Rick Dale would have probably kept the original parts. I was surprised that Pawn Stars didn’t use Rick Dale’s shop. I wonder if they are upset he got his own show (American Restoration)?
After 22 years in the business I am not surprised at all that they have a lot of experts they can tap into it. I bet they have a rolodex full of these guys, its pretty much a necessity for the type of business they have.
I didn’t see that episode, but I’ve seen them do that for other things.
Granted, there are tell-tales that would indicate something isn’t what it is purported to be. Those would be evidence the document is a fake. But saying that something isn’t exactly like other known examples is less solid IMO. ‘Bobby Kennedy never wrote anything in Burnt Umber Crayola. Therefore, this is not genuine.’ It doesn’t matter that the seller was actually there when Bobby Kennedy did not, for some reason, have a working pen, and used the only writing instrument that was available, and the seller watched him use it. ‘Bobby Kennedy never wrote in crayon, so it can’t be real.’
When the expert makes these conclusions, he’s basically saying that an unknown document [that is different from other examples] can’t be real because it is unknown. It might very well be a fake, or it might very well be a case of mistaken identity. But AFAIK there is no rule that celebrities shall always make everything they write conform to accepted standards.
Yeah, they probably shouldn’t say it is defintively a fake, however, what they should say is that without provenience and given what we know about so-and-so there is really nothing to suggest this authentic.
Yes.
Johnny and Ganster Octopus - I’d like to see them at least make an attempt to match the scripts side by side with some existing proven handwriting. I understand handwriting and signature authentication is probably a subjective field, but there should be some extra research, given the provenance of the book.
StG
I wonder what happened to American Restoration. Four episodes and nada.
Rick would have definitely taken that pedal car to Rick Dale - it’s an antique toy, not a muscle car! But Rick Dale seems to have fallen off the planet. Hmm…
I will admit I have not seen the epeisode in question, yet (on the DVR for weekend viewing). Was there provenience with the book?
Gangster Octopus - The book was proven to definitely be part of Newton’s personal library, with his bookplate and shelf location on it. It was a book on metallurgy. The handwritten stuff were various margin notes/equations. The expert said the notes were written with a quill pen in a fine hand, then said Newton wrote in a large script, so he didn’t make the notes.
I was ticked off at the pedal car “restoration”, too. There were still vestiges of the original paint. Why not match them? This isn’t customizing a hotrod.
StG
My favorite was the guy who showed up with, it’s hard to describe, but it’s was basically a compartmentalized travel case from the Civil War with a bunch of original documents stored in it. They had their Civil War expert come in and authenticate it, and then the old man asks the guy how much he wanted for it. The guy, who apparently was hoping to pay for his kids’ college education by selling this thing, said $150,000. The old man offered him 3k.
Which only goes to show; If you’re asking big money for something in a Pawn Shop.
YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG.
Yeah, if something’s really worth $150,000, you should be able to get Sotheby’s or Christie’s to handle the sale.
Even then, unless it’s something like Gettysburg battle plans or letters from Lincoln, Civil War papers aren’t that valuable.
Not to mention all the fees you’d have to pay first. Auctions aren’t a guarantee.
But they aren’t televised.
you got wooshed yourself if you think anyone believed it 
I’ve started watching all the repeats over the last couple of months and I love the show. I also recently found out I’ll be going to Vegas in a couple of weeks for business, and I plan on stopping in and seeing if I can get a picture of me and Chumlee. Should be fun.
First, about the Subway debate - could it really be possible that Subway’s marketing people would want all of American seeing guys like ‘Big Hoss’ and ‘Chumlee’ eating their food? I mean I get the idea of Jared eating Subway (he’s SKINNY now!), but those guys???
The show is pretty amusing if you take it the right way, I think. It’s pure entertainment, and it’s got to be at least partly staged or at the very least highly edited. For instance the little vignettes like when Rick runs off Chumlee and Hoss while they’re playing with an old video game someone brought in, and then we see Rick himself playing the game… or when Hoss lets Chumlee drive the rebuilt Buick Skylark “STRAIGHT BACK TO THE STORE”, and then we see him going through a drive-thru for a cheeseburger. That’s great stuff there.
I think this show is way beyond staged. There is no way that Rick know that much about everything. “Well this is a soiled condom from the early 20th century. At that time, they made condoms out of old tires and treated them with the oil from sperm whales only caught off the coast of Hawaii.” There is no way he knows all that stuff. Clearly he is given talking notes and is well prepped for each scene.
Pawn shops the world over are skeeve places. Desperate places. If you catch a look (on YouTube) of what Rick originally pitched for TV, it’s much grittier than the show is now. It’s much like the other pawn show on TV and more realistic.
Don’t know, but the show would be so much better without him.
yeah its clear he smokes dozens of cigs a day. have fun low balling on the chemo ricky boy