Half Disme on Pawn Stars
1630Boston
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Comments
Dis - me? Umm guys, the "s" is silent. The original French pronunciation was "deem" which was Americanized to "dime."
And, the whole thing was a scripted set-up. That's Walt Husak. Rick had a less than zero chance of buying those.
I have met the collector who brought these pieces into the shop several times at the EAC conventions. He is a very personable and pleasant man. Most of us have met Jeff Garret.
The 1792 half disme he had seemed a bit high for the price. It looked to be in Choice EF to me.
The Libertas Americana medal was the much rarer silver variety. Back in the early 1980s, those were selling for $5 to $6 thousand. The $150,000 price seemed about right.
That Half Disme (DEEM) is NGC 65 and is for sale at 595K now on Collectors Corner
Commems and Early Type
The show must have been a repeat - there was a thread on this several months ago, But fun to revisit it.
I was on PS. A fun few days with a free hotel. Not scripted per say but not random either. The items and owners are sourced but what happens when the cameras roll is all spontaneous and unscripted, generally. Having to do it 4 or 5 times over so the cameras get different things said so they could splice what they liked together was a bit tiresome however. Took about an hour to film the scene.
When's Hansen gonna take his stuff in?
Who would try to sell a $500,000 dollar coin in a pawn shop?????
Dave
Someone that wants to be on TV
Saw an episode where a guy sold a T1 1917 quarter. Rick paid $1000 without his expert because the seller could not wait. The expert later said it was a 66 and he did well. Anyone think that wasn't scripted?
Somebody with a gambling problem who wants to take the quick cash straight to a local Las Vegas casino.
then thats a lose lose situation
I talked to Walter just before they taped this, IIRC - he just did the show for kicks.
What is now proved was once only imagined. - William Blake
Its a win-win for the pawn shop and the casino...
Here's my episode. I didn't even know it aired. A friend on another forum who I've never met but has seen a picture of me saw it and recorded it and put it on YouTube for me. I've lost 50+lbs since then though..
and how one looks at it. the best of both worlds ( or worst )
I would have taken the $350.
They filmed a segment for Storage Wars at the camera store I work in a few years ago. Same idea, took a few hours to film a bunch of variations of the same thing that they then spliced together. The actual aired segment never existed exactly like the discussion went. They called us out of the blue and asked if they could come in and film a segment about an old camera. Unfortunately they didn't really give us all of the information ahead of time on the items, just some bad photos. I did my best to track down history and pricing ahead of time but knowing what I know now about the cameras compared to then, we could have done a better job if we'd had more time with the proper information. I set the whole thing up but of the owner of the shop got to be on tv. Just as well, I don't like the way I sound
Collector of randomness. Photographer at PCGS. Lover of Harry Potter.
I saw Dizme Gillespie on the Carson show once... ;-)
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I've been on that too. Filmed 3 test episodes. Only one aired though titled "North Hollywood Hustle." I was being groomed to replace Brandi & Jerrod but the damn DAY BEFORE I was scheduled to go sign my production contract A&E unexpectedly cancelled the home-life show J&B were leaving SW for so they stayed on SW which pushed me out.
what luck, why couldn't it have at least been AFTER I signed so I could get a contract cancellation payout. Man that sucked.
Couldn’t see the grade on the Libertas but it looked like a 63 or so. Still remember buying the Cardinal gem for under $20k and flipping it to him for a small profit
Thread from January 29, 2018:
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/993851/half-disme-and-silver-libertas-americana-medal-on-tonights-pawn-stars
It maybe staged or scripted, but I like watching it. It's fun and entertaining to watch !!!
@CascadeChris No bueno at all!
Collector of randomness. Photographer at PCGS. Lover of Harry Potter.
You're telling me. $20k+/episode for a couple days of work per down the drain. Sooo close. That's my life though. I always come so close to victory, more than most ever will, yet never tasting the glory...
I thought that I was having Deja-vu for a moment...rerun episode from earlier in the year.
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Miracle: A pawn shop that offers within reasonable market prices, at least this time.
True, but I think he already had a buyer lined up. Instant profit...
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Rick is a coin collector and with his bank account I've always assumed that most of the big numi stuff that comes in that he's offering solid but low retail money for is for himself though its just a guess..
The only episode of this that I watched was the one with Charmy (ThePennyLady)....Other than that, I do not watch much television....Cheers, RickO
Yea...when they're being filmed. LOL
The Libertas is mine, and in my opinion, seriously undergraded. In all fairness to the PCGS graders, they never saw it in the raw. It came from the 2012 ANA auctions in Philadelphia, which featured a number of Libertas medals, including 3 different silver medals (all graded by NGC). This one was the only one that sold, and it was far better than the NGC-MS62 in the same auction. I submitted it for crossover at the ANA, and had to wait until the end of the show for it to be completed. (The oversize holder delayed it.)
