We don’t know about you, but our favorite episodes on Pawn Stars are the ones that feature jewelry appraisals!
There is no denying that Rick Harrison is a pro when checking the authenticity of the jewelry pieces brought to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. He is particularly good with luxury watches and can quickly tell one that’s worth every dollar and one that isn’t.
We compiled a list of some of the most exciting jewelry and watches on Pawn Stars. If you’re a vintage jewelry buff, you’ll probably love the items that come to the Las Vegas-based pawn brokers.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore “End Of Days,” Watch
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore “End Of Days” is a real gem. Limited to just 500 pieces, this high-end watch was one of the first to be created in collaboration with a celebrity, who was none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger. This explains Rick Harrison’s excitement when a collector brought one of these pawn jewelry to the shop for some quick cash.
This watch was the first in the Audemars Piguet family to use a PVD coating. And the Offshore model, a bolder version of the original Royal Oak was the perfect canvas for the sleek black look.
Arnold picked out the blacked-out design and added a pop of highlighter yellow for easy legibility. The result is a high-contrast masterpiece, with neon luminescent Arabic numerals that pop against the black petite tapissiere dial.
The seller was hoping to get $40,000 out of the watch. But after a sweet and short negotiation, he and Rick settled at $32,500!
James Bond Octopussy SEIKO TV Watch
The Guinness World Records book once featured the SEIKO TV watch as the tiniest T.V. in the world. This watch came to the United States in 1983, but the timepiece is extremely rare to come across today.
The watch gained global fame when James Bond wore it in the 1983 film Octopussy.
The SEIKO TV watch is a regular digital watch with a 1.2-inch liquid crystal display screen. It incorporates a small television that can receive both UHF and VHF channels through an external receiver.
The receiver connects to the watch using a cable and connector. In addition to its primary function as a timer and alarm, the watch offers special features such as a high-quality stereo UKW radio.
When the owner brought it, he mentioned to Chumlee that he hoped to get at least $800. While Chumlee agreed it was a pretty interesting watch, he insisted it wasn’t worth more than $300 given that it was only a collector’s item and you couldn’t watch T.V. on it. In the end, the seller was content to walk away with $175 for the iconic James Bond timepiece.
Salesman Edition of A Waltham Watch
Back in 1857, Waltham hit the horological jackpot by introducing the first-ever industrialized pocket watch. Even President Abraham Lincoln couldn’t resist the allure and got himself one.
This bad boy boasts an exquisitely engraved cover and a dial dripping in golden goodness. With a solid 14K gold chain, 15 precious ruby jewels ticking inside, and a lavish gold case back, this masterpiece proudly flaunts a hefty price tag of $1,665.
It’s safe to say that owning this exceptional timepiece is like wearing a small fortune on your wrist.
When a collector brought in a salesman edition of a Waltham watch, Rick admitted (behind the scenes) that the watch was an antique masterpiece but noted that because it was not a pocket watch but rather a travel clock, not many people would be interested in collecting it.
For this reason, the best he could offer was $125, and although the seller turned down this offer, there is no denying that a Waltham watch from 1889 is a catch!
Ancient Egyptian Scarab Ring
When an elderly lady walked into the pawn shop with what she claimed to be an 1800 BC Egyptian scarab finger ring she got from her father just before he passed away, she hoped to get at least the current market value of $15,000, considering it contained some precious metals.
In ancient Egypt, the scarab beetle was the bee’s knees when it came to jewelry. Why, you ask? Well, it had the mighty honor of representing none other than the sun god Re himself! Talk about some serious insect street cred.
The first Scarab amulets became popular in the First Intermediate Period around 2124 B.C. But these little bug beauties didn’t stop at just being amulets. They upped their game during the Middle and New Kingdoms (around 2030–1070 B.C.) and pulled double duty as seals.
The scarabs didn’t fade into obscurity as time went by. They remained popular throughout the Late Period (around 712–332 B.C.) and even stayed in vogue during the Greek and Roman times (332 B.C.–364 A.D.).
Although a professor of ancient artifacts confirmed that the scarab ring was real and belonged to the 18th dynasty, he estimated it would be worth about $200-$250! That was a shocking appraisal considering the ring’s history and pristine condition.
The Liberace Medallion, aka The Gong
Behold, the legendary Gong, a 14k gold coin necklace that earned its nickname courtesy of the one and only Liberace, one of the biggest stars in the United States in the late 1970s.
Picture this: a U.S. ten-dollar gold piece from 1881 transformed into a dazzling medallion adorned with a whopping 10 carats of the finest diamonds. Liberace sure knew how to shine, considering it was his creation!
The Gong wasn’t just a pretty face—it was also the world’s most photographed piece of jewelry. Talk about stealing the spotlight! Liberace couldn’t get enough of it either. He bedazzled it even further in the 1980s by adding larger diamonds, and that bling accompanied him 24/7. He wore it non-stop, even beneath his extravagant costumes, during every performance.
The necklace made its way into the hands of Cary James, Liberace’s former partner, who left it in his family’s care. And guess what? Five years ago, they decided it was time for this remarkable piece to find a new home, and that’s how the necklace found its way into the hands of the collector who brought it to the pawn shop.
The collector who bought the necklace from an auction expected $25,000 for The Gong, but Rick could only offer $10,000. Although no deal was sealed, the fact remains that the Liberace blinged-out necklace is a high-demand pawn item, a masterpiece that’s worth every diamond on it.
We hope you enjoyed this list of notable jewelry and watches as seen on History Channel’s Pawn Stars. What are your favorite antique pieces of jewelry on the show?
