Rick Harrison (1)

I am a huge fan of the History Channel’s Pawn Stars. It has wit, familial relations, historical trivia, old stuff and weird stuff. Rick Harrison is the owner of the pawn shop located in Las Vegas, and the show’s popularity has meant they have added thousands of square feet to the store and hired an additional thirty employees. They used to have about 100 customers per day; they now have over a thousand.

Harrison has an interesting background. He suffered from grand mal seizures as a show more child which made him think he wouldn’t live to adulthood and provided a justification in his mind for just being a reprobate. He was constantly in trouble, but he was also extremely bright. Testing off the charts in math and a constant reader, school was exceedingly boring and lacked challenge so after the ninth grade he just decided he didn’t need it any more. Nobody could figure me out. I was a tenth-grade dropout who read and studied more than most college students. I could be a raging, partying guy on Friday night and then get up Saturday morning, pack three or four physics books into a backpack, hop on a motorcycle, and drive into the desert. I’d sit on the side of a mountain all day long reading them. No wonder nobody knew what to make of me. I wasn’t always sure, either. He drops hints of interesting history and physics books. (I've already added them to my collection.)

I knew very little about how pawn shops operate, and was startled to learn that 25% of the population does not qualify for a bank account so pawn shops operate as a no questions asked source of cash. One very hard working man made his living for comparing prices at various pawn shops, buying and then pawning and redeeming assorted items, the difference in prices being his income. He raised six children this way. Another tidbit: 80-90% of pawns (depending on the economy) are ultimately redeemed, a much higher figure than I would have imagined. People like their stuff.

Scattered amidst Rick’s observations are chapters by Old Man (a thorough curmudgeon if there ever was one), Corey (he had a terrible time with crystal meth as a teenager but credits his dad with not enabling and forcing him to get off of it which he did with sterling will power and cheeseburgers with bacon) and Chumlee (no where near as dumb as portrayed on the show and quite the entrepreneur himself.) Rick never judges; it would be the death of his business, nor does he harbor any sentimentality toward “stuff,” a refreshing attitude. As he notes, a sociologist could learn a great deal working the night window. Another tidbit, Pimps buy a lot of jewelry from me, and the bigger the better. It’s not fake, either. They insist on real gold and they’re willing to pay a good amount for it. And here’s why: If they get arrested, the cops will confiscate their cash but not their jewelry. They can give their jewelry to one of their girls, and she’ll take it directly to the pawn shop to get money for bail. It makes perfect sense if you look at it from their perspective. The jewelry is not just an accessory.

One little tidbit about the effect of the show. Rick, his dad, Corey and Chumlee can no longer work the counter because with all the tourists snapping pictures, a pawn; confidentiality would be compromised, something that’s illegal. Besides, I had never watched a reality show until I was starring in one. When people ask me what I think about all this attention, I tell them the same thing every time: We’ll ride this horse till it dies, and then we’ll cut a steak off its ass.

The book itself is not a literary masterpiece. He writes much the way he talks on the show and you can hear his incessant laughter and delight in what he finds behind every sentence. BTW, he delights in his use of the word, “fuck,” so those who can’t bear to see that in print will probably want to avoid the book. Their loss. show less

This bio of Rick Harrison's life at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop was quick, enjoyable, and informative. I watch the show sometimes and I've learned a few things when people sell their antiques. I saw this book for sale at the shop when I went there a couple of years ago, but decided against buying it at the time. I've since borrowed it from the library and finally I've read it.

The book gives background on The Old Man, Corey, and Chumlee (who all write chapters in the book). That was show more interesting and fun. The book talks a lot about life running a pawn shop in all it's "glory" - that includes the seedy underbelly of Las Vegas and a whole host of interesting characters. More interesting, maybe, then the actual show on the History channel. My conclusion? I'm glad I don't run a pawn shop!

Wish I had Rick's penchant (and drive) for making a buck. More power to him for making all of this work.

I'd recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of the show, although most of the book is not about the show - it's about the day to day operations of the pawn shop - the side you don't see in the TV show. Also info on their lives, if you like that sort of thing. I do. It's rated 4 stars for keeping my interest and for the fact that I had to tell everyone all sorts of things I read in the book. No, it's not great literature, but I think I've enjoyed reading this book more than some of the other books I've read recently. show less

There are fewer less-likely television stars than the Harrison family (known to their fans simply as Rick, “The Old Man,” and “Big Hoss”) and Austin Russell (the loveable walrus-shaped guy everyone knows as “Chumlee”). But that is exactly what they are these days, and their television show, Pawn Stars, is the main reason that The History Channel is thriving to such a degree today. Now Rick Harrison, who first conceived and nursed the idea of a pawnshop-based television show years show more ago, has co-authored a book telling how it all happened. That the history of the Harrison family is not always pretty only makes the level of their success even more remarkable. Rick, with a little help from his three co-stars, tells us all about it in License to Pawn: Deals, Steals, and My Life at the Gold & Silver.

The Old Man, it seems, was a hustler from the beginning, always on the lookout, even during his navy days, for ways to bring a few extra bucks home to his family. The family, after the San Diego housing market crash crushed its real estate business, moved to Las Vegas where the elder Harrison opened a “gold and silver shop.” Rick, largely a self-educated man, suffered from epilepsy as a teen and was a serious drug abuser. Corey (Big Hoss) one-upped his father when it came to drug addiction, and he is lucky to be alive. Even Chumlee was heavily involved with drugs at one time – but he wised up long before Corey did. Although Rick tells most of the story, his father, son, and Chumlee each get a chapter of their own to personalize their individual experiences. And, in frank detail, that is exactly what they do.

Perhaps most interesting are Rick’s accounts of how the business and the television show actually work. He includes numerous stories reminiscent of the show about some of the most interesting customers and deals that he has seen over the years. Pawn Stars fans will certainly enjoy the stories but might be surprised to learn how much things have changed for the guys since the show became such a hit. (Hint: huge crowds, combined with limited floor space, do cause problems.)

Like so many first-person narratives of this type, License to Pawn has more the feel of a transcribed and edited tape recording than of a written narrative. But, as is often the case, the style works perfectly for those whose voices and deliveries are as familiar to readers as those belonging to the Pawn Stars cast. No, this is not great literature, but is fun - especially for fans unlikely ever to get any closer to the Gold and Silver than the pages of this book.

Rated at: 3.5 show less

I was surprised to enjoy this book as much as I did. Rick really seems to have a joy for life and learning. I was very interested in his descriptions of how people use a pawn shop, sometimes to get through their every day lives! This is a whole different side of life than what I've seen. This wasn't deep literature, but it was written well, and it was really a fun read!