'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison spends a whopping $9,000 on a tiny book called 'Dance of Death'
"Pawn Stars" boss Rick Harrison is notoriously stingy while negotiating a price for artifacts and other vintage items that he hopes to resell for a profit. Hence, when he does splurge on something, it has to be something really special. He once did so for a book that was nearly out of this world. When the pawn shop boss's book guy, Adam, brought a 16th-century book called the "Dance of Death" to him, Harrison wasn't sure whether he should buy it. However, when his book expert, Rebecca Romney, told him that it was the real deal, he agreed to pay a whopping $9,500 for the tiny book.
Adam first told Harrison, "I brought you one of the most positive and uplifting books. I've ever brought you, 'The Dance of Death' from 1547." After opening the book, Harrison noted that it was a book basically about pictures of the angel of death. However, it was a great piece in good condition. "For a book as beautiful as this, I think collectors from all walks of life are going to be interested," Adam noted.
Harrison noted that it was printed in wood blocks, and Adam told him that it was actually made by one of the famous artists of the Renaissance period, Hans Holbein, who was the court painter to Henry VIII. After learning all about the book from the seller, Harrison asked him for the price. When he told the pawn shop boss that he was looking for $10,000, Harrison wasted no time calling his expert.
Upon walking in, Romney was awestruck by the book. "It's amazing. It's beautiful. And, Rick, this is officially my favorite book that you've had me look at," she said. She explained that the 14th century for mankind was particularly grim due to all the famines, the Black Death, and other disasters. "And, as a result, you get this culture that starts looking at their mortality differently. Death is everywhere. We're not getting away from it," Romney explained.
Further examining the book, she noted that the images were timeless. Coming to the value of the item, Romney told Harrison that he could easily get $16,000 for the book, given its condition and appeal. She even told him that he could get more than that if he found the right buyer.
When the expert left, Harrison wasn't happy as he knew he couldn't lowball Adam anymore. Thus, he made a decent offer of $9,000, just a thousand less than the asking price. However, Adam asked Harrison to meet him in the middle and seal the deal for $9,500. "I have bought a lot of books from you and I have made money on every one. So you got a deal, bud," Harrison said before shaking hands.
In the end, Adam expressed that he was happy to get $9,500, as it was really close to what he had asked for. "I'm going to take this $9,500 and instead of focusing on death, I'm going to be celebrating life," he joked in the end.
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