Cleopatra Shield Prop Sparks a Royal Deal (S10, E46) — Full Episode

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: On this episode of "Pawn Stars." [00:00:03] Speaker 2: This is a Roman shield from the movie "Cleopatra." [00:00:05] Speaker 1: "Cleopatra" was one of the greatest movies ever made. Normally, movie props that don't have a lot of significance for the movie don't go over a lot of money. But to me, it's like one of the coolest movie props I've ever seen. [00:00:18] Speaker 3: Got a 1922 proof high-relief coin. This is worth a lot more than 20 grand. Oh, that's pretty awesome. [00:00:28] Speaker 1: At my shop, family comes first, and money comes second, depending on who you ask. But the best part? You never know what's going to come through that door. This is "Pawn Stars." [00:00:53] Speaker 3: Hi there. Hey, how's it going? Good. Got a 1922 proof high-relief matte finish coin. Okay, where did you get this? I won it at a poker game, believe it or not. [00:01:07] Speaker 1: This is, like, one of the holy grails of American coins. And you won it at a poker game. [00:01:13] Speaker 3: Yep. Whoa. I came down to the pawn shop today to try to sell a 1922 proof coin. I don't know a lot about it, but the guy who lost it to me said it was really valuable. So hoping to get $20,000 out of it. [00:01:31] Speaker 1: This is cool. In 1921, we brought the silver dollar back. And the story goes is they were going to try and make some really high-relief ones. What this means by high-relief right here is the image really comes off the coin. Okay? It's much higher detail. And I don't know the exact story, but there was, like, some problems and they got melted down. And most people didn't even know they existed for, like, 15 years. And then, all of a sudden, some stories came from the mint that they actually existed. So there's, like, a dozen of these things in the world? It's pretty rare. Well, it's beyond rare. The 1922 high-relief peace dollar is one of the rarest coins in American history. It definitely shocks me that people will walk up to my counter and pull out an item worth $50,000 or $100,000 or more. I definitely want this thing, but I have to make absolutely sure this is the real deal. Silver dollars is what every coin collector collects. Everyone collects silver dollars, and maybe they collect half dollars from nickels. But they all buy silver dollars. I mean, that's the mainstay of collectible coins. Oh, okay. So, how much do you want for it? $20,000. Wait, you want $20,000 for it? $20,000? Do you think it's worth it? Yeah, sure. No problem. Let's go. No. Um, no. This is worth a lot more than $20,000. Oh. That's pretty awesome. Do you mind if I call a friend to take a look at this? I have a few mega, mega concerns here, okay? I've never seen one in person, and I just want to make sure everything's legit. I mean, if someone was to fake a coin, this is the one they would do it on. Um, I'm actually friends with a guy who works at NGC. He's one of the best coin graders, and if everything's legit, um, maybe we'll do some business. [00:03:28] Speaker ?: Okay. [00:03:28] Speaker 1: Sounds good. All right. Hang out. All right. [00:03:32] Speaker 3: I think there's a good chance it's legit. Obviously, nothing in this world is 100%, but I'm happy with an expert coming in for sure. [00:03:46] Speaker 4: Hey, how's it going? Good. [00:03:47] Speaker 5: How are you? [00:03:48] Speaker 4: What do we got here? [00:03:49] Speaker 5: This is an antique gambling toy. My great grandpa, uh, had this, and he used to tell me that the horses race and people bet on them. [00:03:59] Speaker 4: Okay, uh, so your great grandfather taught you how to gamble, huh? You know, yeah. [00:04:07] Speaker 5: I came to the pawn shop to sell my great grandfather's antique horse racing game. I think it's a gambling thing. I thought because it's Vegas, I would have the best bet here. I'm hoping to get about $1,000, but I really don't want to carry it home, so I'm open to offers. [00:04:25] Speaker 4: So how's it work? [00:04:27] Speaker 5: So the lever's right here, and then I think you would just wind it up and then they go. [00:04:32] Speaker 4: Okay. This right here is probably 1800s. Pretty much same technology they used in a jewelry box. They'd wind it up and the things would race. There's actually supposed to be a way to tell who wins. I'm assuming that probably had something to do with that right there. You know, you get a bunch of drunk guys in a bar together and have this sitting there, and somebody's going to start betting on something, you know? [00:04:52] Speaker 5: Exactly. [00:04:53] Speaker 4: So that's where the gambling device came in. It was pretty much a toy that people would use to gamble with. I seriously