Pawn Stars

Pawning, Las Vegas style, is the catch behind The History Channel reality show, Pawn Stars. However, it's not just the merchandise pawned or sold by customers that makes this documentary interesting, it's also the shop's owners and employees who make this reality program one-of-a-kind.

Corey, Rick and Richard Harrison, of Pawn Stars.

The business of pawning is described as leaving a valuable item as guarantee in exchange for a monetary loan. If the money is not repaid, the item left as a deposit is kept by the person who loaned the cash. Instead of pawning an item, customers can also sell them to the pawn shop for resale. Pawn shops operate all over the United States; many are open 24/7.

Up until the middle of the 20th century, this was one of the most popular form of consumer credit available. While banks, for the most part, have taken over that job, pawn shops are still known as a viable source of income for many people especially during hard economic times. Some of the most popular items pawned include:

• Jewelry
• Musical instruments
• Electronics
• Tools
• Sporting equipment
• Clothing

Richard "The Old Man" Harrison

Pawn Stars, which hit the airwaves in Summer 2009, is a reality television show about ordinary people doing their jobs running the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, Nevada. The round-the-clock store is run by the three generations of the Harrison family:

• Richard - The Appraiser: Also known as "The Old Man," he is the shop's co-owner. Richard can be found in the pawn shop's back room counting the day's income. He loves to collect antique cars and looks more like a rackateer with the dark sunglasses and black clothing. After losing $1 million in the real estate market, he moved his family to Las Vegas. He loves to drive a hard bargain.
• Rick - The Spotter': As Richard's son, he is the boss of the pawn shop and closes most of the big deals. He has the most camera time on the reality show and is listed first in the credits. He runs the day-to-day operations of the store and has 28 years experience in the pawn business. He an expert when it comes to spotting fake merchandise.
• Corey - Big Hoss : As Rick's son and Richard's grandson, Corey is being trained as his father's successor in the shop. He often can be found debating sales with Rick and The Old Man, and is often criticized for not knowing as much about the pawn business as he should, considering he started working there when he was nine. He is a trained appraisal expert.

The Gold & Silver Pawn Shop also employs:

• Austin "Chumlee" Russell: He is Corey's best friend and the one who does a lot of miscellaneous jobs at the shop such as loading and unloading larger pawned or sold items.
• Peaches: Another of the store's cashiers, she has a small part in the show. She is not related to any member of the Harrison family.

It is impossible for Rick and his crew to know everything about the merchandise that comes into the shop, so they rely on experts for advice:

• Dana Linett: Early American history
• Mark Allen: Wild West stage props and equipment
• Wally Korhonen: Customization of cars and motorcycles
• Rick Pohler: Cannon restoration
• Rick Dale: Restoring antiques
• Sean Rich: Master gunsmith and arms and armor dealer

Memorable moments from season one include:

• The Old Man setting up a "cuss" jar in an attempt to cut down on the amount of swearing done by the shop's employees. It filled up very quickly with $1 bills.
• Chumlee wanting to buy a 1982 Harley Davidson motorcycle and having Richard finance him for the loan.
• Rick being offered an original John Hancock signature on a document from colonial times.
• Peaches being switched to work the graveyard shift because she is always late.
• In an attempt to see if Corey really knows his stuff, Rick challenges him to identify the worthiness of the shop's items. If he succeeded, he was to be given $2,500, but if he lost he would have to work the graveyard shift. He lost the challenge, but it was Rick who had work the late night hours because The Old Man was upset he risked $2,500 of the shop's money on the bet.

One thing that keeps the show interesting is not knowing what customers will bring in to pawn or sell. Over the years, the Harrison clan has received quite a few unique items, such as:

• 1996 Olympic bronze metal
• Benny Binion's hat
• A Super Bowl ring
• Salvador Dali proofs
• 1849 Colt revolver
• Pac Man game system
• 16h century samurai sword

New episodes of Pawn Stars are shown at 10 p.m. Sundays on The History Channel..

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