Pawn Stars

Pawn Stars
File:PawnStarsLogo.jpg From left: Corey, Rick and Richard Harrison.
Starring	Rick Harrison Corey Harrison Richard Harrison
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	25
Production
Production locations	Nevada, United States
Running time	23 minutes
Original release
Network	History
Release	July 26, 2009

Pawn Stars (also known as Pawn Star$) is an American reality television series appearing on the American cable TV network the History Channel. Produced in Manhattan by Leftfield Pictures, the series is filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicles the daily activities at the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop, a family business operated by patriarch Richard Harrison, who opened the shop decades previously, his son Rick Harrison, and Rick's son Corey, who has worked there since childhood, and who is being groomed to one day take over the shop. The show debuted on July 26, 2009 and it presently airs on Mondays at 10pm Eastern Time. Two episodes are aired in an hour block.

The series depicts the staff's interactions with customers, who bring in a variety of various artifacts to sell or pawn, and who are shown haggling over the price, with narration provided by Rick and Corey. The series also follows the interpersonal conflicts between Richard, Rick and Corey. Corey's friend Austin "Chumlee" Russel, another employee of the shop, also appears in show segments.

Cast

• Rick Harrison The boss at the pawn shop, nicknamed "The Appraiser". He is co-owner of the shop, and closes most of the deals on the show.
• Corey Harrison Rick's son, nicknamed "Big Hoss." Rick is grooming him as the boss of the pawn shop, but often comes into conflict with his father over his knowledge of the shop's inventory, his abilities as a manager and his judgment in buying expensive items.
• Richard Harrison Rick's father and owner of the pawn shop. He is often referred to as "The Old Man."
• Austin "Chumlee" Russel Corey's friend, who's worked at the shop for the past several years. He does behind-the-counter work at the shop, such as testing the items and loading them. He is often the butt of the others' jokes for his perceived lack of intelligence and competence. As Corey describes Chumlee's place in the shop in the series premiere, "He's the village idiot, but he's my village idiot."
• Peaches A female staffperson. In one episode, she is punished for her habitual tardiness by being put on the graveyard shift with Chumlee, who harbors an unrequited affection for her.

Format

The format of Pawn Stars involves either Rick or Corey narrating a segment in which a customer brings in an object to pawn or sell, then explaining the historical facts behind the object. Whoever is evaluating the object goes over potential value with the customer, interspersed with an interview in which he explains the basis of his decision to the viewer. A price tag graphic at the bottom corner of the screen provides the ever-changing dollar amount as the two negotiate over the item at hand. When Rick or Corey are unable to evaluate an object, they consult with a knowledgeable expert who can evaluate it to determine its authenticity and potential value, and in the case of items needing repair, the cost of restoring them. Following that, they are shown haggling over price with the customer (except in the case of objects needing restoration, which Rick usually purchases in advance, taking a risk on the cost of restoration). Each episode features several such segments which can run concurrently with each other or in sequence.

Interactions between the employees are occasionally shown, including interpersonal conflicts over the running of the shop. Some examples include:

• The Old Man setting up a "cuss jar," to which any employee caught using foul language must contribute $1. The jar filled rapidly due to the frequent profanity in the shop.
• Peaches placed on the graveyard shift due to her habitual tardiness.
• Corey accepted a challenge by Rick to be on his knowledge of the shop's merchandise. The Old Man, acting as judge, decided that Corey had failed and then put Rick on graveyard as well, for conducting the test without his permission.
• Rick hired his niece Kristen to work at the shop, then offering to give Corey a raise if he could train her to distinguish a Rolex watch from a fake; she succeeded.
• The Old Man bought a coin not realizing it was a rare "Carson City" dollar because he couldn't see the "CC" notation. Rick and Corey then persuaded him to go to the eye doctor.
• Rick and Corey secretly restored the Old Man's prized 1966 Chrysler Imperial, explaining its absence by telling him that they had sold it without his permission to a customer intending to convert it into a low-rider, much to his anger.

