- 7/5/2025
https://t.me/TopFilmUSA1
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00:00I've got this ancient Japanese katana, signed by Koita Ishida himself, and I'm interested in selling it.
00:08How much are you looking to get?
00:10Well, a million bucks.
00:12I got this picture here.
00:14Oh, my God. This is an engraving by Albrecht Dewar.
00:18Oh, really? Is it really worth something?
00:20If you can get one from the 1500s, it's worth $300,000.
00:23So I have some Mayan Aztec sculptures.
00:27I'm looking to sell these set of sculptures for $15,000.
00:33Looks like a couple Oompa Loompas, if you ask me.
00:36So I got this really old book. It looks like it could be handwritten.
00:38So we have the possibility here this has the whereabouts of the Holy Grail?
00:41Absolutely.
00:43I have an antique Chinese fingernail guard.
00:47Honestly, I don't know exactly how much they're worth.
00:50I think I'll buy it from you. Just hopefully my boss will be proud of me.
00:54Do you know what you have here?
00:55No, I don't.
00:56This is the one thing everyone hopes they'll stumble across when they're going through Grandma's stuff.
01:00You gotta be me.
01:13How you doing?
01:14I'm good.
01:15So I have some Mayan Aztec sculptures.
01:20What exactly do you know about them?
01:22It's a male and a female.
01:23And it looks like they have been, like, hunting and gathering.
01:27Looks like a couple Oompa Loompas, if you ask me.
01:30They are definitely interesting looking.
01:33The song is playing in my head right now.
01:35Exactly.
01:36We know how that goes.
01:37We can sing it later.
01:38They're definitely pretty interesting.
01:41Not a lot of art survives on these time pairs.
01:44It's really cool to actually see them into the shop.
01:46I'm trying to overlook them here.
01:48How much are you looking to get for the pair?
01:50For the pair, $15,000.
01:52Okay.
01:53Okay.
01:54This stuff can be worth a lot of money.
01:55Mm-hmm.
01:56It, you know, all depends on where it was from, the condition it's in.
01:59But they look to be in pretty rough condition here.
02:03Mm-hmm.
02:04Did you repair these?
02:05No.
02:06Okay.
02:07Because it looks almost like they were glued back together with some plaster or something.
02:10Oh, okay.
02:11It looks very modern.
02:12That could drastically affect the value, you know?
02:15It's a lot of ifs for me, so I'd like to have someone come down and take a look at them.
02:19Check them out and see if they're authentic, where they're from, and then go from there.
02:25Okay.
02:26Hang out for a few minutes if you have some time and I'll get someone done.
02:28Sure, no problem.
02:29Thanks.
02:30I'm excited about a expert coming in because that way I'll know if it's actually worth something
02:35or if it's just a conversation piece.
02:45So what do you got here?
02:48So I got this really old book.
02:49It looks like it could be handwritten.
02:51Okay, a really old book.
02:52So we have the possibility here this has the whereabouts of the Holy Grail?
02:55Absolutely.
02:56It could be treasure maps, yep.
02:58All right.
02:59Do you know anything about it?
03:00I bought it in an estate sale in Ohio, and it looks like it's in a foreign language.
03:04That's all I know, really.
03:06Okay.
03:07Just from the looks of the binding in the paper, I would say it's probably 1500, 1600s.
03:11Wow.
03:12It is handwritten.
03:13In the early 1400s, Gutenberg came out with the printing press, but the printing press
03:18was slow to catch on because it was one of those new-fangled gadgets.
03:23It's really cool just due to the fact that I've never owned a handwritten book.
03:27They're rare.
03:28Some of them are worth a lot of money.
03:30Some of them aren't worth next to nothing.
03:32This right here, it's handwritten, but the whole book mining is really, really bad condition.
03:38We got mold and spotting on all the pages.
03:41And usually, a book's got a front page on it.
03:45I'm thinking some pages are missing.
03:47I love buying old books because they're easy to store and display, and there's a large collector market for them.
03:53But I have no idea what this language is.
03:55So it's going to be really tough for me to figure out what to offer.
03:58What were you looking to get out of it?
04:00You know, I don't know.
04:01I think if I can get, you know, five, six hundred bucks out of it, I'd be happy.
04:04My problem is, I don't know what the content is.
04:07Do you mind if I call someone and get them down here?
04:09Well, actually, I'm kind of in a hurry.
04:11What can you offer me right now?
04:15I'll tell you what, I'll give you my best shot at 250 bucks.
04:19I need at least 300 bucks.
04:20It's, you know, it's from the 1500.
