'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison plays hardball to buy American Revolution document for $5,000
"Pawn Stars" often features documents and memorabilia signed by former American Presidents as well as famous personalities. But while he buys weird items, Rick Harrison isn't always willing to pay a high price unless the artifact is what he calls a 'holy grail.' He once came across a framed document with signatures of John Hancock and Abel Boynton, two prominent figures in the American Revolution, and refused to let it go. While the seller got an appraisal of $10,000 to $15,000 for it, Harrison managed to snag the item for just $5,000.
The seller, Lisa, brought the rare document to Harrison's table, looking to make a profit. "I inherited it from my dad. Since it's signed by John Hancock, I know. It's got to be worth a lot of money," she said in her interview. Upon looking at the item, Harrison noted that the document was to commission Abel Boynton as a captain in the militia, possibly during the American Revolution.
Harrison noted that Hancock's signature was probably the most famous in the country, as it was on the Declaration of Independence as well. "I had another Hancock document come in a while ago, but we couldn't make a deal, and I've been kicking myself ever since," Harrison admitted in his interview. Harrison then talked about the document with Lisa, and before asking for the price, he decided to call in an expert to make sure it was the real deal. "I'm just crossing my fingers that it checks out because I'm dying to make an offer," Harrison said.
Harrison then brought in Dana, the president of Early American History Auctions Inc., to check out the document. As soon as Dana looked at the document, he realized how important it was. "Let's take a little closer look. It's dated the 17th day of September, 1787. This is John Avery, secretary," Dana noted. After noticing that it was addressed to Boynton, the expert was blown away. "Wow! This document is more important than perhaps you have any idea," he said. Dana then explained that it was Abel Boynton who came under fire from the British, and he potentially started the Revolutionary War. "This document is giving him a captain's commission later on, probably for his earlier Services during the Revolutionary War," the expert noted. He told Harrison that the document with the two signatures could bring $10,000 to $15,000 from a collector.
"I had no idea I was holding on to something that could be worth that much money," Lisa said as soon as the expert left. She told Harrison that she would be happy to let it go for $8,000. However, Harrison argued that he would have to take the risk of putting it on auction and pay all sorts of fees. Thus, he made a lowball offer of $4,000 for the item. After some haggling, the two settled on $5,000 to close the deal.
"I'm so happy I got five thousand dollars for it. I know my dad would be so happy and excited for me," Lisa expressed in the end.
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