'Pawn Stars' seller left heartbroken after a painting she bought for $12,000 turned out to be fake
"Pawn Stars" sellers are usually expecting Rick Harrison to give them a hard time to make a good small fortune on their collectibles and artworks. But sometimes, things get tricky when it comes to getting items authenticated. While most of the time the experts deliver good news, in one episode, a seller named Susan was left disappointed after her Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec painting turned out to be fake.
In the episode, Susan brought the painting to Harrison's table, claiming she got it from a thrift store. "I'm at the pawn shop today to sell my 1893 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec poster. It is in great condition and it's never been removed from the frame," she said in her interview.
Upon learning about the poster's origin, Harrison noted that it could be significant. "He was an amazing illustrator. He did some of the original posters for the Moulin Rouge. He ended up passing away really young, he was in his 30s," the pawn boss shared. He further noted that such great artists sold their posters on the streets of Paris, and they sold mostly on word of mouth.
He then asked Susan for the price, and she told him that she was looking to get $12,000 for the item. Harrison told Susan that he had spent some time in the print industry, and he could see that there were some condition issues with the item. Furthermore, he had his apprehensions about the item being a reprint as well. Thus, he decided to call in his expert, Andrew England, to take a look at the poster.
Upon walking in, England noted that the poster was a fabulous piece. "It's clearly on the fantastic Trek. This piece is only a couple of years into his poster career because the Moulin Rouge was 1891, which was his big and most famous poster, and this is 1893," he noted. He then asked Harrison about the concerns he had, to which the pawn boss said, "I just don't know if it's real."
England then noted that there were only 30 original pieces, so they are quite rare to come by. He noted that he has handled the artwork several times in the past, and it can go for as much as $30,000. However, he told Harrison that the original pieces measure 31 inches by 24 inches, and if the item measured the same, it would be the real deal.
Unfortunately for Susan, when England measured the poster, it did not match the specifications of the original artwork. "This one does appear to be significantly smaller than it should be. So this, unfortunately, is a reproduction," he told the seller and Harrison. The pawn shop boss was quick to call off the deal, and Susan was left disappointed.
"Don't stop your travels to the thrift shops, you eventually find a treasure," Harrison told Susan as she picked up the poster from the counter.
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