Pawn Stars

male announcer: ON THIS EPISODE OF PAWN STARS...

- THE MARILYN MONROE PLAYBOY. - THIS IS AMAZING.

THIS IS THE MOST COLLECTIBLE ISSUE OF PLAYBOY EVER.

THIS IS THE ONE EVERYBODY WANTS.

REALLY?

- I GOT SOMETHING I THINK IS VERY VALUABLE.

IT'S A WHALE'S TOOTH.

- HAVING AN AUTHENTIC PIECE OF 19TH-CENTURY SCRIMSHAW

IS UNBELIEVABLE.

THE THING IS, THERE'S A LOT OF FAKES OF THESE.

- GOT A COUPLE CIVIL WAR GUNS.

- THE PROBLEM IS, WHEN YOU GET INTO THIS ERA OF GUNS,

IT'S THE STUPIDEST LITTLE THINGS THAT MAKE IT

WORTH MONEY OR NOT WORTH MONEY.

I'M RICK HARRISON, AND THIS IS MY PAWN SHOP.

I WORK HERE WITH MY OLD MAN AND MY SON, BIG HOSS.

EVERYTHING IN HERE HAS A STORY AND A PRICE.

ONE THING I'VE LEARNED AFTER 21 YEARS,

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT IS GONNA COME THROUGH THAT DOOR.

HEY, HOW'S IT GOING? - GOOD. GOOD.

I HAVE SOMETHING I THINK YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN.

IT'S THE VERY FIRST ISSUE OF PLAYBOY, VOLUME ONE, ISSUE ONE.

OKAY.

MARILYN MONROE PLAYBOY.

AWESOME.

I CAME TO THE PAWN SHOP TODAY

TO TRY AND SELL MY FIRST ISSUE OF PLAYBOY MAGAZINE,

THE MARILYN MONROE ISSUE.

IT'S NOT A COPY.

THIS IS A GENUINE FIRST EDITION.

I'D LIKE TO GET $2,000 FOR THE MAGAZINE,

BUT DON'T TELL HIM I WILL TAKE PROBABLY $1,600

IF I CAN GET IT.

SO WHERE DID YOU GET THIS?

- WELL, MY FATHER BOUGHT IT BACK IN 1953.

AND THEN BEFORE HE PASSED AWAY, HE GAVE IT TO ME.

- THIS WAS THE VERY FIRST PLAYBOY,

AND I TRULY BELIEVE THAT IF

MARILYN WASN'T IN THE FIRST ISSUE,

I DON'T KNOW IF IT WOULD HAVE LASTED MUCH LONGER.

THIS IS WHAT LIT THE WHOLE THING ON FIRE.

- HOW DO YOU KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT PLAYBOYS?

- TRUST ME, CHUM. I KNOW.

THIS IS AMAZING.

THIS IS THE MOST COLLECTIBLE ISSUE OF PLAYBOY EVER.

MOST PLAYBOYS ARE WORTH A FEW BUCKS.

THIS IS WORTH A FEW THOUSAND.

DO YOU KNOW HOW MARILYN MONROE ENDED UP IN THIS MAGAZINE?

NO, I DON'T.

- IN 19... I THINK IT WAS '47,

MARILYN MONROE, THEN NORMA JEAN, NEEDED SOME MONEY,

AND SHE WASN'T A STAR YET, HADN'T BEEN IN ANY MOVIES.

SHE GOT PAID SOME MONEY TO DO SOME NUDE PHOTOGRAPHS.

WELL, 1952 COMES ALONG, AND SHE GETS A MOVIE DEAL.

LATER IN THE YEAR,

THE PHOTOGRAPHER WHO TOOK THE PICTURES

LOOKED AT A MOVIE POSTER, GOING,

"OH, MY GOSH, I THINK I HAVE PICTURES OF HER."

AND HE ENDED UP SELLING THE PICTURES TO PLAYBOY MAGAZINE.

OKAY, THE STUDIOS THOUGHT IT WAS JUST GONNA RUIN HER.

IT WAS GONNA RUIN THE MOVIE.

BUT THE GREAT THING WAS, MARILYN, SHE JUST PLAYED IT OFF,

AND SHE JUST WENT, "YEAH, THAT WAS ME.

