The Most Expensive Band Memorabilia Seen On Pawn Stars
Over the years, the Pawn Stars have had some very rare and expensive items come and go through their historic, family-run World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas. Some of their most valuable commodities have come in the form of band memorabilia. Family members, friends, acquaintances, fans, and, in some cases, legendary musicians themselves have brought in items that have made for some of the best episodes of the show.
Pawn dealer and shop co-owner Rick Harrison has usually been the one to negotiate with the owners who bring in the music items. In many cases, he's consulted with experts who've helped evaluate the items' authenticity, helping him to gain some bargaining power in hopes of acquiring musical history. Some of the best band memorabilia to be featured on the show have been the guitars — both in good condition and smashed — along with many other items, from an '80s planner to the holy grail of contracts. Here's some of the most expensive band memorabilia seen on Pawn Stars.
A gold record signed by KISS (up to $1,500)
In episode 3 of Season 8, "One Way Ticket," the owner of an autographed gold record from the legendary makeup-sporting band KISS walked through the doors of the shop hoping to make a golden deal. The record was RIAA-certified and had autographs from all four original members of the band. He received the item from his uncle, who worked for KISS in the printing department. Rick explained how huge KISS were in the '70s due to their musical hits and marketing strategies.
The album, which was painted gold (as are all gold-certified albums) was kept in a glass case, which the Pawn Stars inspected to determine a good price. Rick decided to call up an expert to check out the signatures and make sure it was real. Steve Grad, principal authenticator PSA/DNA, came to check out the ink on the record, which came back as authentic. The owner was hoping to get $3,500, but Steve estimated the value to be between $1,200 and $1,500. No deal was made, and the owner left with his memorabilia.
A signed Red Hot Chili Peppers album ($2,000)
In "Bucking Bronco," Season 11, episode 11, an owner brought in a rare signed copy of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' self-titled debut album from 1984. The owner, dressed in a colorful suit as wild as the album art, said he'd received the album from a club promoter in South Carolina who'd interviewed the band and asked for their autographs. Rick, a big fan of the Chili Peppers, explained how he loved their sound, which consists of many genres, including punk rock, blues, metal, and rap.
After talking music, Rick joked about the owner's bizarre clothing, saying, "I'm assuming you want to sell [the album] ... since you gotta' pay for that suit." The owner laughed before coming back with a suitable suggestion of his own with $2,500. Rick was concerned that the album might not be worth as much because the band is still around, and the autographs were written on both sides, which would make it hard to display. After an expert came in to look at it, they made an appraisal of $2,000. The Pawn Stars went down to $1,100, and the silly suit owner accepted the offer.
Concert posters from San Francisco in the '60s ($2,000)
A man with some groovy band memorabilia from the '60s made his way to the busy shop to see if he could make some cash in the fourth-season premiere "Evil Genius." The Pawn Stars looked through some psychedelic-looking concert posters from San Francisco, featuring some of classic rock's greatest bands such as The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin. While looking through the trippy posters, Rick was audibly impressed, mentioning how they were an important part of the hippie movement and American history.
Rick knew he'd have a lot of work to do if he bought the posters from the owner. With 24 of them in total, it could take a couple of years to make a profit, but Rick couldn't let such rare items leave the shop. The owner was looking to sell them for $3,500, and the lowest he would go was $2,200. Rick made an initial offer of $2,000, which was a little low for the owner. After some quick bargaining, the owner agreed to sell and walked away with $2,125.
Aerosmith tour shirts (up to $2,400)
In the fifth episode of Season 10, "Pawn Apocalypse," an owner connected to rock history walked into the shop with vintage Aerosmith shirts from their 1978 tour. The owner was Ray Tabano, Aerosmith's original guitarist, who later served as their marketing director. The shirts were made for one show only, played at the Boston Garden. One of the shirts was designed by both Tabano and Steven Tyler and included both their names on the tag. The other shirt, featuring the logo surrounded by the band's signatures, was considered "too poppy" by the band and was soon discarded.
