Pawn Stars: Rick Harrison Smashes An Antique 1800s Item With A Hammer To Prove Its Authenticity!

Rick Harrison, the star of the popular reality series Pawn Stars, has earned renown for his keen eye for authenticity. He also has extensive knowledge of history. This expertise often helps him uncover the actual value behind the most unexpected items. However, this time, they had a unique item brought to the shop by one of the show’s guests. 

Rick Harrison, co-owner of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, had to go the extra mile this time. He needed to confirm whether the item brought in was authentic. Instead of relying on his usual methods, Harrison decided to put it through a rather unconventional test. With fans eager and curious about the item, the test quickly became the center of attention. Keep reading to know the whole story.

Pawn Stars: Rick Harrison Offers $2,000 For $50,000 Apollo 13 Relic

In a recent episode of History Channel’s Pawn Stars, Rick Harrison turned down an item that the seller claimed came from the Apollo 13 heat shield. Harrison called in Mark to identify the actual value of the item. Upon examining it, Mark said it looked similar to the Apollo 13 heat shield. He added that if the item were authentic, it would mean a lot due to the mission’s famous struggle.

Mark also emphasized that without any proof or documentation, it would be challenging to confirm whether the relic was genuine. Although the story behind the mission was intriguing, Harrison refused to pay the seller’s asking price. He offered $2,000, far below the seller’s minimum of $30,000, leaving no room for negotiation. If this were a piece of the Apollo 13 heat shield, Rick might have missed out on a priceless relic. 

Pawn Stars: Rick Harrison Smashes Item To Prove It’s Real

On Pawn Stars, guests usually arrive with items they’ve held onto for a long time. They often believe these items are worth a fortune. That’s why it came as a surprise when a seller asked Rick Harrison to smash the very item they had just brought in with a hammer. They brought in the hammer because the item was covered with glass, and breaking it was the only way to prove its authenticity. It was something that shocked both the fans and Rick.

The item under observation was a business card belonging to John Wesley Harding, who was an outlaw before becoming a lawyer. Active in the latter half of the 1800s during the Wild West, he was accused of killing over 40 people and spent 15 years in a Texas prison for murder. While in jail, he studied law, passed the exam after his release, and became a lawyer, but was later killed by the father of a man he had once threatened.

Selling the card would have been easy if it were authentic, but the real challenge was that there was no clear way to verify its authenticity. At first glance, the card appeared to be in flawless condition, which made Rick a bit skeptical about its authenticity. To be sure, Harrison decided to bring in one of his most trusted experts, Mark Hall Patton, the administrator of the Clark County Museum. Hall Patton felt the card matched the size used in that period, and the addresses on it also seemed accurate.

However, even Mark had no way to check it without breaking the glass that enclosed the business card. The only option left was to smash it open with a hammer. Understandably, the guest was unsure if this was the right move, since it could easily damage the card. Rick offered $350 if the card turned out to be real, and Corey carefully broke the glass without harming it. Hall-Patton said he was about 80% sure it was genuine and added that he’d proudly display it in his museum if given the chance. Keep coming back to TV Season & Spoilers for all the latest updates.