04:22It's lasted this long.
04:23It's handwritten.
04:24You're in a hurry.
04:25I really believe it's not worth much more than that.
04:28It's an old handwritten book, and I'm taking a shot in the dark at 250 bucks.
04:35Okay.
04:36All right.
04:37I bought it in a box full of other stuff for $100, so I made out okay.
04:49I have a customer in the shop with what appears to be pre-Columbian Mexican sculptures.
04:54She's asking $15,000 for them, but I'm not exactly sure if they're from the time period
04:59or if they're even real.
05:00So I've called Bob Dodge down to take a look and shed some more light on these.
05:05When you said you had a couple of little statues, I was thinking this, not this.
05:11Good gravy.
05:12Wow.
05:13So just looking at these hefty little things, these would be from West Mexico.
05:20So they would date to about 2,000 years old.
05:23Wow.
05:24Made out of clay, of course.
05:25Would have gone into a tomb and accompanied the deceased into the afterlife.
05:30Do you have any idea what these are supposed to depict?
05:32I'm trying to figure that out.
05:33Yeah.
05:34Well, it's always tough because there is no written record of any of these ancient cultures.
05:38So you kind of just get a sense based on what they're carrying, what they're wearing.
05:42This appears to be a weapon and a little shield.
05:45So he's a warrior.
05:47So you're telling me these aren't Oompa Loompas?
05:49They are not Oompa Loompas.
05:50Well, maybe they are, but they're an early variant of that.
05:54Now we want to see if it's authentic.
05:58Okay.
05:59So I brought my little bag of tricks.
06:01Okay.
06:02Do you mind if I play a little bit?
06:03Yeah, please.
06:04Play.
06:06When water hits these, it should do a couple of things.
06:09Mm-hmm.
06:10So I'm going to spray a little bit of water while I hurt it.
06:12Okay.
06:15So I'm looking at how fast the water absorbs into the outer surface.
06:19Okay.
06:20Kind of a medium absorption.
06:22Mm-hmm.
06:23And then I smell it.
06:24Okay.
06:26So what I'm trying to smell is, does it smell like earth?
06:30Oh.
06:31Does it smell like it's been in the earth for 2,000 years?
06:33Yeah.
06:34Let me give you an example.
06:35I've got an authentic piece in here.
06:37Okay.
06:38And if I do that with this guy, the water is absorbing very quickly.
06:45Mm-hmm.
06:46This water is still showing.
06:48In about 10 seconds, this water is going to be gone.
06:52Oh, okay.
06:53Really earthy.
06:54Yeah.
06:55Really earthy.
06:56Smell this.
06:59Slightly earthy.
07:00Slightly earthy.
07:01Yeah.
07:02Okay.
07:03I'm going to do one more thing.
07:04Okay.
07:05My business card.
07:06Okay.
07:07Let's look at the feet.
07:09Okay.
07:10Okay.
07:11I can almost not get my business card under those feet.
07:16Mm-hmm.
07:17That means this was made on a table that was about as flat as this glass.
07:22Okay.
07:23Guess how many flat tables there were in pre-Columbian America?
07:27Not many.
07:28Zero.
07:29Bingo.
07:30So there were no flat tables around to make these.
07:33Right.
07:34So based on water absorption, lack of that deep earthy smell, and most especially the flat
07:42feet.
07:43Mm-hmm.
07:44I hate to say it.
07:45They're modern.
07:46Oh.
07:47Okay.
07:48So what do you think the value is on them?
07:50You guys like to shoot things out on the range?
07:53Take these.
07:54I hate to say it.
07:56No value.
07:57Okay.
07:58Well, I appreciate you coming down and being the bearer of bad news.
08:00Oh, I'm so sorry.
08:01No worries.
08:02Thank you so much.
08:03I appreciate it.
08:04Of course.
08:05So Bob is my guy when it comes to this.
08:10With what he says, I'm gonna have to take it for value and I'm gonna have to pass on these.
08:14No problem.
08:15Thank you so much.
08:16I appreciate it.
08:17Thanks for bringing them down.
08:18Absolutely.
08:19And I hope you learned some stuff about them today.
08:20I did.
08:22Hey, how's it going?
08:27Hey, great.
08:28I've got this ancient Japanese katana signed by Koita Ishida himself and I'm interested in selling it.
08:35All right.
08:36So what can you tell me about it?
08:37I have been in swords for quite a few years.
08:39I like reproductions and I've never had an original.
08:42Okay.
08:43And when I seen this one here, that was it.
08:45I wanted it.
08:46All right.
08:47And you mentioned the name.
