On Pawn Stars a woman came into the shop with a spider brooch. She’s hoped to get $2,000. Rick said he’d love to pay her $2,000, but he has a conscience. He offered her $15,000 for it (which she took, after trying to get more).
Curious, I found this Fabergé spider brooch, which looks similar. It sold at auction for $1,700 plus $382.50 buyer’s premium.
Question: How much are these things worth? Did Rick screw himself? Or did the auction winner get an incredible deal? (I’m guessing the former, but I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.)
Don’t know much about that particular item, but the one you link to has pretty crap diamonds. JKL colour, SI (which means you can see faults with the naked eye). I would have expected better quality diamonds for Faberge, so perhaps this is a repro, or hers was better quality>
Ah. I didn’t notice that since my search was on Fabergé; and since the one on the show came in a Fabergé box, I assumed the ‘fitted wooden box’ mentioned in the auction was the same.
I could be wrong on this but I’d wager that if Rick had screwed himself then the show’s producers would have made sure to show that fact later in the show. The fact that they didn’t is a pretty good reason to accept that Rick and probably the customer as well got something resembling a fair deal.
This one caught my attention as well. I know Russian coins and Russian silver better than jewelry but I thought he overpaid. Possibly he took a shot because of the cameras - the advertising value they ad to the value of the stuff he buys and his ability to resell it. I could see someone calling or visiting the store and saying “I want that pin I saw on your show” no matter how overpriced. And even if they don’t, look at the number of customers that airing will bring in. Win win for him.
Their business model seems to be, “buy for one-third the value, sell for two-thirds”. Not a bad plan - people coming to that kind of an operation are looking for a quick sale, and the buyer and seller ultimately make about the same on the deal. If you have the time to go about selling the goods through more formal channels, you can get more - but you have to wait for it.
Based on the two-thirds/one-third rule in this case, I’d guess the value of the broach was probably $40K-50K. If she sent it off to Southeby’s, she’d clear 30 or so on it. But that would take months.
History Channel was running a marathon on this show yesterday. I hadn’t seen it before, but got thoroughly hooked on it.
Similiar Brooches sell at Chrities rarely for 500,000 to 2.5 million
Sapphire, Diamond, Ruby, Silver, Gold Brooch, RussianThe brooch, designed as a spider, features a round-cut sapphire measuring approximately 5.50 - 5.55 mm, enhanced by round-cut sapphires, accented by round-cut rubies all set in 14k pink gold, further enhanced by single and full-cut diamonds weighing a total of approximately 0.75 carat, set in silver. The brooch is accompanied by a fitted wooden box. Russian hallmarks evident. Gross weight 34.20 grams.Dimensions: 2-1/2 inches x 2-7/8 inches Condition Report: BroochDiamondsAverage Color: JKLAverage Clarity: SI, IShapes; Round, Single-cutDiamond Count: 76-100Colored Gemstones: Ruby, SapphireShapes: RoundGemstone Count: 1-25Notes: Stamped 56 (14k Russia)
If you watched the episode with the brooch, it was much bigger, and more elaborate. (And like the others, I see no markings whatsoever)
(Also, I don’t believe Rick would’ve cheated her. People seem to get this idea that Pawn Stars are “omg, they’re CHEATING EVERYONE THEY’RE SO CROOKED!!!” but they have to make a profit too.)
Unless someone can direct me to an image of a spider with markings by Faberge, I’m gonna assume our new friend, umalumni2002, who hasn’t been back since bring this up a few days ago, is talking through his hat.
The times that I have been to pawn shops the stuff they sell is way overpriced, to the point that it doesn’t even seem worth bargaining. Are they really going to negotiate 50% off their prices, or are they just waiting for idiots to come in the store?