Pawn Stars Rick Harrison Shares Favorite Memorabilia, Stories From Hit TV Show

I had the opportunity to speak with Rick Harrison from the hit History Channel show "Pawn Stars" at his Gold & Silver Pawn Shop located in Las Vegas. All photos and videos courtesy of Mike Gunz via Gold & Silver Pawn Shop.

For years now, I've been a huge fan of History Channel's "Pawn Stars."

The show takes place in Las Vegas' Gold & Silver Pawn Shop owned by the late Richard "Old Man" Harrison, his son Rick Harrison, his grandson Corey Harrison and friend and co-worker Chumlee. It has become an absolute massive hit since the series debuted all the way back in 2009 and has consistently been the History Channel's highest-rated show. At one point it was the No. 2 reality show on all of television behind the "Jersey Shore" - surpassing the likes of "Big Brother" and the "Bachelorette."

Gold & Silver Pawn Shop is home of History Channel's "Pawn Stars" (Photo Credit: Mike Gunzelman)

WHAT'S THE STORE LIKE?

Upon walking into the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop everyone says the same thing - "Wow, it's so much smaller than it looks on television!"

Yes, just like "The camera adds 20 pounds to you," so too do the television cameras also make rooms much larger than they actually are. Anyone who has ever been to a "Late Night" talk show set or "Saturday Night Live" knows what I'm talking about - those sets are minuscule compared to how big they look on television. The same thing goes with the pawn shop which has been around for decades and was never built with the intention to be a television show.

However, the warehouse connected to the store is absolutely massive and features thousands upon thousands of items both seen on the show as well as legitimately pawned or bought and sold. People can visit on the Gold & Silver website and browse through and setup an appointment to see items in person if they are interested in purchasing them.

THE STARS AREN'T THERE EVERY DAY

Normally Rick, Corey and Chumlee aren't at the store these days. They are either taping (They said they were out on the road for over 75 days this year filming the upcoming Pawn Stars Do America series) as well as have other ventures they deal with. Rick for example owns a bar and restaurant called Rick's Rollin Smoke BBQ.

However, those who happened to be in line or in the store when I arrived were fortunate enough to be there at the right time and right place because Rick came out and did our interview in front of everyone!

FAVORITE SPORTS MEMORABILIA

Anyone who watches the show knows that Rick and the pawn shop have one hell of a sports memorabilia collection. In fact, one part of the entire shop is dedicated to all sorts of sports autographs, old jerseys and more. Immediately my eye caught onto a giant San Francisco 49ers plaque that showed a detailed hand-drawn depiction of "The Catch" from the 1981 NFC Championship Game that saw Joe Montana find wide receiver Dwight Clark in the end zone.

To the right of The Catch plaque was a Lionel Messi jersey that I can only assume was worth big bucks because EVERYTING is Lionel Messi these days. I mean the guy can literally get stadiums to get rid of turf fields but NFL players can't!

When I asked Rick what one of his favorite sports memorabilia pieces was, he walked over and grabbed a 2020 World Series Los Angeles Dodgers ring that had diamonds the size of snow flakes on it. I mean this thing was a glistening, shining, HEAVY piece of memorabilia that Rick estimated to be anywhere from $70,000 - $80,000.

"It's kind of crazy because I've had World Series rings from the 50's and 60's and they look like a cheap class ring. And they've just gotten bigger and bigger and more exciting," Rick explained.

COOLEST ITEMS?

When I asked Rick what were some of the coolest things that the shop currently has in stock right now he nonchalantly mentioned that he has a damn MUMMY MASK from over 2,000 years ago. I mean hey - who doesn't?!

Rick then went from mummy to the more modern age when he mentioned that one of his favorite items in the store is a small NASA rocket engine that was piloted by Neil Armstrong. So he's got that going for him (and you can too if you want to purchase it!)

As far as personal items that he says he would never get rid of? A stained-glass window that he found in a salvage yard of all places that is from the 1100's. And some of the oldest objects currently in the store? The mummy mask of course but also there's PLENTY of coins that people can see and purchase if they go to the store. He mentions he has coins from the Julius Caesar era as well as 400-500 BC.

One of my favorite things I saw?

One of the props that Cousin Eddie uses to clear out the sewage in the classic National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - autographed by Randy Quaid. There was also an Avengers plaque signed by nearly everyone from the franchise including Stan Lee, as well as one of the original Willy Wonka golden tickets! Or how about the ECTO 1 Ghostbusters license plate? Let's go baby.

HOW TO MAKE LEARNING ACTUALLY FUN

What's crazy about the show is that I feel like I've learned more from watching the series than I did from attending some of my high school or college classes. I don't know what that says about today's education system although if you look at what's happening on some campuses across the country, needless to say things aren't going great.

When I asked Rick about the Pawn Stars concept and how he makes education actually enjoyable - he said that's really what it comes down to - whether you're a parent or a teacher just be relatable to students. Whether that means being diverse and well-rounded on how something can affect other aspects of life, or relating to pop culture trends it's important to be relevant and engaging and sideline all the BS out there.

It's a proven concept considering that the show has been on the air for nearly 15 years.

Have you been to the Pawn Stars shop? Are you a fan of the show? Hit me up on Twitter with your thoughts: @TheGunzShow