‘Pawn Stars’ Turns 15: See the 5 Most Expensive Items & 5 That Got Away

This July 19 is an important date in the history of History, if you will: It’s the 15th anniversary of Pawn Stars’ series debut.

Since 2009, History viewers have watched Rick Harrison and his family members and cronies at Las Vegas’ World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop contemplate many big-ticket items. And sometimes, those items command six-figure sums.

According to WatchMojo, these are the five most expensive purchases from Pawn Stars history — and five even pricier items that Rick & Co. wouldn’t or couldn’t pay for.

5. 1961 Gibson SG Les Paul Custom guitar — $90k

In Season 12’s “Pawntucky Derby,” a customer brought in a Les Paul guitar owned by his aunt Mary, who happened to be Paul’s wife Mary Ford. “These things are rare, but a Gibson Les Paul actually connected to Les Paul? The value could go through the roof,” Rick said. Eventually, Rick and Ford’s nephew agreed to a pawn price of $90,000.

4. 1932 Lincoln Roadster — $95k

The Pawn Shop guys got a rare piece of automotive history in Season 4’s “By the Book” when they purchased a 1932 Lincoln Roadster for $95,000, one of only 112 cars of that model to be produced with the convertible variety. “In perfect condition, this thing could easily sell for $170,000 at an auction,” Rick reasoned, per The U.S. Sun.

3. 2001 New England Patriots Super Bowl ring — $100k

On Pawn Stars’ YouTube page, Rick showed off one of his prized possessions: a diamond encrusted 2001 New England Patriots Super Bowl ring he was selling for $100,000. “There [are] rules with the NFL on how you can make your ring, and the Patriots broke every one of them,” he said. “One of the rules is if it’s your first Super Bowl ring, it can only be 10 karat, it can only weigh so much, [and] you can only have so much in diamonds. The owner of the Patriots says, ‘We don’t give a damn, we’ll make them any way we want,’ and that’s why they made this blingy monstrosity.”

2. 3,372-ounce silver collection — $111k

In Season 6’s “Silver Linings,” a customer came in offering 3,000 ounces of silver in bars and coins, and Rick gave him $110,000 for the motherlode. “In the late 1990s, silver was down to $3 an ounce, but silver is the best conductor of electricity there is, period,” he explained. “Just about every cell phone, every computer, television, they all started needing silver.”

1. Maurice Sendak drawings — $250k

In Season 15’s “Can’t Pawn Me Love,” Rick met with a collector who had 12 of Maurice Sendak’s original illustrations from the immortal children’s book Where the Wild Things Are . The collector valued the drawings at $375,000, and Rick considered taking the bait, but after haggling, he bought them for $250,000. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he said.

No sale: Beatles contract — $1 million

Season 9’s “Can’t Buy Me Love” is aptly named, because Rick passed up an opportunity to own the recording contract The Beatles signed with manager Brian Epstein. “This contract is legendary,” he told viewers. “Some people consider it the most important document in the history of rock music.” An expert valued the piece at $500,000, but the owner refused to budge from his $1 million asking price, and Rick refused to budge from his offer of $350,000.

No sale: Jimi Hendrix’s electric guitar — $1 million

That same season, in “Purple Haze,” Rick couldn’t reach an agreement with the owner of a 1963 Fender Stratocaster once owned by Jimi Hendrix. An expert said the guitar could get as much as $1 million at auction, but Rick refused to meet the owner at $750k. In a last-minute offer, Rick proposed $600k, but the owner still said no.

No sale: Dinosaur robot — $ 1 million

The namesake item of Season 3’s “Robosaurus” is a fire-breathing, auto-devouring, 31-ton, 45-foot robotic dinosaur. Corey Harrison was duly impressed when Robosaurus made short work of a sacrificial car — but balked when the owner asked for $1 million. “A million bucks is a little out of my budget,” he said.

No sale: O.J. Simpson’s getaway car — $1.3 million

In Season 14’s “If the Pawn Don’t Fit,” Rick and Austin “Chumlee” Russell fielded an offer to own the white Ford Bronco from O.J. Simpson’s low-speed police chase. The seller? Simpson’s agent at the time of the event. But Rick didn’t want to pay $1.3 million for the car, or even $1.25 million. “With something like this, it’s so much of a gamble because there’s nothing to compare it to with price.”

No sale: Suit worn by George Washington — $3 million

Season 15’s “Revolutionary Rick!” saw Rick contemplating purchasing clothing from American history: a three-piece suit once work by George Washington, the first U.S. president. The owner wanted $3 million for it, and Rick declined. “I didn’t get the suit, but you know what, it didn’t fit me anyway,” Rick quipped.