08:48It's signed by a gentleman by the name of Koita Ishida.
08:51And who is he?
08:52He could be the descendant of Mitsunari Ishida, the colonel and the war, the battle of Sakigahara.
08:59Does that make it special?
09:01I've never seen anything like this one here anywhere.
09:04You got a few, man.
09:05You got a couple, but you notice nothing like this.
09:08We picked up one of our Japanese swords for 4,500 bucks.
09:12And after having it restored, it's worth 15 grand.
09:15If I can make that sort of profit on this thing, I've got to have it.
09:18When you say it has markings and it's signed, where are they?
09:21The swordsmith usually puts his signature on it, on the tang.
09:25So if we remove this handle, we'll see the signature underneath?
09:28Right.
09:29This was all deciphered by a Japanese lady.
09:33Koita Ishida.
09:34Right.
09:35That's what's on the tang.
09:36Okay.
09:37So some guy we don't know.
09:38Right.
09:39That's useless to me.
09:40I'm not trying to be a jerk to this guy, but I do need to be extremely careful.
09:45There's a ton of fakes out there.
09:47Some stranger appraised it.
09:49And no one even knows who Koita Ishida is.
09:51But the markings on the sword are fairly unique.
09:54So I think it's worth having someone take a look at it.
09:57How much are you looking to get?
09:58A million bucks.
10:03You mind if I have a buddy of mine come check it out?
10:05I welcome it.
10:06All right.
10:07Let me go give him a call.
10:08All right.
10:10I'm excited because now I got a professional that knows what he's doing.
10:13And by golly, that's what I've been looking for.
10:18Earlier, I bought a really old handwritten book.
10:21It looked like it was worth picking up.
10:22But I don't know who wrote it, what it's about, or even what language it's in.
10:26So I'm stopping by my friend's shop to get some more info on it.
10:29Hey, how's it going?
10:30Hey, Rick.
10:31Nice to see you.
10:32I have a book that I know nothing about.
10:34Ah, so you came to me.
10:35The guys usually call me from the pawn shop because they've got a book.
10:38They need an expert to give them a real value.
10:40Whoa.
10:42What have we got here?
10:43Well, it's a handwritten book.
10:44I don't know how old.
10:45I'm thinking like 15, 16 hundreds.
10:48You know, normally that'd be a good guess given that it's manuscript rather than printed.
10:53But we've got some odd things going on here.
10:56You see there are actually spaces in between these words.
10:59That is something that you only see in printed books.
11:02Manuscripts, you would just have the words all kind of scrunched together.
11:05So what this is doing is it's copying a printed book.
11:09Okay.
11:10This book is really special because so many hours went into creating it.
11:14And even after the printing press was created, so that's pretty unusual.
11:17So you know what something like this is worth or?
11:20The value is really hinging on the content.
11:23Unfortunately, I'm not even sure quite frankly what language it's in.
11:26It could be old Russian.
11:27It could be church Slavonic.
11:29I'm not sure.
11:30So I'm actually going to have to talk to a friend of mine and have him tell me what it's about.
11:35Okay.
11:36Um, so later today, next week, next month.
11:40Soon.
11:42Thanks.
11:43A guy brought in a signed Japanese katana.
11:48It's a great looking sword, but his paperwork is pretty thin.
11:51So Mike's here to give it a once over and tell us more about it.
11:55What you got today?
11:56Got a katana sword for you.
11:57May I take a look at your sword?
11:59Oh, absolutely.
12:00Right ahead.
12:04You know, swords like this, they're laminated and they're made with like about 33,000 layers of steel.
12:10Yes, sir.
12:11So their cutting ability is unparalleled.
12:14During World War II, there was footage of one that cut through a machine gun barrel.
12:19Wow.
12:20This was very prominent around 1000 to around the late 1200s.
12:25And swords in that time period are well worth anywhere from 50,000 up to $4 million.
12:32So tell me, is it real?
12:34We have to remove the handle to take a look at the signature.
12:40So what this says is actually Xin Zhou.
12:47He's a very famous maker, Iwama Xin Zhou.
12:52But there is no such maker as Ishida Koeda, unfortunately.
12:59And swords from the Kamakura period were worn opposite.
13:03So the signature would actually be on this side of the tank.
13:06Okay.
13:07What we have here is actually a reproduction of a Kamakura period sword.
13:12Wow.
13:14These swords were actually made in China about 15 years ago.
13:22I've seen these go for anywhere from $50 to $200.
13:25Well, man, unfortunately, we're not going to be able to make a deal.
13:31I got no room for a $50 sword.