Series overview

Season		Episodes	Season Premiere	Season Finale
	1	14	July 19, 2009	September 27, 2009
	2		November 30, 2009

Episodes

Season 1

Ep #	Total	Title	Airdate
1	1	"Boom or Bust"	July 19, 2009 (2009-07-19)
An 18th Century cannon that could be worth up to $40,000 must be authenticated with a test firing. A woodworker looks to pawn his 1.5 ton table saw to stay in business, but moving it back to the shop proves challenging. A former casino employee tries to sell his replica Roman armor suit to Corey and Chumlee. Richard gets an eye exam after his ability to discern detail in some of the store's items is called into question.
2	2	"Confederate Conundrum"	July 19, 2009 (2009-07-19)
Items presented to the shop include a 1861 Civil War saber whose unsharpened blade gives Rick cause for doubt, an autographed Chuck Berry Fender guitar, and a 1916 National Cash Register.
3	3	"Sink or Sell"	July 26, 2009 (2009-07-26)
Corey angers his father and grandfather after he buys a 1984 Chris-Craft boat without testing it first. Other items brought into the shop include an 1849 colt revolver, a rare 1954 Gretsch Guitar whose owner says was used by Robert Duvall in the 1983 film Tender Mercies, and a set of three 1967 Salvador Dali artist's proof woodcut prints.
4	4	"Knights in Fake Armor?"	July 26, 2009 (2009-07-26)
Items brought into the shop include an old tabletop Pac-Man video game, a medieval jousting helmet, and a 1884 Trap Door rifle that the Harrisons test in the hopes that it still fires.
5	5	"Gangsters & Guitars"	August 2, 2009 (2009-08-02)
After purchacing a 1961 Lincoln Continental, the cost to redo the interior may break their investment. Later a seller comes in with a Gibson L-7 guitar who claims it was once played for Al Capone on his birthday. Other items include Confederate money and an Atari 2600 home video game console.
6	6	"Damn Yankees"	August 2, 2009 (2009-08-02)
Items brought into the shop include a baseball autographed by the 1951 World Series Champion New York Yankees that needs to be authenticated, 25-piece Knights of the Round Table chess set cast in pewter, and a 1909 West Point Cadet jacket owned by a World War II general.
7	7	"Brothels & Busses"	August 9, 2009 (2009-08-09)
A man looking to buy an engagement ring brings in a 1750's blunderbuss gun. Also included is a fighter jet ejection seat claimed to be from World War II, a collection of Vegas autographs that once belonged to a brothel owner, and a 1966 Schwinn Sting-Ray bicycle.
8	8	"Time Machines"	August 16, 2009 (2009-08-16)
Rick buys a 1950's Coca Cola machine that he hopes he can refurbish to turn a profit. Corey is offered an 18th Century flintlock pistol that he needs to authenticate. Rick is presented with a 1941 Philco Radio.
9	9	"Rope a Dope"	August 23, 2009 (2009-08-23)
Items presented to the Harrisons include a 1929 Chopped Ford Coupe. A cowboy wants to sell his mechanical calf-roping machine. Rick and Richard are forced to address Peaches' habitual lateness.
10	10	"Rick's Big Bet"	August 30, 2009 (2009-08-30)
Rick gets a 1930s gas pump restored. Later he considers buying German bayonets from WWII, but is concerned that they may have been modified. After Corey's knowledge of the shop's inventory is called into question, Rick offers to give him a $2,500 bonus if he passes a quiz, and place him on the graveyard shift if he fails.
11	11	"John Hancock's Hancock"	September 6, 2009 (2009-09-06)
Items brought into the shop include a document claimed to have been signed by John Hancock, and a bullwhip whose owner says was used by Harrison Ford in one of the Indiana Jones films. The purchase of a stolen item by one of the staff results in a visit by the police, and a test given to Corey and Chumlee by Rick.
12	12	"Plane Crazy"	September 13, 2009 (2009-09-13)
Rick sees an opportunity to buy an airplane, a customer brings a map of Boston from the 1700's, and Chumlee gets training in art after buying a fake etching.
13	13	"Peaches & Pinups"	September 20, 2009 (2009-09-20)
Items brought into the shop include a wooden crossbow that hasn't been fired in almost 40 years, and a collection of Playboy magazines that belonged to the owner's husband. Rick tries to sell a couple one of the shop's most prized items, an Ormolu clock, aka "The Death Clock."
14	14	"Old Man's Gamble"	September 27, 2009 (2009-09-27)
Can a 1979 KISS pinball machine still "Rock 'n Roll All Nite" or will Corey not party after the deal? A woman brings in a 1914 $20 bill that is a star note, which stumps Rick. A 1982 Harley Davidson shovel-head entices Chumlee, but he must race to raise the cash first before the Old Man sells it off.

