Top 20 Pawn Stars Items That Turned Out To Be FAKE

A very popular revolver, the Colt Army Model 1860 was used extensively throughout the American Civil War. The US government purchased nearly 130,000 revolvers to be used in the war, and the gun was eventually discontinued in 1873. A man named Mike brought in one of these revolvers with its matching stock. While he asked for $2,000, expert Craig Gottlieb claimed that the matching stock made it a collector’s item worth $15,000. However, he was very quick to notice that the stock was stamped wrong. He also noticed that the revolver didn’t fit inside - at least not as snugly as it should. The fake stock was completely worthless, but the gun was still purchased for $1,200.

Jimi Hendrix is one of the most famous musicians in American history, known primarily as a stellar guitarist and one of the defining figures of the ‘60s counterculture. A guest came into the shop with what he said was some poetry written by Hendrix. He claims to be a friend of the Hendrix family, having worked closely with a relative named Riki. Of course, the handwriting expert immediately noticed some fakery. For one thing, the poem was written with a felt tip pen, whereas Hendrix used a ballpoint. He also noticed that neither the handwriting nor the signature matched Hendrix’s known works. Basically, this was a complete mess of a counterfeit that didn’t fool the expert for a second.

Bob approached the Pawn Stars with an old autographed football. According to him, the football was signed by members of the 1967 Chicago Bears. That year’s Bears finished in second place in the Central Division and were coached by one of the founders of the NFL, George Halas. According to the expert, the value lies in the autograph of Halas and those of some popular players, including Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers, and Brian Piccolo. While some signatures were real, others were deduced to be “clubhouse autographs” - that is, autographs signed in the name and style of the athlete, but not by the athlete themselves. Because of this, the value plummeted from $10,000 to $1,000 and the seller refused to let it go when offered just $100 for it.

Salvador Dalí is perhaps the biggest name in surrealism, with his work attracting attention for its strange and dream-like visuals. A man named Mitchell brought a piece of what he claimed to be Dalí art into the shop, but it didn’t even fool Rick. He immediately noticed the glitter and jewels that bedazzled the painting and claimed that he had never seen anything like that in a Dalí. However, he still called in an expert, and he said that Dalí was known to use glitter. Just…not in this case. The expert consulted a price book that includes all of Dalí’s known works, and this particular piece was not inside. Yep, this wasn't even a counterfeit. It was just completely made up by someone painting in the style of Dalí.

These devices have been around for thousands of years, but not ones like this! This beautiful baby rattle is made of sterling silver and comes equipped with literal bells and whistles. It even has a large pearl, which was supposedly used for teething. Owner Gregory posits that the fancy baby rattle dates from the early 1800s, but Rick puts it in the latter half of the century. Unfortunately, Rick found numerous problems with the silver upon closer inspection, leading him to deduce that it was nothing but a cheap reproduction. He passed on the rattle, asserting that it was virtually worthless.

#15: A Fake Picault

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Top 10 Pawn Stars Items That Turned Out To Be Fake

Many guests take the bad news well. But not this man. He came in with a bronze sculpture supposedly made by Émile Louis Picault. Picault was a prolific French sculptor who found great success in the late 1800s with his mythological works. This particular sculpture depicts Greek hero Perseus riding the flying horse, Pegasus. Owner Rafael was asking for $6,000, but Rick had his suspicions. He asserted that the piece was likely recast after Picault died in 1915. His suspicions were confirmed when he looked at the stamp, which clearly read “Made in USA.” Unfortunately, this discovery set off the seller, and he angrily confronted Rick before storming out of the store.

Some fakeries are well done, others not so much. This man walked into the pawn shop with a series of belt buckles. He believed that these buckles were made for Wells Fargo by prominent design house Tiffany & Co. Better known as Tiffany’s, the luxury goods company was established back in 1837 and currently brings in billions of dollars every year. It’s a name that everyone knows. Especially Rick. He was quick to notice that the latch was soldered over the Tiffany’s logo, which would never happen on an authentic piece of Tiffany’s hardware. And just like that, the man’s dreams were painfully dashed.

Owner Jeff hopes to get a lot of money for his print of Abraham Lincoln owing solely to the fact that it’s Abraham Lincoln. However, Rick is quick to dash his dreams with some Sherlock Holmes-ian deductions. He notices that Lincoln’s signature is a deep and curious black when it should be more of a faded orange owing to its supposed age. He also observed how the A and L flowed together, whereas Lincoln's real signature did not do that. He deduces that the print is a forgery from known con artist Joseph Cosey. However, this particular print is a forgery of a forgery, with someone else copying Cosey’s Lincoln autograph! Now that’s a fake for the ages.

Most people associate Gibson with their famous guitars, but they actually make many musical instruments - including mandolins. A customer brought in one of these mandolins, which was painted in that signature Gibson orange and brown. Chumlee showed great interest in the instrument and seemingly very quickly purchased it for $1,500. And he got in a lot of trouble for it. It was only after buying the instrument that he showed it off to a professional, who immediately noticed some major red flags. Worst of all, it wasn’t even a good forgery! It not only used the wrong font in “Gibson,” but the mandolin was finished with plastic rather than lacquer. As the pro puts it so succinctly, “This is fake as hell.”

Built in the 1600-1700s by the Stradivari family, Stradivarius violins are incredibly valuable. However, this is a case of name brand recognition overshadowing actual quality. Numerous blind tests have shown no discernible sound difference in Stradivarius violins, despite many arguing that the sound is recognizable and unique. The ancient and timeworn violin seen in this episode could have gone for hundreds of thousands of dollars…if it were real. Aquiles Figueroa of Stradivari House of Phoenix was brought in to assess the violin and noticed some errors in the varnishing and design. Figueroa claims that reproductions of Stradivarius violins were mass produced throughout the early 20th century and that this violin is one of millions.