13:32So, uh, Mike, you mind giving them a hand?
13:34No, no problem.
13:35Appreciate it.
13:36All right. Thank you.
13:38Yeah, I'm disappointed.
13:39Because it looks real.
13:40It fooled me.
13:41And I was really looking forward to this.
13:43But I learned a lot.
13:46How can I help you?
13:49I have an antique Chinese fingernail guard.
13:53Oh, you're going to poke someone's eye out.
13:55Be careful.
13:56That'd be nice.
13:57Let me see here.
13:59Doesn't really fit me.
14:01But what better way to let them know how high class you are by a...
14:05True style.
14:06Not so tacky.
14:07Long silver fingernail.
14:11Oh, this is pretty cool.
14:13You don't know, like, where it's from or anything?
14:15It's from China.
14:16And I think that it's the Manchurian era.
14:20Yeah, it does go all the way back to there.
14:23And this is exactly what the women would have wore, who were, you know, high class, and they wanted everyone to know.
14:28Yeah.
14:30This is silver, you know, so...
14:31It's beautiful.
14:32Yes.
14:33They wore these to show they didn't have to do manual labor, to show that they had servants.
14:37And I guess the longer your nail was, the more servants you had and the less manual labor you had to do.
14:42So, I don't even think this lady had to get her own glass of water.
14:46Probably not.
14:48Fingernail guards were worn to protect the long fingernails of the elite during the Qing Dynasty.
14:53This is a pretty amazing artifact from the time period, and I definitely want to make a deal.
14:58Plus, maybe I can get some use out of it and convince Rick I shouldn't have to work.
15:01I wouldn't want to break a nail.
15:04What were you trying to do with it?
15:05I'd like to sell it.
15:06How much are you looking to get for it?
15:08I would like to get $250 for it.
15:12Um, you know, honestly, I don't know exactly how much they're worth.
15:18I know this is pretty nice.
15:21Would you go $100 on it?
15:23No, I don't think I could go $100 on that.
15:26That's, I mean, it's beautiful.
15:28Look at all the workmanship on it.
15:29It is.
15:31Would you go $200 on it?
15:36Would you go $240 on it?
15:42Um, you know what?
15:46I think I'll buy it from you, just hopefully my boss will be proud of me.
15:49Okay, good deal.
15:51All right, let's go write it up.
15:52Okay, great.
15:54I'm happy with the deal that I got for the antique fingernail guard.
15:58I started at $250, so I'm very happy with the $240 that we agreed on.
16:02I'll be agreed on.
16:05Yo, check this out.
16:07What is that?
16:09What do you mean, what is this?
16:11It's a finger guard.
16:12Is this for picking your nose or something?
16:17You know, rich ladies wear them, so they don't have to do any work around the house.
16:20So, I was thinking about wearing it, so I don't have to do any work around here.
16:26You've been getting away with that for years.
16:30Where's it from?
16:32It's from China.
16:33It's for ancient empresses in China.
16:36How can you tell that?
16:37Because I know it.
16:38I've seen them before, in a book.
16:41Now I know you're lying.
16:43Well, the internet, same thing.
16:45How do you know it wasn't made yesterday?
16:46When you've been around as long as me, you just know.
16:52How much did you spend on it again?
16:54$240.
16:57So, since you didn't ask me before you bought it, I'm sure you called Phineas.
17:02Why would I call Phineas?
17:03Did he even ask you about it?
17:04This is the first I'm hearing of it.
17:07Corey don't know anything about this.
17:09Neither do you.
17:10That's why you should have called Phineas.
17:12I know I made a good deal on it, that's for sure.
17:14Stop waving it around.
17:15It's really creepy.
17:16Will you go call Phineas and tell him to just come by and take a look at it?
17:20Hmm.
17:24I guess I can.
17:29There's something about him that's broken.
17:32Yeah.
17:36A while back, I bought a handwritten book in a language I couldn't recognize.
17:40It's so unusual that even my book expert, Rebecca, was kind of stumped by it.
17:44So, she sent it out to a friend of hers to get some more info.
17:47She's stopping by today to tell me what she learned.
17:49Hey, Rick.
17:50Hey, what's up?
17:51I have answers for you.
17:52Well, come on around.
17:53All right.
17:54I can't stop and buy today because I think we've solved all the mysteries here and I think that Rick, he's going to be pleased.
18:00So, what exactly is it?
18:02We have here a book written in Russian Church Slavonic.
18:07Russian Church Slavonic?
18:09Yes, like Slav, Slavonic.
18:11Okay.
18:13So, when was it written?