Tabano asked for $3,000 for both shirts, which prompted Rick to call an expert to get a more accurate price. In came rock 'n' roll memorabilia expert Warwick Stone. He estimated the price of the custom Tyler shirt to be between $300 and $400, while the signed shirt could go from $1,500 to $2,000. Tabano was offered $1,000 for both Aerosmith items but was able to move the price up and make a deal for $1,100.
A rare signed AC/DC album ($5,000)
In "RC/DC," the third episode of Season 11, an owner brought the Pawn Stars a signed copy of AC/DC's Let There Be Rock. The album was signed by all the original band members, making it much more valuable. Rather than having Rick look at the rock item, Chumlee took over and evaluated it. The owner was hoping for $10,000 after getting it from a garage sale. Steve was called in to authenticate the album and looked at each member's signature. He was impressed with the item and noted how rare it was due to its signatures from all the original members.
After a careful evaluation, Steve authenticated it and estimated the price to be $5,000. The owner wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked for $7,000, still above the estimated price. The Pawn Stars counteroffered with $3,000, a number way too low for the owner. After trying to bargain, the owner stood firm with his number and decided to leave.
A smashed KISS guitar (up to $8,000)
The Pawn Stars looked at a smashed guitar from KISS frontman Paul Stanley in episode 7 of Season 11, "The Smoking Gun." Very few guitars are worth more than their original selling price after being used, and when it comes to a broken guitar, you'll usually get nothing. However, when it comes to a smashed guitar played by a legend, the price goes up tremendously. While at a concert in the late '70s, the owner of the guitar pulled out his camera but was told to put it away by bodyguards. At the end of the show, Stanley gave the guitar to the owner after smashing it true rock 'n' roll style.
The owner was hoping to sell the smashed Gibson Marauder, along with a ticket from the show and a signed Paul Stanley guitar pick, for $7,000. The owner even had a picture of himself holding the guitar the year he received it. The Pawn Stars brought in expert Jesse Amoroso, who, unfortunately, couldn't rock out on the owner's historic guitar this time around. Jesse looked it over carefully and went with a price of $7,000 to $8,000. The Pawn Stars started their bargain at $5,500, a number just too low for the owner. After the Pawn Stars wouldn't go any higher, the owner decided to hold on to the historic smashed guitar and walked.
Madonna's daily planner (up to $12,000)
In "Pawn Another Day," Season 13, episode 18, the Pawn Stars were able to look at Madonna's daily planner from 1988. The owner purchased the planner at an auction house and felt like he should sell it so that a true Madonna fan could have it one day. The planner had the phone numbers of stars like Cher, Jane Fonda, Bruce Willis, and Pee-wee Herman, as well as Madonna's former husband Sean Penn's name circled in hearts. The owner was looking for $25,000, a price he felt was justified. Pawn Star Corey Harrison wasn't sure if it was fair, so he had an expert come to see it for himself.
When Steve arrived, he explained how hard it can be to even get an autograph from Madonna — the pop star isn't one for giving out lots of autographs and likes having her space to herself. After studying Madonna's handwriting, he was able to verify it and come up with a price of $10,000 to $12,000. The owner shook his head and knew it was too low of an appraisal. Things got heated when he was offered $4,000 for the pop star's planner. He stuck to his guns and explained how he'd been offered more money in the past. "It's insulting, to be honest with you," said the owner. The Pawn Stars realized they wouldn't be able to make a deal in their range, prompting both parties to go their separate ways.
Vic Flick's 1961 Fender Stratocaster guitar (up to $70,000)
In episode 11 of season 12, an owner with an impressive history brought in a guitar played by some of the biggest names in classic rock. The item was a 1961 Fender Stratocaster and belonged to English guitarist Vick Flick, who's played for artists such as Nancy Sinatra, Tom Jones, and the Beatles and has played on soundtracks for films like the James Bond classic Goldfinger. Flick may not be a household name, but his work is legendary, and one of his guitars carries a high value.
Rick was interested but had to request the help of guitar expert Jesse Amoroso to evaluate its price. Jesse happened to know of Flick's work and went on to explain how he'd been an advisor and teacher to Led Zeppelin's guitarist Jimmy Page. Amoroso plugged it in and played some licks in front of Rick and Flick that sounded kind of sick without even using a pick. The price came out to be an estimated $60,000 to $70,000. Rick was sold and offered Flick $55,000. After a few moments of thinking it over, Flick accepted and walked away with money in his pocket.