doubt it was something a lot of people used to gamble with though. [00:05:02] Speaker 5: I think the grandpa said that they had it in like in parlors, like in smoking rooms, where it was just a couple guys. [00:05:07] Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, the little gambling parlors. Hell, it could have been in someone's house. [00:05:11] Speaker 5: You never know. [00:05:11] Speaker 4: Yeah. I would assume it's somewhere in Europe. Uh, does it have any markings on it? J or P made in France. Okay. It's amazing this little gambling toy still works. Just think how many drunk guys use this thing and didn't break it. There's definitely collectors for these things too, so I'm going to need to know more about it before I buy it. So what are you looking to do with it? Pawn it, sell it? I want to sell it. Any idea of what it's worth? [00:05:41] Speaker 5: $1,000. [00:05:44] Speaker 4: I mean, it's not in the greatest shape. We're missing some pieces here. I'll tell you what, let me have a buddy of mine come down and take a look at it. He knows a lot more about these things than I do, and he can kind of give me an idea of what it's worth, or if it needs to be restored, or if it's worth anything at all, all right? [00:06:01] Speaker 5: Okay. I think it's good for him to call in someone. Whatever they appraise it at, I'm pretty much going to make money, so I'm not too worried about it. But don't tell him that. [00:06:11] Speaker ?: I think it's good for him to be a good one. I think it's good for him to be a good one. I think it's good for him to be a good one. I think it's good for him to be a good one. I think it's good for him to be a good one. I think it's good for him to be a good one. I think it's good for him to be a good one. I think it's good for him to be a good one. I think it's good for him to be a good one. I think it's good for him to be a good one. I think it's good for him to be a good one. I think it's good for him to be a good one. I think it's good for him to be a good one. [00:06:37] Speaker 1: I think it's good for him to be a good one. Here, a guy brought in a 1922 High Relief Peace Dollar. It's one of the rarest U.S. coins ever made, and it's highly sought after. But the more demand for a coin, the more it's faked. So I called up Dave to check everything out for me. Dave! Rick, how are you doing? I am doing absolutely fabulous. And this is it. [00:07:00] Speaker 6: Oh! [00:07:02] Speaker 7: Wow. It isn't every day a 1922 High Relief Peace Dollar walks in the door. This guy got in a poker game. Oh, my gosh. It's always nice to get called in on an exciting coin. This coin is particularly interesting, historical, and it's rare as hen's teeth. [00:07:22] Speaker 1: Now, what exactly is the story with this coin? I mean, this was the coin the government minted, but no one knew they minted it for like 15 or 20 years? [00:07:32] Speaker 7: That's correct. None of these had transacted until 1937. These were more or less unknown, and they carried over the High Relief of the 1921 issues. All of which, by the way, were stuck in a one-week period at the end of 1921. Now, the High Relief design was sort of a triumph of art and a failure of technology, because although they were beautiful, they couldn't strike them with enough pressure to get a lot of them out. So they ended up early in 1922 having to reduce the relief of the design. Okay. So I assume your main concern is, is it real? Yeah. Okay. Definitely. It is in an NGC holder, which is wonderful. The holder is completely intact and genuine. And the coin is perfectly legitimate. It's one of very few known. Okay. So the big thing is, what's it worth? One of these sold very recently that brought a touch over $100,000. It's a little bit nicer than this, but not too far apart. I think this coin is worth something north of $50,000, but less than $100,000. [00:08:57] Speaker 1: Okay. [00:08:59] Speaker 7: Thanks, man. Super rare. No problem. Okay. Thank you. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. All right. There you go. All right. All right. Um, I'll talk to you soon, man. Sounds good. I'm quite excited that this is the real thing. Uh, very few specialists have had the chance to actually handle them. But finding one of these, especially walking into a pawn shop, is really extraordinary. [00:09:23] Speaker 1: I should have just gave you the 20 grand and I called in Dave. I'm happier now. I'll give you $65,000. [00:09:33] Speaker 3: What about 90? I think 90 is fair. [00:09:36] Speaker 1: You were willing to take 20 grand for it. [00:09:38] Speaker 3: You weren't willing to offer me 20 grand for it. I think 75 is fair. Meet me in the middle at 80 and you got a deal. It's a deal. All right. Okay. All right. Let's go up