18:15There are papers in here that have watermarks that show where the paper came from.
18:19That paper was circulated in Russia only during the first third of the 19th century.
18:22Okay.
18:23So, early 1800s.
18:24Yeah.
18:25Not nearly as old as I thought it was.
18:27With a manuscript book, you don't expect it to be so late.
18:30But that's the fascinating thing about this book is it's manuscript in the world of printed books.
18:36The other thing is that it's the excerpts from the writings of St. John Chrysostom.
18:41Okay.
18:42St. John Chrysostom is actually kind of a big deal in the Eastern Christian churches, like Byzantine Church.
18:47He was patriarch of Constantinople.
18:49And in fact, his divine liturgy is the main one used in Byzantine liturgy today.
18:54And it's one of the oldest liturgies still in use.
18:56Okay.
18:58I wonder about the monk who was tasked to do this.
19:00You think about it, they're like, okay, now spend four months just sitting there writing this script and losing your sight.
19:06All right, so the big question, what's it worth?
19:12Overall, you're looking at a value of about $1,500.
19:19Well, it works out for me because I only paid $250 for it.
19:21Yeah, you did well.
19:22I think Rick's really happy about the $1,500 value because he purchased it for so much less.
19:27He got a good deal on this case.
19:30Now all I have to do is figure out who's going to buy a book in Russian church...
19:36Slavonic.
19:38Slavonic.
19:40I'm going to have to write that down.
19:43I'll send you a memo.
19:44You're the best.
19:45Thanks.
19:46I'm glad I went with my gut and bought this thing.
19:48It might take a little while to find a buyer, but when I do, it's going to be a payday.
19:54Is that Phineas?
19:55Hey, how you doing, Chumlee?
19:56Woo!
19:57What's up, man?
19:58Wow, that's quite a fingernail you got.
20:00Check it out.
20:01Wow, this is amazing.
20:03Told you.
20:04Rick thinks I messed up.
20:06Well, you know, I find this very interesting because it comes from a period in China's history.
20:13Boom, China!
20:15And this was warned by people in the court who absolutely did not want to lift a finger to do anything.
20:22So can you imagine? This is just one finger.
20:23That's what I said to them. Sorry to cut you off.
20:25They had one of these for every single finger.
20:29You can tell a lot about the social ranking of a person by the length of their fingernails, the color of the fingernails, and whether they're wearing these silver and gold long extended fingernails.
20:41These are very unusual. I never saw one with the weights on it. You'll see them from 1850 to about, like, 1900. You know, during the reign of the Empress of China, Chu Shi.
20:53Chu Shi.
20:55Chu Shi.
20:57The Empress of China.
20:59Yeah. Like you knew any of that.
21:02It's rare that this is in silver. Silver was, you know, almost more precious than gold, which would make me feel this could be a very special one.
21:12Probably very, very high ranking court official. Maybe Chu Shi herself.
21:17Boom.
21:19Score for China.
21:20Amazing. Amazing.
21:21Don't leave me hanging.
21:22It's pretty. I mean, I just don't know what it's worth.
21:24Well, I'll tell you. Did you get a good price?
21:28$240.
21:29$240.
21:31Well, I'm going to say probably bidding in the right kind of auction house, it could go to $750.
21:40$750!
21:41That's $500 profit.
21:44Just admit that I know what I'm doing.
21:47I'm going to leave you two with this piece to nerd out on it.
21:49I got it.
21:50You know something? You did pretty darn good, my friend.
21:52Thank you, sir.
21:53I'm proud of you.
21:54At least someone is around here.
21:57You'll put that away.
21:59I don't think he's going to be doing much work in that condition, Rick.
22:02I'm...
22:04I'm worried.
22:08I don't know how you do it.
22:10Everyone's got their burden.
22:20What can I help you with?
22:21I got this picture here.
22:22It's from like, it says 1500s.
22:24As far as I'm concerned, this is like a scary picture.
22:27I mean, I wouldn't want to hang this on my wall.
22:29I really like it.
22:30You're a weird individual for liking this stuff.
22:32I don't like it.
22:34Where in the world did you get this?
22:36Well, I got it from my mother.
22:37It was in the family a lot of years.
22:38So I saw the date on it, just thought maybe it might be worth something.
22:41Yeah, believe it or not, you got something really cool here.
22:43Oh, really?
22:45This is an engraving by Albrecht Dewar.
22:48Actually, he's a pretty famous artist.
22:51As a matter of fact, he's really famous.
22:53I mean, he was probably the greatest engraver of the Renaissance.
22:59Do you think that this is an original?
