15 Things You Didn't Know About...

1.) I have never watched an episode of Pawn Stars. I’ve seen some promo clips, but can’t stand to see myself on camera!

2.) I didn’t graduate high school or attend college.

3.) I was born in North Carolina, grew up in San Diego and then moved to Vegas.

4.) Beginning around the age of eight till 16, I suffered from epileptic seizures.

5.) I was 18 when my son Corey was born.

6.) I wore a fake Rolex on my wrist for five years to remind me that I’m not always as smart as I think I am. I bought the fake by mistake!

I’m a huge book nerd. I read things like the History of Batteries for fun.

8.) I will never sell the Superbowl rings or Olympic medals that I have in my shop. This is why I have them marked up to a ridiculous selling price.

9.) My top rules in negotiating are: never fall in love with something you take in. Never offer the first price because you wind up negotiating with yourself. Always ask what they want for it. And, never take the first offer.

10.) I collect “illuminated books.” They were popular 200 years ago where all the illustrations were hand-painted. I have about a dozen of them so far and am always looking for more.

11.) I consider myself a blue-collar historian.

12.) The best nights for business at the pawnshop are fight nights, when hundreds of thousands of fans flood Las Vegas to bet on boxing.

13.) I never thought Pawn Stars was going to be this big. I was hoping to get a season or two out of it — maybe a little press, maybe a little more business in the store, but I never thought it was going to do this.

 

14.) I discovered at the age of 13 that if a spoon had “Sterling” on the back, it was worth money. So, I’d run around a swap meet and find 20 in a day, make 75 to 100 bucks by finding silver spoons. That’s how I earned the nickname, “The Spotter.”

15.) I think Pawn Stars is popular because it’s a little bit of everything. It’s a history show, it’s Pimp My Ride, it’s American Chopper, it’s sort of like a game show because everyone wants to know if they win in the end. They always want to know, “Is it real? Is it fake?”