrument, abandoned in an attic, were next to impossible. "I don't think it's a Stradivarius. Every Stradivarius has been accounted for. The date's completely wrong. Stradivarius died long before 1763. But his kids carried on, they made some more. I'm 99% sure this is a copy," Harrison said before asking for the price. "If it's a real one, if I could get a million for it," the guest said in response.
Harrison then decided to call in his expert to put an end to the debate. The expert acknowledged that finding a real Stradivarius violin in an attic would be nothing short of a miracle. "Antonio Stradivari gave us the modern violin essentially. He improved upon the sound; he gave the instrument more power," he explained. He then went on to examine the instrument closely to make sure it was real or not. "What I'm gonna do next is get a little feel of the style of the instrument inside. This is really interesting. I think I might have found something," the expert said before telling Harrison and the guest that the violin was a copy.
"My conclusion is that this violin is a copy of a Stradivari, and it was made around 1920 in either Germany or Czechoslovakia," he told the guest. When Kenneth asked what it meant, the expert added that the instrument wasn't worth a million dollars but about $500, at best, given its condition.
Despite the expert's verdict, the seller was hopeful to make a sale as he asked Harrison how much he was willing to pay. "Nothing. For me to buy it off you, fix it up, and try and resell it, it's just not gonna happen. It's a losing proposition all the way down the line," Harrison said in response.
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