Stephen Stills' guitar ($105,000)
An owner of Stephen Stills' 1941 Gibson J-200 guitar walked into the shop to see the Pawn Stars in Season 10's 23rd episode, "Smarty Pants." Stills played for Buffalo Springfield and wrote the famous '60s hit song "For What it's Worth." The rock legend also co-founded the classic rock supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and was the first person to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for two bands on the same night.
As Rick looked it over, the owner brought out the bill of sale from the case, which added to its authenticity and gave it extra bang for its buck. The owner asked for $110,000 for the guitar, which made Rick bring in his expert Jesse to evaluate it. Jesse explained how the model of guitar stopped being made right before World War II then looked at its condition, which he considered good. The Pawn Stars said they'd pay $85,000, which the owner accepted.
Mary Ford's 1961 Gibson SG Les Paul guitar ($150,000)
In "Les is More," the 18th episode of Season 5, the Pawn Stars met Les Paul's nephew, who brought in a 1961 Gibson SG Les Paul guitar. Even more impressive, the guitar was owned and played by Mary Ford, Les Paul's wife. Rick knew right away that the value could go through the roof. Les Paul was a legend and was an innovator in the world of guitars by helping create the modern rock sound with his solid-body designs. Mary Ford played rhythm guitar with her husband, and together, they had over a dozen number-one hits.
The owner brought paperwork full of contracts and personal letters along with the guitar. After having Jesse Amoroso look at the guitar, he determined that it had been through quite a bit over the years, having an input jack repair and a re-fret, all common for a guitar of its age. And of course, Jesse had to use his common excuse of making sure the guitar was still working so that he could plug in and play a piece of rock history for the people in the shop. After the evaluation, it was appraised at $150,000. Rick tried to buy it for $85,000, but that was too low. They bargained until reaching a price of $90,000, leaving the owner with a nice check and Rick with an iconic guitar to add to his collection.
The contract between the Beatles and Brian Epstein ($500,000)
In episode 6 of Season 9, "Can't Buy Me Love," a man brought the Pawn Stars one of the most important documents in rock 'n' roll history: the contract between the Beatles and manager Brian Epstein. After hearing the Beatles play at a record store in 1962, Epstein became the manager of the biggest rock band in history. The contract stated that Epstein would receive 25 percent of all royalties and would become their manager on October 1, 1962. It also featured signatures from the original four members, as well as two signatures from members' parents since they weren't of legal age to sign it themselves.
Rick brought in expert Steve Grad to look over the contract and check the signatures to make sure it was real. He looked at every signature, comparing them to others in his database. After some lengthy work, Steve was able to authenticate the piece and give it an estimated value of $500,000. The owner asked for $1 million, but Rick and Steve had to go lower due to the contract having not been sold at higher prices at previous auctions and raffles. Rick made an offer of $350,000 in hopes of getting the owner to agree. As you might have guessed, there was no way he was going to accept an offer so low. After Rick wouldn't raise the price, the owner decided to walk, and Rick lost out on a very important piece of band memorabilia.
Jimi Hendrix's 1963 Fender Stratocaster guitar (up to $1 million)
In "Purple Haze," Season 9's 18th episode, the Pawn Stars were shown another very historic, very famous guitar — one that belonged to arguably the greatest classic rock guitarist of all time. Rick's eyes lit up as the owner opened the guitar case. He was staring at Jimi Hendrix's 1963 Fender Stratocaster guitar, which was valued at $750,000. Hendrix was left-handed but actually played his guitars as a righty and strung them upside down to match his feel. The rock star would practically make the guitar an extension of his body, sometimes physically bending it as he played certain notes.
As Rick picked up the Stratocaster, the owner explained how it was mainly played when Hendrix was in the studio, calling it his favorite recording ax. It was played on several records before it was given to the chief engineer of Juggy Sound Studio. After his passing, the owner and his associate received it, along with a signed document from Hendrix's brother. The legendary guitar was given an appraisal of $750,000, with the potential of being sold for up to $1,000,000! However, Rick went low and offered the owner $550,000, an insult of an offer which led to no deal.