#10: John Lennon Artwork

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Aside from being one of the greatest songwriters in music history, John Lennon was also an accomplished artist. His artwork is universally recognized - especially the self-portrait doodles. A man came into the shop bearing some supposedly original John Lennon doodles, which the owner claims to have picked up at a thrift store of all places. There’s a reason it was sitting in a thrift store and not in someone’s personal collection. The owner believed it was worth $20,000, but when Rick flipped the paper over, he saw a “Kodak Paper” watermark. As Lennon passed away in 1980 - long before this computer paper was readily available - he easily declared it a fake and the owner walked away with nothing.

One of the most divisive and controversial baseball players of all time, Shoeless Joe was an exceptional player. However, his legacy was tainted after the 1919 World Series, which saw players of the Chicago White Sox intentionally throwing the games for money. A customer on “Pawn Stars” arrived with an old book titled “Say It Ain’t So, Joe” that was allegedly signed by Jackson. According to Rick, Jackson’s signature is the rarest in sports, and the owner even had it certified. Rick ended up paying $13,000...for nothing. He had it looked at by various experts, all of whom deduced that the signature was fake. The title of that book has a certain irony to it.

That wouldn’t be the last time that the Pawn Stars were fooled. In season eight, a man walked in with a letter that was allegedly written by Napoleon Bonaparte. The item contained many authentic aspects, including the period-specific wax seal and a certificate of authenticity. Corey ended up paying a surprisingly small $2,000 for the letter, but even that was too much. Rick had Corey go to an expert, who was quick to judge the letter a replica. His primary concern was the ink, which was neither smudged nor faded. Corey tried selling it in the shop for $20, but even that proved a failure as Rick prevented him from selling a fake item.

#7: Prison Memorabilia

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A tough-looking man with a handlebar mustache showed up with a suitably tough item - a Wells Fargo strongbox, an antique ball and chain, and some handcuffs. The ball and chain allegedly came from Yuma Territorial Prison, which opened in 1876, and the handcuffs from California’s Folsom State. However, Rick was very quick to point out some historical discrepancies. The old handcuffs from Folsom had electrically-welded chains, which proved anachronistic. And despite Rick claiming that prisons never put their name on the ball and chains, the Yuma ball and chain had a clear “Yuma” stamped into the iron. Even the strongbox was fake - a fact that Rick regrettably learned after shelling out $450.

#6: Pete Rose Baseball Cards

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Pete Rose is widely regarded as one of the best baseball players of all time. He is a seventeen-time All Star, won three World Series, and currently still holds the MLB record with 4,256 hits. As one can imagine, his baseball cards are worth some good money. In season two, a man tried selling five 1967 Rose cards. The fact that he had five proved a major red flag, and Rick instantly identified them as fakes. Various aspects of the cards’ physical design were totally off, including the faded colors and overexposed picture. It’s amazing how quickly dreams of cash can be dashed.

Speaking of baseball, in the fifth season premiere, a man walked into the shop with a particularly special baseball bat and glove. The glove was signed by none other than Babe Ruth, and the bat co-signed by Ruth and Christy Mathewson, a dominant pitcher who played for the New York Giants. The owner was hoping to get $120,000 for the two items - an exorbitant cost that had Rick rightfully consulting expert advice. The expert deduced that the authentication papers were fraudulently signed by a criminal who was caught in an FBI sting known as Operation Bullpen. Fourteen individuals from five states were convicted in the scam. The signature isn’t considered legitimate, and Rick walked away from the deal.

Pardon the pun, but an authentic newspaper reporting on the Titanic disaster would be a titanic find. The Pawn Stars were certainly excited when a man tried selling a copy of The Boston Daily Globe with the tragic headline “Titanic Sinks, 1500 Die.” However, Rick instantly took note of the impeccably white paper and pristine ink - major red flags, considering the paper had ostensibly been around for a century. He also noticed that the picture accompanying the story was from a copy machine. Needless to say, the newspaper itself was fake. But fake or not, it’s still a really interesting thing to have around the house!

A founder of the French Impressionist movement, Oscar-Claude Monet is one of the most famed artists of all time. His paintings, of course, go for big money, with his work Le Bassin Aux Nymphéas selling for $80 million in 2008. The owner of this particular supposed Monet painting was asking $1 million - nothing compared to his greatest works, but a sizable chunk of change nonetheless. The painting was supposedly on exhibit at the Los Vegas Art Museum in 1997, and the art came with numerous pieces of documentation. An expert was brought in and he noticed that the paint wasn’t “sweating” through the canvas. Regardless of its beauty, the painting was not a Monet original.

As Rick says, you never know what’s going to come through those doors. In season sixteen, a man came through with what seemed like a huge catch - a photograph of Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln, dated from 1863. If correct, the photo would have been taken during the Civil War while Lincoln was serving as the 16th President of the United States. The owner asked $1 million for the photo, and while the expert called it a “gorgeous” picture, it was nevertheless a fake one. But that wasn’t enough for the owner, who rudely claimed that the expert was “discrediting” herself by calling it a fake. We think someone was just a little upset...

Now, we’re not gem experts or anything, but something that’s 40 to 50 million years old is bound to be worth a good chunk of change. That is, if the item in question is actually millions of years old. A man arrived at the pawn shop believing that he was in possession of some Baltic amber with an entombed tarantula. The owner had some sketchy paperwork supposedly proving that it was real amber, but the gemstone expert had it sent to the Gemological Institute of America - at the personal cost of the owner, who paid $200 to have it sent out and appraised. Unfortunately, the “amber” was actually just plastic, and the owner was out $200. Now that’s what we call getting ripped off at a pawn shop!