23:03That is his autograph.
23:04I mean, that's the way he did it in every one of his prints.
23:07It appears to be an original pressing from that engraving, but I don't know the exact year it was done.
23:14You have to understand what an engraving is.
23:16They actually engrave into a copper plate.
23:18They ink the plate and press it into paper.
23:20It's like a giant stamp almost.
23:22It's made out of copper.
23:23It's a really soft metal.
23:24And slowly but surely, it gets distorted.
23:27So they keep on having to fix it.
23:29So the first state will look one way.
23:31The second state will have subtle little changes in it where they fix the damage.
23:35Third state, more changes.
23:37If you can get one from the 1500s in its original state, it's worth $300,000.
23:45But this is not 1500.
23:48The paper is not right.
23:49The paper would be hand-laid paper much differently than this.
23:53This is 1700s or 1800s paper.
23:56This thing is definitely worth some money, but I'm not really sure about the value.
24:00Normally, I'd call my buddy Brett, but he's busy with a new gallery opening.
24:04So I'm going to have to take a gamble on the price.
24:06How much did you want for it?
24:08A couple thousand dollars.
24:10Is it worth that?
24:11Maybe it's worth more.
24:12I don't know.
24:13I'll give you my one price and that will be it.
24:15I'll give you five grand for it.
24:17How about $6,000?
24:19You did think it was worth two.
24:21Right.
24:22You know, he's saying five, but maybe he can get six for it.
24:26You kind of screwed yourself there, right?
24:28You should have given two.
24:29I'm just trying to be honest with him.
24:31I'll tell you what.
24:34I'll give you $5,500.
24:36I believe it's worth right around $7,000.
24:39If it's worth $7,000, how about $6,500?
24:41I won't make no money.
24:43I got rent.
24:44I got employees.
24:45I got overhead.
24:46I got power bills.
24:47I got the same thing.
24:48I take all the risk and you walk out with cash.
24:51No, I'm on $6,000.
24:52You get $5,500.
24:53I won't go up any more.
24:58All right.
24:59Okay.
25:00Tough negotiators.
25:01I feel really good about this buy, but I won't know for sure if the gamble is worth it
25:06until I have it appraised.
25:14Hey, how's it going?
25:15All right.
25:16How are you all doing today?
25:17What do we have here?
25:18Well, we got a Wells Fargo strong box and some antique ball and chain.
25:24Okay.
25:25You do have a ball and chain and a few old handcuffs.
25:28I've had a ball and chain for 50-something years, son.
25:31Don't talk about my mother that way.
25:36All right.
25:37Well, tell me about these things.
25:38This ball and chain right here actually comes from the human prison.
25:41It's the oldest prison in the state of Arizona.
25:43Yeah.
25:44Opened in the 1870s.
25:45Originally, it was a territorial prison.
25:47Arizona wasn't even a state when it opened up.
25:49Right.
25:50This one right here, it comes from Folsom Prison from around the late 1800s and 1900s.
25:55I know California did their hangings there.
25:58Right.
25:59But a pretty notorious prison.
26:00Same with Yuma.
26:02Here's my concerns.
26:03When they forged chains back in the 1800s, it was just hot welding together.
26:08You know, get it hot and beat it together.
26:101800s, they didn't have arc welding.
26:11It was all done by a blacksmith.
26:13That's why I have a problem with these chains.
26:14They're electrically welded.
26:15See how these have arcs from an arc welder?
26:17Sure.
26:18Okay.
26:19Okay.
26:20And my other big concern, never in the history of any prison did they ever have their name
26:27put on the balls.
26:29Okay, so what are you trying to say?
26:32It's fake.
26:33What makes you an expert on this stuff?
26:35I've been buying and selling this stuff my entire life.
26:38The manufacturers who made these things weren't going to change the dye for every prison.
26:43It's only fakes that have that.
26:45Period.
26:46Yeah.
26:47But the box might be real.
26:49The handles, I mean, that's classic American cast iron, probably from Chicago.
26:53And my big problem is we have a box full of fake stuff.
26:56Gives me real doubt about the box.
26:58This stuff was not inside the box.
27:00I actually just bought it all and I put it in the box.
27:03All right, so that makes a lot more sense.
27:04This makes me feel a lot better about the box.
27:06Wells Fargo started off back in the 1850s as an express company that shipped valuables.
27:12You always see a Wells Fargo strong box in an old Hollywood Western.
27:15So this will definitely get a lot of interest from collectors.
27:18Box, I'll give you $400 for it.
27:21I want $1,200 for it.
27:23No, you don't.