While I was waiting, I told Don Willis I had submitted it, and he asked what minimum grade I had specified for the crossover, and when I said "even," he shook his head and said, "NGC-61's are really just 58's, and that would be a great piece in a PCGS AU58 holder." When it was returned to me in the PCGS holder, I showed it him, and he did a double-take, saying, "That's really nice!!"
The piece itself is struck at high relief all the way to the finest details of Miss Liberty's hair, resulting from having been struck at least 5 times to bring up those details. This one displays the earliest die state of any of the Libertas medals, and so it was among the first delivery of the newly struck medals to Benjamin Franklin on April 4, 1783, just days prior to Franklin presenting the two gold Libertas medals to the King and Queen of France.
Cool. Did you buy it from the pawn shop? Who was the guy selling it?
@Rittenhouse is correct! That segment of the show was set up in advance, and basically already scripted. If I hadn't had a prior commitment, I would have accompanied Walt Husak on the show. He is a great guy and an all around good friend.
After it was all recorded, Walt told Rick that the Libertas Medal was actually not for sale. It has been in my collection since the 2012 ANA sale. Apparently, Rick did have a customer for it, as he was quite disappointed that he couldn't buy it.
I wonder how many segments are make believe like this one?!
It depends on your definition of 'make believe'
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@cardinal it really amazing that you own the Libertas. I was wondering have you ever entered the pawn shop and is there a chance of actually meeting Rick Harrison or the rest of the cast at the shop. And also is the show based in the set or is it the actual pawn shop ?
To me even though the show is scripted what matters is the history that is shared in the show. That’s why I like the show 😃👍
Yes, the shop is a genuine business in Las Vegas! I have gone past it several times, while attending PCGS Member Shows in Las Vegas, but never went in. Several years ago, the "Old Man" came to the PCGS Member Show, but I missed that one.
Quite a few. If you watch carefully, you can tell when it's a set-up. The item is rare, with a lot of history, solid provenance, a sky-high price, and Rick never even gets close.
As others have noted, who cares if these scenes are phony, it's the history that counts. Further, the whole show is scripted. Do you really think the buys actually go down as depicted? Not a chance. The "outside expert" is always available on short notice and comes right in? Please. The producers and Rick go thru items that came into the shop and select those with a good story. They get the seller back in and film from a script.
There was one big historical inaccuracy. The silver for the 1792 half disme was NOT obtaining from melting George Washington’s silverware, which has long been bantered around as the source.
The REAL source is almost as good. The silver came from melted silver coins that Thomas Jefferson supplied. Jefferson took personal delivery of the 1,500 pieces that were struck at John Harper’s saw shop and started to distribute the coins on his way to Monticello in July of 1792.
It is believed that an addition 200 to 300, 1792 half dismes were made at the Philadelphia Mint in the fall of 1792. The pieces that show a later die state and some die rust are believed to represent that second coinage.
It has been discussed, but there is a "set" pawn shop where they film at the same site, unless that has changed. I think Charmy > @Rittenhouse said:
I agree with the scripted part, but to actually buy the coin, do the paperwork, but it was not ever really for sale? Dang!
I have never known about this coins/medal. It's absolutely beautiful!
Who would try to sell a $500,000 dollar coin in a pawn shop?????
It's great advertising for both the show and the owner of the coin.
Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.
This thread needs photos. Here are a few I took earlier this year, excepting the first one with yours truly included.
Gotta say, I really miss The Old Man though.
Dodged a bullet there. They would have had to cast you a 'girlfriend' as annoying as she is/was to keep the shtick going.
ANA 50 year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
Even better is why it took so long to find the proof of this... In 1792 the US Mint wasn't that important. It was just an extra responsibility that President Washington distributed around his cabinet that TJ got tagged with
So it never really got what we would consider proper mint records. TJ recorded depositing the silver, and receiving the dismes, and spending the first ones in his daybook (his personal record of income and expense).
The first recorded spend of 1792 half dismes is a tip of 30 cents to the porter who took care of his horse at the first inn during his 11-day trip. Given that 1/2, 1 and 2 reales were worth 6.25, 12.5, and 25 cents, at least one half disme had to be in there.
ANA 50 year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
The part of the Martha Washington sourced silver story that remains intriguing is the silver set's absence in the Mount Vernon inventory post production of the half dismes.
I guess Thomas Jefferson's offered silver could have just as well come from a source other than coins if he had come into possession of the Washington silver set somehow.