Product Description
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The history of money-lending dates back thousands of years. Long
before the HISTORY hit series PAWN STARS, pawnbrokers helped
people make ends meet by providing loans in exchange for personal
items of value. There is no better example of today's pawnbrokers
than the Harrison family's Gold and Silver Pawn shop on the
outskirts of Las Ve; the modern day Mecca for people in need
of quick cash. Three generations of Harrison men clash with
friendly camaraderie over items from classic cars to samurai
s. Here, everything has a history, and everything has a
price. And you never know what's going to walk through the door.
In this collection, the boys haggle over a penny made by Paul
Revere, battle plans for Iwo Jima, a 1939 Allied Forces World War
II plane and a human shrunken head. PAWN STARS VOLUME 3 includes
sixteen fan-favorite episodes on two discs.
.com
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Apparently some loyal followers of the three-generation Harrison
clan, owners of the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in Las Ve and
stars of the History Channel's certified hit Pawn Stars, thought
there was a little false advertising with this third DVD
collection. Unlike the season one and season two releases, Pawn
Stars: Volume Three is not a compilation collection, rather it's
a selection of 16 "fan favorites" culled from the 26 episodes of
season three. Yes, completists may feel a little disgruntled, but
in this case a little less may be better, especially since the
show runs on what is now a pretty formulaic engine. But not to
worry, there are still plenty of beloved moments with boss Rick
Harrison, his dad "Old Man" Harrison, his son "Big Hoss," the
knuckleheaded yet lovable lardo "Chumlee," and all those
potential suckers who haggle, bargain, and plead, walking away
with cash in their pockets and dollar signs still dancing in
their eyes. Antiques Roadshow in Ve or Antiques Roadshow on
crack remain appropriate shorthands to describe the show's
premise. Watching truly is something that becomes habit-forming
regardless of one's interest in historic artifacts, novelty and
pop culture relics, or unusual ephemera that has some value to
somebody (maybe). Even though the formula doesn't really change,
as a reality TV concept Pawn Stars is an easy sell. A customer
looking to did the unusual stuff that's been lingering in the
attic or garage approaches the counter at the G&S Pawn superstore
and talks about it with one or more members of the Harrison
family. Nobody's looking for a loan or hocking their wedding ring
so they can get back to the slot machines; this is all about the
cash. Rick is pretty much the star and he seems to have a wealth
of knowledge about whatever the for-sale item is. In Volume Three
the objects are pretty much the same mix of war memorabilia,
motorized vehicles of whatever sort, coins, autographs,
documents, and shrunken heads. The customer is interviewed before
and after about their dealmaking experience, while in between
Rick or Old Man or Hoss gives a mini-history lesson about
whatever's on the counter, complete with graphics that fill us in
on history, facts, and trivia. This certainly doesn't qualify
Pawn Stars as educational, mind you, but it does cast a sleek
line to viewers who are easily reeled in by the debates over what
is often some very cool junk. There is a level of drama as
tensions rise with the eye-to-eye negotiations. Rick's attempts
to lowball the customer while the customer sweats and stalls in
anguish are nice little climaxes. In spite of their
near-encyclopedic knowledge, Rick or one of the others will
frequently call in one of their expert friends to confirm
provenance or give him some sense of value. The show's pace is
always lively, even in the hokey, scripted bits of comic business
that go on between the boys--usually at the expense of resident
fool Chumlee. Everyone is comfortable with the camera and eager
to amplify their personality with war stories about the business
and boastful anecdotes about their acumen or psychological
prowess in bargaining with the marks who come into the store.
It's a gimmick that has made checking in with the cast of Pawn
Stars a genuine pleasure, and may send you to digging out that
old or unframing that dusty picture as you imagine the
bundles of greenbacks waiting for you in Las Ve. --Ted Fry
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Review
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Hot ticket --Los Angeles Times
Must List --Entertainment Weekly
Think Antiques Roadshow with a Ve twist --Automobile Magazine
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