YOU GOT TO BUY THE MAGAZINE."

THAT'S WILD.

THE THING

THIS WAS THE '50s.

JUST A FEW MONTHS EARLIER,

SHE WAS GETTING CRITICIZED FOR THE PICTURES SHE TOOK

DURING THE 1952 MISS AMERICA PAGEANT

FOR HER LOW NECKLINE.

JUST IMAGINE WHAT PEOPLE THOUGHT

WHEN THEY SAW THAT PICTURE IN THAT MAGAZINE

OF HER ON THE RED VELVET.

THESE ARE REALLY COLLECTIBLE.

I MEAN, IF YOU COLLECT PLAYBOYS,

THIS IS THE ONE EVERYBODY WANTS.

WHAT WERE YOU LOOKING TO DO, PAWN IT OR SELL IT?

I'D LIKE TO SELL IT.

- AND WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR IT?

UH, $2,000.

DOLLARS?

- DOLLARS. YES, SIR.

- UM, I'M THINKING CLOSER TO $1,000.

- I THINK $1,000 IS A LITTLE LOW.

MIGHT GO $1,600.

- WHAT DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD PAY FOR IT, CHUM?

- I CAN BUY A NEW ONE RIGHT NOW FOR 6 BUCKS.

FULL COLOR.

I MEAN, I'LL CUT TO THE CHASE.

I'LL GIVE YOU $1,400 AND NOT A DIME MORE.

- OKAY, I'LL GO FOR IT. - THANKS.

GOD, YOU HAVE GREAT NEGOTIATING SKILLS.

I KNOW.

- I GENERALLY DON'T LIKE BUYING MAGAZINES

BECAUSE THEY'RE HARD TO SELL, BUT THIS IS AWESOME.

I COULD PROBABLY DOUBLE OR TRIPLE MY MONEY ON THIS,

BUT I THINK I'M GONNA KEEP IT IN THE CASE FOR A WHILE,

BECAUSE IT'S GONNA BRING PEOPLE IN THE DOOR.

- HOW YOU DOING TODAY? - HEY, WHAT'S UP?

- I GOT SOMETHING I THINK IS VERY VALUABLE.

I WANT YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT.

IT'S A WHALE'S TOOTH.

IT'S PART OF A WHALE'S TOOTH.

- WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S WORTH A LOT OF MONEY TO ME NOW.

I DECIDED TO COME INTO THE PAWN SHOP TODAY

TO SELL THIS WHALE'S TOOTH THAT I BOUGHT.

I PAID $100 FOR THIS TOOTH.

MY WIFE IS SURE THAT I PAID TOO MUCH MONEY FOR IT.

FOR ALL THE GUYS OUT THERE,

I'M TRYING TO PROVE MY WIFE WRONG FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE.

SHE SAID, "DON'T BUY IT." I BOUGHT IT.

AND I THINK IT'S WORTH SOME MONEY.

- THIS IS CALLED SCRIMSHAW, AND WHAT IT IS,

IS IT'S AN ART FORM THEY USED ON THE SHIP.

WHAT SAILORS DID WAS, IS WHEN THEY HAD A LITTLE DOWNTIME,

THEY WOULD TAKE THE WHALES' TEETH,

AND THEY WOULD CARVE THINGS ON IT.

OKAY.

- THIS RIGHT HERE SAYS THE "SHIP MIDAS,"

WHICH IS PROBABLY THE WHALING SHIP THEY WERE ON.

WHALING VOYAGES COULD LAST FOR YEARS AT A TIME.

JUST IMAGINE BEING OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

FOR THAT LONG.

SO ENGRAVING WHALES' TEETH

IS SOMETHING THEY WOULD DO TO PASS THE TIME.

IT'S A REAL WHALE'S TOOTH.

I CAN TELL YOU THAT. - OKAY.

- THE THING IS, THERE'S A LOT OF FAKES OF THESE.

IT'S SORT OF AN ODD FAKE, OKAY?

THEY ACTUALLY TAKE A REAL WHALE'S TOOTH,

AND THEY ENGRAVE THESE SCENES ON THEM.