27:25I'll give you $400 for the box.
27:28And I will get one of my guys to help you carry all this stuff out.
27:31Uh, $800.
27:36I just don't see me getting that kind of money out of it.
27:39I see me getting $600 maybe.
27:41I'd like to at least get $500 for it.
27:44I'll meet you in the middle of $450.
27:50All right.
27:51All right.
27:52Yeah.
27:53All right.
27:54You're a little filthy.
27:55Thank you, sir.
27:56All right.
27:57Thank you very much.
27:58It sucks that his ball and chain and his handcuffs were fake, but at least he's got the strong box.
28:03And as soon as I can get it authenticated, it should be a quick score for me, too.
28:07Earlier, I bought an engraving from a famous Renaissance artist.
28:12I kind of took a gamble on the price.
28:14So I'm taking it to my art guy, Brett, to see how I did.
28:17Wow.
28:18Albrecht Durer.
28:19I don't get many of those.
28:20Now, do you mind if I take it out of the frame to take a closer look?
28:23Go right ahead.
28:24I get old manner of fine art coming in here, but when you're talking about an Albrecht Durer etching that's potentially hundreds of years old, that doesn't come down the pike too often.
28:33Do you have any idea what it means?
28:35Yeah, a little bit.
28:36This piece is called The Night, Death, and The Devil.
28:40Most historians agree it is a visual image of Psalm 23.
28:46It's actually one of his most famous masterworks.
28:48See, that right there makes me think it's fake.
28:50We don't get masterworks inside the punch.
28:52It just doesn't happen.
28:53An Albrecht Durer etching that was a first impression done right after the hand carving of the plate.
28:59That piece is sold at auction for an excess of $350,000.
29:03What year was it pressed?
29:06I don't know, but I paid a lot of money for it.
29:08I hope I did all right.
29:09Well, we'll take a look.
29:11It's dark.
29:12The lines are crisp.
29:13There's obviously some conditional flaws in the border, but the composition itself is very strong.
29:18However, I don't think that this is a real early impression.
29:24The paper is too thin.
29:26I don't think it's indicative of the laid paper that they were using in the 16th century.
29:30I also don't notice in the image much in the way of burr.
29:34Basically, when Mr. Durer was doing the etching, he left little grooves of metal.
29:39And it would make for almost an impressionistic look in certain areas.
29:43And over time, once you get further and further removed from the first few impressions, you lose the burr.
29:48So I don't see much in the way of burr.
29:51However, it's almost certainly from the original plate.
29:54You can see the plate marks, the dimensions match up.
29:57I think it's a very nice impression circa 17th century.
30:00And even though it's not an early impression, it's a valuable one.
30:06I mean, I've seen pieces like this sell at auction anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000.
30:16Yeah.
30:18So I imagine you did pretty well.
30:20I don't know what you paid for it, but...
30:21I paid $5,500 for it.
30:23Okay, wow.
30:24They said it was a gamble when I bought it.
30:26But thanks, man.
30:27You did great.
30:28Do you want to put that in like a nice frame or something?
30:30I think we can do something for you.
30:32Yeah, something chum can't break.
30:35Anytime you pay $5,500 for something, that's a sizable investment.
30:39But Rick knows what he's doing.
30:41A little too much, so I'm afraid he might not need an art expert anymore.
30:51Heather, how are you?
30:52I'm doing great.
30:53I have an 1861 coin that my grandfather gave to me before he passed away.
30:57Okay.
30:58Yeah, it's an 1861 half eagle.
31:00It's definitely cool, man.
31:02You have to realize it was finally that period we were getting away from all these foreign coins.
31:07Believe it or not, after the 1860s, we were still using like English coins, Spanish coins also.
31:14All right, dude, it's an old coin. Quit touching it. There's a black thing down there. Put it on that.
31:17Huh?
31:18Okay.
31:19Oh, this is cool.
31:23You know why they call it a half eagle?
31:26No, I don't.
31:27Okay, well, it's a $5 gold piece, and our standard gold coin was the eagle.
31:30That's what everyone called it, and that was a $10 gold piece.
31:33Oh, okay.
31:34The incredible cool thing is, generally, you never see one with a C on the back of it.
31:39What's the C?
31:40Okay.
31:41Normally, there's nothing there. That means it was from the Philadelphia Mint.
31:44That's where we made most of our coins during this time period.
31:47But believe it or not, for a while, there was a mint in Charlotte, North Carolina.
31:52Oh, really?
31:53Okay.
31:54It's a neat American coin.
31:55You know why we have a mint in Charlotte, North Carolina?