Season 2

Ep #	Total	Title	Airdate
1	15	"Fired Up"	November 30, 2009 (2009-11-30)
Rick's doctor has informed him that he is suffering from too much stress. Items brought into the shop include a 17th century musketoon, and a wooden airplane propeller that may have been a gift from Charles Lindbergh.
2	16	"Sharks and Cobras"	November 30, 2009 (2009-11-30)
Rick takes a gamble on a World War II-era chronometer, while another customer could make out big with what he believes is an authentic, rare 1965 Shelby Cobra bodyframe.
3	17	"Old Man's Booty"	December 7, 2009 (2009-12-07)
Items brought into the shop include a set of pre-World War II trench knives, and a locked treasure chest whose contents are unknown. Rick and Big Hoss secretly take the Old Man's prized 1966 Chrysler Imperial to have it restored as a 50th wedding anniversary gift, though they tell him that they sold it to a customer who wanted to convert it into a low-rider.
4	18	"A Shot and a Shave"	December 7, 2009 (2009-12-07)
Items brought into the shop include a 1845 Harpers Ferry musket, a quilt covered with hundreds of celebrity signatures, artifacts from the South Pole, and a 1950s barber's chair that causes Rick to reminisce of days gone by.
5	19	"Hot Air Buffoon"	December 14, 2009 (2009-12-14)
Items brought into the shop include a pair of rare 1925 McKenzie handcuffs, a bottle of Prohibition-era whiskey, and a Gibson Les Paul guitar whose seller claims is from 1960, but whose true date Rick feels is uncertain. To expand the shop's inventory, Corey buys a hot air balloon for $38,000, much to the dismay of his father, who requires Corey to consult him first when spending more than $10,000 on an item.
6	20	"Steaks at Stake"	December 14, 2009 (2009-12-14)
Items brought into the shop include some Colonial era coat buttons, a collection of Montie Montana memorabilia, an antique comptometer and a Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa motorcycle. Upset over dwindling profit margins, Richard offers a steak dinner and $500 prize to whomever exhibits the highest profit margin by the end of the month.
7	21	"A Christmas Special"	December 21, 2009 (2009-12-21)
In this clip episode, as Rick, Corey and Chumlee prepare to be taken out by a grumpy Richard to a surprise location to celebrate Christmas, they reminisce about the purchases they've made over the course of the past year.
8	22	"Secret Santa"	December 21, 2009 (2009-12-21)
Items brought into the shop include American Revolutionary War-era currency printed by Benjamin Franklin, a 18th Century battleaxe and a 1950 ship's camera.
9	23	"Pawn Shop Pinot"	December 21, 2009 (2009-12-21)
Items brought into the shop include a 16th Century replica signal cannon, a Volvo semi truck, an antique 19th Century demijohn that Chumlee promptly uses to make his own foot-crushed wine, and a 1923 Louis Vuitton trunk.
10	24	"Bikes and Blades"	December 27, 2009 (2009-12-27)
Items brought into the shop include a 19th Century miniature reproduction of a 16th Century suit of armor, a 1940 quartermaster's spyglass, and a set of knives that the seller says his grandfather smuggled back from World War II. Corey looks at a customized 1996 Harley Road King motorcycle, whose paint job may limit its range of potential customers.
11	25	"Rick's Bad Day"	December 27, 2009 (2009-12-27)
Items brought into the shop include a Le Coultre "perpetual motion" clock, a pair of halberd axes, a prisoner's ball and chain, a Ford's Theater playbill for the night of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, and an antique potty chair. A number of unfortunate events, from bad purchases to multiple mishaps involving destroyed merchandise, make it a bad day for Rick and the others.

External links

• Official site
• The Gold and Silver Pawn Shop's official site