AND THEN THEY DATE THEM FROM, LIKE, THE 1800s LIKE THIS

A TAKE $100 WORTH OF WHALES' TEETH

AND TURN IT INTO A $1,500 ANTIQUE.

OKAY.

- LIKE I SAID, THE ONLY THING I CAN TELL YOU FOR SURE

IS, IT'S WHALE'S TOOTH.

I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW TO AUTHENTICATE THE ART.

- OKAY. - ALL RIGHT?

I REALLY JUST WANT SOMEONE TO LOOK AT IT.

I HAVE A FRIEND WHO KNOWS ABOUT THIS KIND OF STUFF.

SO LET ME CALL HIM UP,

AND I'LL GIVE YOU A CALL WHEN HE GETS HERE.

- OKAY. APPRECIATE THAT. OKAY, YOU GIVE HIM A CALL.

- WANT YOU GUYS TO SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIENDS.

- HAVEN'T I SEEN YOU HERE BEFORE?

- YES. - OKAY.

WHAT DO WE GOT THIS TIME?

- GOT A COUPLE CIVIL WAR GUNS.

- OKAY, SO WHEN YOU WERE IN THE MILITARY,

DID YOU USE ONE OF THESE?

NO.

- I'M BACK IN THE PAWN SHOP TODAY

TO TRY TO SELL MY TWO CIVIL WAR GUNS.

I DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE,

AND I FOUND OUT ONE OF THE GUNS IS A BURNSIDE GUN

THAT WAS USED IN THE CIVIL WAR.

THESE ARE FANTASTIC WEAPONS.

I'M NOT GONNA SELL THEM FOR ANYTHING LESS THAN $20,000.

I CAME HERE TO MAKE SOME MONEY.

AND I'M IN VEGAS. I'M GONNA MAKE MONEY.

- HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE THESE, SON?

- I BOUGHT THEM FROM A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY

WHO WAS AN ESTATE COLLECTOR.

- OKAY, BURNSIDES, THEY WERE USED IN THE CIVIL WAR.

OKAY, THIS COMES DOWN LIKE THIS,

AND THE PROJECTILE, EVERYTHING GOES IN THERE.

- HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE TO LOAD AND FIRE IT?

- OH, THEY GET PRETTY FAST WITH THESE THINGS.

- YEAH, YOU COULD PROBABLY GET, LIKE, 12, 15 ROUNDS A MINUTE.

- REALLY? - THEY WERE FAST.

- AND IT WAS JUST PULL AND POINT, RIGHT?

- NO, THESE THINGS, YOU COULD AIM THESE.

- THEY WERE PRETTY ACCURATE? - YEAH.

IT WASN'T LIKE THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR

WHERE THERE WAS NO RIFLING, REALLY.

'CAUSE IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR,

YOU KNOW WHEN THEY SAY, "READY, AIM, FIRE"?

- MM-HMM. - THEY NEVER SAID THAT.

REALLY?

- THEY SAID, "READY, LEVEL, FIRE."

THE BURNSIDE WAS A COMMON GUN DURING THE CIVIL WAR.

BUT THEY WERE TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE RIGHT AFTER THE WAR,

MAKING IT A VERY COLLECTIBLE PIECE.

THIS ONE, I'M SORT OF CLUELESS.

IT'S A TRAPDOOR GUN,

BUT RIGHT AROUND THE CIVIL WAR, RIGHT AFTER THE CIVIL WAR,

THERE WAS A LOT OF EXPERIMENTATION

WITH THE TRAPDOOR GUN.

AND A TRAPDOOR EVENTUALLY ENDED UP

BECOMING STANDARD U.S. MILITARY ISSUE.

SO THAT'S ALL I CAN TELL YOU ABOUT IT.

I SEE STRANGE GUNS COME IN THE STORE ALL THE TIME.

EVER SINCE THE FIRST GUNS WERE MADE,

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN EXPERIMENTING,

TRYING TO IMPROVE THE DESIGN AND FUNCTIONALITY.

SOME, LIKE SAMUEL COLT, HIT IT OUT OF THE PARK.

OTHERS, THERE'S A REASON YOU NEVER HEARD OF THEM.

- OKAY, WHAT ARE YOU WANTING TO DO NOW, GUY?