Additional Coverage:
- ‘Pawn Stars’ guest wanted $5,000 for a coin — then an expert revealed it was 8 times more valuable (marketrealist.com)
Vegas pawn shop reality show “Pawn Stars” often features intriguing items with unique histories. In one episode, a customer presented a gold-colored coin bearing George Washington’s likeness.
Rick Harrison, intrigued but unsure of its value, noted the coin lacked a denomination and resembled a medal. The reverse side revealed Masonic engravings, linking it to the secret society prominent in 18th-century America and to which Washington belonged.
The customer hoped to get $5,000 for the piece.
Harrison, admitting his uncertainty about its true worth, consulted expert David Vagi, then-Director of NGC Ancients. Vagi identified the item as the first Masonic medal ever struck, dating back to 1797, Washington’s final year in office.
He explained that silversmith and engraver Peter Getz, a member of the Pennsylvania Lodge of the Masons, created only 20 such medals. Vagi declared the medal a significant artifact of early American politics, religion, and society, estimating its value at $40,000.
The stunned customer reconsidered his initial asking price. Harrison jokingly offered $5,000, then proposed $20,000, eventually increasing his offer to $23,000. However, the customer decided to keep the medal, hoping for an even better deal elsewhere.