'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison geeks out on Val Kilmer's 'Top Gun' jacket and agrees to pay $17,000
"Pawn Stars" boss Rick Harrison isn't particularly generous when it comes to business, as he always keeps his eyes on profits, no matter how significant an artifact or collectible is. Several props from Hollywood movies have made their way to his pawn shop, and one of them was Val Kilmer's uniform from the iconic "Top Gun." When Harrison saw the suit, he was so impressed that he agreed to shell out $17,000 to get a piece of the "Top Gun" memorabilia.
In the episode, the guest named Randall brought the item to Harrison's shop looking to make a sale. "I got the Val Kilmer 'Top Gun' screen-worn uniform from the original movie," he told the pawn boss as he put the item on his table. "The Iceman! I'm super impressed!" Harrison said in response. The guest further shared that the suit was worn by the actor toward the end of the movie. "That is a graduation scene at the pool. Val Kilmer was Top Gun. Tom Cruise came in second, but it was all right at the end. They were still friends," Harrison explained. He then asked the guest where he got the suit from.
"I've had it in my collection for about 20-plus years. It came from one of the major auction houses. It is stamped Western Prop inside the collar," Randall shared. Harrison noted that the suit looked like it had been framed up from day one. Randall added that it came with all the paperwork as well, but he didn't have it on him at the time.
"I know a lot of their stuff they framed up and put in their building and things like that, and I know they sold a lot of it. So I mean, that makes sense," Harrison noted. He then asked for the price, and Randall told him it would be $50,000. Hearing the number, Harrison decided to contact his expert, Hollywood Property Master, Hope M Parrish.
Harrison showed her the suit over a video call, and she confirmed that it was authentic. She added that everything looked right on the suit, including the bars on the outside, the initials on the interior, and the logo of Western Costumes at the back. "And this very possibly could have been on the walls of Western Costume or possibly in Jerry Bruckheimer's office, one never knows. I think you have an authentic screen-worn jacket worn by Val Kilmer," she told Harrison. Coming to the appraisal, Parrish noted that Val Kilmer was very popular and collectors would be willing to pay about $30,000 for the item.
After the call, Harrison got down to business and put forward a lowball offer in his signature style. "I'd give you like $15,000 for it," he told Randall. The seller countered with $25,000, but Harrison refused. "Can get you up a little bit? Make me feel good," Randall asked. Harrison then went up to $16,000, and the seller countered again with $17,500. In the end, Harrison made a final offer of $17,000 and Randall accepted.
"Great! We've got a deal," the seller said in the end, and he and Harrison walked down together to seal the deal and do the paperwork.