front. I'll write you up. I made 80,000 on the coin. Super excited about it. Definitely going to keep playing poker. Hopefully, I get another coin like this sometime. [00:10:10] Speaker 1: Hey, guys. You're walking with a little swagger this morning. What's up? I've just bought possibly one of the coolest coins ever made in the United States. A 1922 high relief peace dollar. There's like 10 or 12 of them in existence. [00:10:28] Speaker 4: As long as we can make a bunch of money, I guess it's cool. But there's nothing cool about it. [00:10:33] Speaker 1: Your generation don't get it. Back then, they got it. [00:10:37] Speaker 6: Yeah, boy. Please. [00:10:39] Speaker 4: We made it possible for cell phones, computers, the app. What's your generation responsible for? The financial collapse? Balding? [00:10:50] Speaker 8: Wait a minute. My generation is the greatest. Really? [00:10:56] Speaker 1: His whole generation was pretty amazing. I mean, remember, during his time is when, like, the microchip was invented. [00:11:02] Speaker 8: And we walked on the moon. [00:11:05] Speaker 6: No, that was definitely my generation. You made that possible. You made it possible to walk on the moon? My generation did. Tell them, Cory. [00:11:16] Speaker 4: I don't know what generation you're part of, but sure, chum. [00:11:27] Speaker 1: What in the hell is that? [00:11:29] Speaker 2: This is a really important piece. It's a Roman shield movie prop from the movie Cleopatra. [00:11:35] Speaker 1: Okay. I didn't think it was the Romans actually used that. [00:11:41] Speaker 2: As a kid, I used to visit the studios, and everybody else was interested in the actors. I was there for the guns and swords. It's in pretty good condition, but it is 40 years old. I'm hoping I'll get $500, but I would take a little less, say $400. [00:11:58] Speaker 1: Cleopatra was one of the greatest movies ever made, and it was one of the biggest screw-ups ever made. I don't know what happened at that studio, but they started off with a $2 million budget, and by the time they were done, it was 44. They promised the actors just ridiculous amounts of money, and they paid them by the week instead of paying them for the movie. I think Elizabeth Taylor was supposed to have made a million and ended up making seven because she was getting paid weekly. [00:12:24] Speaker 2: They just let it get out of control. [00:12:26] Speaker 1: Yeah. [00:12:26] Speaker 2: You know. [00:12:28] Speaker 1: Movie props are huge collectibles. The bigger the movie, the more collectible the prop. And Cleopatra was one of the biggest films of all time. This will fly off the shelf. I will have no problem finding a buyer for this. So where did you get this thing? [00:12:44] Speaker 2: It was made by my dad. He was a prop master at Fox Studios. [00:12:48] Speaker 1: Very, very cool. And this one he just kept around? [00:12:52] Speaker 2: No, this was used in the film, and the director brought it back to him. It was kind of a reward. [00:12:57] Speaker 1: Okay. And this is the company that, like, authenticated it? [00:13:01] Speaker 2: Yes, this is the company that authenticated it. And, of course, it includes a little picture of the movie. [00:13:06] Speaker 1: Okay. And there we have a similar shield on the wall. [00:13:10] Speaker 2: No, that is the shield. [00:13:11] Speaker 1: Okay. One thing about movie props is when you see it on a movie and you see it up close, it looks so different. I mean, it doesn't look real at all close up. But this is actually pretty neat. They actually put some weight to it. It's actually something there. [00:13:27] Speaker 2: The way the shield was made, originally they cut out a piece of plywood. All of the outlying pieces were made out of rubber. The rivets were just glued on here. Then they made a plaster mold. [00:13:38] Speaker 1: And they made them all out of fiberglass? [00:13:40] Speaker 2: It's all fiberglass and polyester resin. Okay. [00:13:45] Speaker 1: So I'm assuming you want to sell it? Right. Okay. And how much are you looking for? [00:13:52] Speaker 2: $500. [00:13:57] Speaker 1: Normally movie props that don't have a lot of significance for the movie, you know, don't go over a lot of money. But to me, it's like one of the coolest movie props I've ever seen. Can I give you $300 for it? [00:14:08] Speaker 2: I'd really like closer to $500. [00:14:11] Speaker 1: I'd like closer to $50, but I'm not out for it. I mean, what's your best price? $400. [00:14:24] Speaker 2: You know what? $400 is cool. Great. We have a deal. [00:14:30] Speaker 1: We got a deal. I'll meet you right over there or we'll write this thing up. [00:14:33] Speaker 2: All right. My dad would feel great that I sold it for $400 because in the old days, nobody