Additional Coverage:
- ‘Pawn Stars’ boss Rick Harrison ends up spending a fortune on three special postcards (marketrealist.com)
“Pawn Stars” Rick Harrison, known for his tough negotiating tactics, recently scored a deal on three Jean-Michel Basquiat postcards. A seller, Bobby, brought the collection to the shop hoping to sell each postcard for $38,000. Harrison, however, played it cool, expressing doubts about their authenticity due to a lack of paperwork.
Harrison called in expert Brett Maly, who consulted with Scott Ferguson, a personal acquaintance of Basquiat. Ferguson confirmed the postcards’ legitimacy, recalling how he and the artist, then a young runaway, sold similar pieces on the streets. Maly added that, given Basquiat paintings sell for $100,000 at auction, the postcards were worth at least $50,000 each.
Armed with this information, Harrison offered Bobby $50,000 for the entire collection. Although Bobby initially countered, asking for $30,000 per postcard, he eventually accepted Harrison’s offer, walking away with a substantial sum. While Bobby admitted he could have haggled further, the convenience of a lump sum cash payment sealed the deal for him.