# Typical conversations on Pawn Stars (and other pawn shop shows) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 24, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-conversations-on-pawn-stars-and-other-pawn-shop-shows/593841 "2011-08-24T01:42:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-conversations-on-pawn-stars-and-other-pawn-shop-shows/593841/61 "2011-08-25T02:06:05Z")
I won’t derail the thread by defending the game show “It’s worth what?” and I’ve never watched Hard Core Pawn, but continuing on track… Sometimes it makes me sad when somebody brings in a legitimate historically important item, sells it for a for $100 or $200 bucks and then is all, “This will do just fine for the blackjack table.” And I love it how Rick/Hoss/Old man will talk to the audience, “This could be worth a fortune.” And then they talk to the seller, “Well, you see, you have this flaw, and this flaw, and this flaw. You’re lucky I’m even considering making you an offer.” ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-conversations-on-pawn-stars-and-other-pawn-shop-shows/593841/62 "2011-08-25T02:18:41Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > no shit, Jews are really good professionally at striking a bargain. I’m not - I take my hard-nosed Catholic girlfriend car-shopping with me because she’s much better at haggling. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-conversations-on-pawn-stars-and-other-pawn-shop-shows/593841/63 "2011-08-25T03:46:54Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Entirely consistent and colloquial to my dialect. We might jew or bargain you down in total tribute to retail GOds… no shit, Jews are really good professionally at striking a bargain. I don’t care what your dialect is. Most people recognize comments like that as offensive, so don’t post them again. In any case you seem to have acknowledged that people get offended by this kind of thing, so you will lose nothing by not saying it again. In any event, ‘jewing someone down’ is based on the stereotype of Jews as cheap and greedy. It’s not a compliment. And “Jews are really good professionally at striking a bargain” is still a stereotype. I suggest you think more carefully about that in the future. > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I’d ask what in the hell you are talking about, but since every post you make on this board is equally indecipherable, I won’t expect a reply that makes sense. We’re in Cafe Society here, so please dial back the personal comments. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-conversations-on-pawn-stars-and-other-pawn-shop-shows/593841/64 "2011-08-25T03:57:19Z")
I have a Jewish Lawyer on purpose. Becuse I am a German jew and find them the best, and believe in keeping it real. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-conversations-on-pawn-stars-and-other-pawn-shop-shows/593841/65 "2011-08-25T04:06:41Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > I have a Jewish Lawyer on purpose. Becuse I am a German jew and find them the best, and believe in keeping it real. I could not care less. The phrase is offensive and it’s time to get this thread back on topic, which means this hijack is over. Do not post about it again here. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-conversations-on-pawn-stars-and-other-pawn-shop-shows/593841/66 "2011-08-25T06:12:26Z")
I mentioned it in [another thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12638148&postcount=74), but the one that galled me was the guy who sold a family heirloom spoon _made by Paul Revere_ to help pay for (i.e. not even pay for all of) his daughter’s wedding. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-conversations-on-pawn-stars-and-other-pawn-shop-shows/593841/67 "2011-08-25T12:21:33Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I mentioned it in [another thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12638148&postcount=74), but the one that galled me was the guy who sold a family heirloom spoon _made by Paul Revere_ to help pay for (i.e. not even pay for all of) his daughter’s wedding. Why would that gall you? He valued his daughter’s wedding more than a historically significant spoon. It’s not like he sold his great-grandfather’s urn to pay for a trip to Vail. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-conversations-on-pawn-stars-and-other-pawn-shop-shows/593841/68 "2011-08-25T12:27:29Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > Why would that gall you? He valued his daughter’s wedding more than a historically significant spoon. It’s not like he sold his great-grandfather’s urn to pay for a trip to Vail. That is what galled a number of us. Weddings are cheap, especially in Vegas. He could have spent $100 on the wedding and given his daughter a very valuable family heirloom. Instead, he sold it to not-even-completely-pay-for a momentary flash of a ceremony. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-conversations-on-pawn-stars-and-other-pawn-shop-shows/593841/69 "2011-08-27T13:19:52Z")
> [@Sudden\_Kestrel](#): > > Really, you have a unique Tiffany window that was made for the Duke of York’s summer castle that you need to sell and you take it to the _pawn shop_? I wonder about this sort of thing too, sometimes- I mean, surely someone with a genuine, excellent condition, functional 1890s vintage Hotchkiss 2pdr Mountain Gun which is documented to have been at the Battle of San Juan Hill isn’t going to take it to a pawnbrokers (no matter how famous) if they decide to sell it for whatever reason? Similarly, you have to wonder why people are bringing in classic cars, antique guns, and some of the other stuff that turns up on the show when it should be common knowledge that A) They’ll make way more money selling the stuff privately and B) The pawnbroker is almost assuredly going to sell it for even more money to someone else. Not that I begrudge the pawnbroker trying to make a profit (they are running a business), but the OP does seem to be right about the way the deals seem to go, though- I mean, surely someone who has (say) an 18th century telescope is going to spend five minutes on Ye Internet to work out very approximately what it’s worth before they go in. I can only assume they _don’t_ show many of the people who say “Sorry, but comparable/worse condition widgets are selling for $7,000 so I really don’t think $5,000 is an unreasonable asking price and $1,500 is not even close, but thanks anyway” since it’s not likely to be good TV. Having said that, I do enjoy watching _Pawn Stars_- it’s fun, you learn a bit about some of the interesting stuff that shows up, and it’s a well-made show IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-conversations-on-pawn-stars-and-other-pawn-shop-shows/593841/70 "2011-08-27T13:35:24Z")
The fake cutaway scenes where the four main characters pretend to interact could go away, and I’d enjoy the show more. Also, there are some items they are just showing for the wow factor, that have no intention of being sold/bought. I’m thinking the truckasaurus and the gatling gun. Sometimes they pretend to haggle, but it’s clear that there is no actual intent to make a deal. One other thing. There are these cutaway scenes where they just briefly show some of the people in the store for a second or two. They almost always include a cleavage shot of some woman leaning over a counter. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-conversations-on-pawn-stars-and-other-pawn-shop-shows/593841/71 "2011-08-27T14:34:37Z")
Almost all the sellers you see on the show were scouted by the producers, I’d wager. The \*illusion \*of the show is that they just keep the camera running and capture everyday transactions. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-conversations-on-pawn-stars-and-other-pawn-shop-shows/593841/72 "2011-08-27T19:46:19Z")
Hey, for anybody who thinks that the Subway product placements are bad, you have to admit that they’re nowhere near as bad as these two actual commercials for Stacker 2. [Ad 1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLetXQg9rak) [Ad 2](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a58--YFRahg) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-conversations-on-pawn-stars-and-other-pawn-shop-shows/593841/73 "2011-08-27T20:08:18Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > They almost always include a cleavage shot of some woman leaning over a counter. You say this like it’s a Bad Thing. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-conversations-on-pawn-stars-and-other-pawn-shop-shows/593841/74 "2011-08-31T02:55:31Z")
Just noticed the Subway product placement. Why on earth would Subway want tubby out of shape dudes as spokesmen is beyond me. I’ve decided that Rick seems like a really cool guy, even if he’s being fed all of his smarts off screen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-conversations-on-pawn-stars-and-other-pawn-shop-shows/593841.md?page=3)