During his many years in the business, “Pawn Stars” star Rick Harrison has seen countless interesting items come and go. So, needless to say, it’s hard to impress the 56-year-old reality television star.
However, one customer recently did just that, according to a clip shared on the show’s YouTube page. In fact, the customer did more than just impress Harrison with his item – the customer made Harrison go “wild” for an item.
At the beginning of the clip, a customer walks in and presents the “Pawn Stars” star with a coin. “I have this Thaler coin from 1688 that’s in pristine condition,” the customer tells Harrison.
At first, Harrison appears to be somewhat skeptical that such a rare coin has just walked in his door. But wisely, he decides to give it a look over. While looking over the coin, Harrison confirms that what he is holding is, in fact, a Thaler coin. He also gives “Pawn Stars” viewers a quick history lesson in the process.
“Yeah. It’s a Thaler. That’s where we get the word dollar,” Rick Harrison shares. “(I’m) pretty sure it’s German. That was like their denomination.”
Harrison also noticed something very special about this Thaler coin. “The really cool thing here though is I believe this is called a ‘Wild Man Coin.'”
“What exactly is a ‘Wild Man Coin,'” is a question you are probably asking yourself right now. Well, don’t worry. Harrison happily shares the answer to that question.
“It’s sort of like folklore in Germany about these wild men – half man, half beast – that lived out in the woods,” the “Pawn Stars” star explains. “And like, it was the stories you told your children. You be good or the wild man will come and get you.
‘Pawn Stars’ Customer With Thaler Coin Reveals How He Came to Own the Rare Item
So, just how did this customer who appeared on “Pawn Stars” come to be the owner of a rare 1688 Thaler coin? Well, to hear him tell it, the coin came into his possession by chance.
“A couple of years ago, I was invited to go do a pick on an estate sale,” the customer shares in the clip. “And I came across this coin that was wrapped up inside of a rag. I’ve had the coin for a couple of years now. It’s just been sitting in the safe doing nothing. And I thought it would be a good time now to sell it.”
The customer said he hoped to get $1,000 for the 1688 Thaler coin.
“This is a weird coin from a weird part of the world …” Rick Harrison also said as he was examining the piece. “What I can tell you is Germany around this time period had great coins. They had great engravers. They struck them really, really pretty. …”
Before he agreed to buy the coin, Harrison brought someone else in to examine the rare item. That expert was David Vagi of NGC Ancients. Vagi confirmed that the coin was a “Wild Man” Thaler coin and said it was worth $600. In the end, Harrison and the customer agreed on a price of $400.
You can watch “Pawn Stars” star Rick Harrison go “wild” for the rare coin in the video below.
