Local Shop Owner Visits Vegas ‘Pawn Stars’

I know I am not the only one who loves these new reality based TV programs — Pawn Stars, American Pickers, Storage Wars, Hard Core Pawn, etc.
Maybe it’s because I own a couple shops and what I do is so similar to what they do. Or possibly it’s because I love it when Rick calls on one of his experts to appraise an item and an unknowing customer either feels the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat.
I can’t help disliking Dave Hester and his “Yep” on Storage Wars, and the child like enthusiasm Mike Wolfe has on American Pickers is contagious. I love these shows.
So when my girlfriend started flirting around with the idea of vacationing in the Caribbean, I was thinking Vegas and a visit to my favorite show, Pawn Stars. Lucky for me she said yes to Vegas.
I have two shops full of really cool stuff — North End Antiques in Cape May and North End Thrift in the Villas.
I wanted to bring something with me to the Pawn Shop. I decided on an autograph from president JFK which I acquired from a Cape May woman who inherited it from her uncle.
She told me the story that her uncle, a politician, got this autograph from JFK at a fundraiser. Knowing that JFK memorabilia is still highly collectible and can bring big bucks if authentic, I thought this would be an appropriate item to take with me.
My day came and we pulled up to The Gold and Silver Pawn Shop. It’s an unassuming building flanked by an adult bookstore and a hot dog stand.
We were still on the strip but on the wrong side of town. The first thing we saw was the long line of people waiting to go in. I soon found out they were filming and we had at least an hour or two wait.
In line I started talking with a couple from California about what I do in Jersey and my shops. Soon the JFK signature came out and I found myself telling stories to a large audience. I love to talk.
Finally the door opened and the line slowly funneled in and I got my first look at the shop. It’s small and it was packed with tourists. Rick was being filmed buying a book when his expert comes in.
We are told not to talk to Rick and no pictures are allowed. They had a few cool items displayed but were way overpriced.
Half the store is a gift shop with t-shirts, mugs and bobble head dolls. I was feeling a little disappointed as I made my way to the counter. I slowly pulled the JFK autograph out and handed it to a man behind the counter.
No cast of characters in sight. No Chumlee, no Big Hoss, no Old Man in sight and Rick had disappeared. The employee examined the autograph and said, “We’re only buying gold and silver.”
I felt like a kid in a candy shop who just found out he is diabetic. I am paraphrasing our conversation, but it basically went this way: The reality of this reality show is that the show has turned this shop into a tourist trap which mainly sells souvenirs. I was a little upset at first, but I still had a great vacation.
My quest to find out about the authenticity of my JFK autograph has not stopped. I will be taking it to a company in NY soon.
To find out more about its authenticity, what I do and what my shops buy and sell, visit me online atnorthendthrift.com or northendantiques.com or like our page on Facebook.
I still have my JFK autograph, and sometimes what happens in Vegas needs to stay In Vegas.
—Pete Wilson of North End Antiques and North End Thrift