wanted movie props. Now it's coming back and people want to collect them. [00:14:48] Speaker 8: Hey, Rick. Rick, you need a C&I dog. You got three pair of glasses and you're squinting. [00:14:59] Speaker 4: I need three pairs. Dude, when is this stupid construction going to be done? I'm tired of parking across the street. It'll be done when it's done. [00:15:09] Speaker 1: Is that soon? No, this is the problem with generation Y. You guys want everything now. It's like instant gratification. [00:15:19] Speaker 8: You got no patience, son. [00:15:21] Speaker 4: I understand when the old man was a kid, it took six months to get a letter across the United States, but now we have email. That's called progress. That's what my generation did. [00:15:31] Speaker 1: You're the Y generation because it's the whining generation. You whine about everything. All you young people do. Whining is spelled with a W. [00:15:43] Speaker 8: I give up. [00:15:45] Speaker 4: We'll be right back. These kind of antique toys can be really collectible to the right person, but I'm just not sure how much it's actually worth. So I called Johnny down to the store to check it out. It's an antique horse racing game. Oh, sweet. Nice. Looks great. [00:16:33] Speaker 9: Made by some company, J&P, out of France. Probably J-de-P, Ju-et de Paris. Ju-et meant toy, so toy de Paris. Okay. So what do you know about it? I know back in the late 1800s, they were making a lot of these. I've seen them as big as two feet, and then I've seen larger ones that would have been at carnivals back then. This would have been a cool game for a young kid, but it would have been more sought after for the purpose of gambling. Okay. And then more than likely this was like this. You would have put your bets here. And then, of course, when you pull this lever, all of the horses should move around. And there should have been a flag here. So whatever horse was closest to the flag without passing the flag would have been the winner. You would have took your winnings and on a bunch of way. Hmm. All right. So what do you think it's worth, man? Overall, everything looks original, but conditions everything. There would have been a lid on the top here. We're missing the flag here. Collectors want this to be working, and we're missing a gear or some type of spring. All of the horses should go around. Okay. So, that being said, what's it worth? I would put a value on this item probably within the $350 to $400 range. Oh. I know. I wish I could say more, but conditions everything. Appreciate you coming down, man. All right. Take care. Have a good one. Thank you. There's not a huge collector market for this item, but the fact that it's horse racing related, it's an early gambling device, I don't think you have any problem moving this. [00:18:22] Speaker 4: I mean, I'm seeing like $200. $200? Yep. $250. I think I'd probably be able to get four or five out of it, and it's a broken toy. [00:18:35] Speaker 5: It's a broken toy. No, it works. See, look. It's like, there it goes. [00:18:40] Speaker 4: Yeah, that's not selling it to anybody. [00:18:43] Speaker 5: No? You don't think that'll work? [00:18:44] Speaker 4: $200. You're missing the lid. You're missing the flag. It doesn't work. $200 is the best I can do. All right. All right, deal. Come with me. I'll write you up. [00:18:58] Speaker 5: Okay. Well, I'm walking out with $200. It's not the $1,000 I was hoping for, but that'll help me for about an hour. [00:19:09] Speaker 10: You're never gonna beat me at this game. I will one of these days, man. No, you won't. I'm the game champion. Yep. Your generation. [00:19:19] Speaker 1: Oh, God. What are you complaining about now? I mean, you guys really need to admit that people in your generation just have no attention span anymore. Zero attention span. I was just paying attention to my phone. That's just it. You should be concentrating on work. [00:19:40] Speaker 4: So, really, you're just generation complain a lot. No. I mean, I just get tired. I mean, you're... And generation tired. I hear tired a lot. [00:19:53] Speaker 1: Younger people nowadays, they seem entitled to everything. They, uh, yeah, low attention span. Watch them. [00:20:01] Speaker 6: Oh, well, basically says right here that Generation X birthdates range from the early 1960s. to the early 1980s. I mean, we're in the same generation, Rick. [00:20:18] Speaker 1: I am not the same generation as you guys. [00:20:21] Speaker 6: It says so right here on the internet. It has to be true. [00:20:24] Speaker 1: It's wrong. [00:20:25] Speaker 8: You're all in Generation I. I? Yeah, that stands for idiots. [00:20:33] Speaker 1: You know, I love you, Dad. [00:20:40] Speaker ?: You know, I love you. I love you. I love you.