31:57Nope.
31:58It's because there was the Carolina Gold Rush. The gold was there, and we could strike the coins there.
32:03So, if it's real, this is worth a lot more than a Philadelphia coin, since it's from Charlotte.
32:09Comparatively, it is much, much more rare.
32:12You have to understand, this was during the Civil War.
32:15And when countries like England got these coins from selling supplies like guns to the United States,
32:20a lot of the times, they would melt them down and reuse the gold for their own coins.
32:24And that's one of the reasons why so few of these coins exist anymore.
32:27So, how much did you want for it?
32:29To be honest with you, I'm not sure.
32:32This is one of the most counterfeited coins.
32:34Oh.
32:35It's got right around $350 worth of gold in it.
32:38You take a $350 hunk of gold, turn it into a $10,000 coin, makes it pretty profitable, yeah.
32:43Do you want me to get Mike?
32:45Yeah, go ahead and get him.
32:46Who's Mike?
32:47He's the guy who handles all my coins here.
32:49He knows a little bit more than me, just a little bit.
32:51Oh, okay.
32:52Earlier, I took a gamble on an old Strongbox from Wells Fargo.
32:58I need to authenticate it before I put it out for sale.
33:00So, I called my buddy Mark to take a closer look.
33:03Hey, Mark.
33:04Hey, Richard.
33:05Rick called me down today to look at a Wells Fargo Strongbox he just bought.
33:09These things are rare.
33:10They're wonderful pieces.
33:12I'm really looking forward to getting a chance to see this.
33:14Okay, 19th century Strongbox, Wells Fargo.
33:21They were necessary because, you know, you were handling currency.
33:24You were handling gold.
33:25You were handling silver.
33:26You couldn't ship that unless it shipped in a Strongbox.
33:30Let's take a look here.
33:37So, first things first.
33:41Have you already bought this?
33:44That sounds bad.
33:46I've already bought it.
33:51I don't have good news for you.
33:53This is a complete fantasy piece.
33:56It's a complete fake.
33:58Rick.
34:03It's one of the most faked items out there.
34:07Wells Fargo was always Wells Fargo and Company Express.
34:11Okay.
34:12Never Wells Fargo Express.
34:14Even the lock is a modern one.
34:15This is a type that they never had.
34:17You know, I was looking at it.
34:18It's put together so well.
34:21I mean, we have cast iron handles.
34:23Oh, yeah.
34:24The hardware looks good.
34:25It's riveted in there.
34:26Yep.
34:27It's a well-made box.
34:28There's no question about that.
34:29But it ain't a $450 box.
34:32I thought it was fake to start with.
34:35Well, then why didn't you say anything?
34:38I didn't want to bust your bubble.
34:40What?
34:41So you let me spend the money instead?
34:42Now I can holler at you.
34:46Okay.
34:47Well, thanks, Mark.
34:48I appreciate it.
34:49Not a problem.
34:50Thanks, Mark.
34:51Good to see you, Richard.
34:52At least I know what you're going to get for Christmas now.
34:53I figured that he would have run into these before.
34:56I would have expected Rick to know better than that.
34:59But he's got a really expensive doorstop.
35:02Some people chewed.
35:05I'm your child.
35:16A guy brought in an extremely rare 1861 Half Eagle.
35:19That is, if it's one of the few minted in North Carolina.
35:22So I called in my coin guy, Mike, to take a closer look.
35:25Just to make sure it's not a counterfeit.
35:27What's up, Rick?
35:281861 Charlotte.
35:31That's a rare one.
35:321861 Philadelphia.
35:34There was over 700,000 of those.
35:36We're talking five, 600 bucks.
35:39With a C, we're talking a whole lot more.
35:4320 times as much.
35:45That's good news.
35:46Yes.
35:47Yes, absolutely.
35:48So this is a rare find then?
35:50Well, that's if it's real.
35:53Okay.
35:54So if you don't mind, I'd like to take a look at the mint mark.
35:57Absolutely.
35:58Okay.
36:04What are you looking for exactly?
36:06I'm just looking at the letter C and seeing if it is consistent with the rest of the coin.
36:14With the C added on, you would actually see markings that someone might have added something to the coin.
36:20So you start looking for really sharp lines, like on the side of a letter or something like that.
36:24Counterfeiters don't have super expensive, you know, coin making machines.
36:28What they do is they cast them.
36:29You'll see little imperfections all over the place from the casting that wouldn't be there from the stamping.
36:34How's it look?
36:35After looking at it, yes, I believe that it is a authentic Charlotte minted coin.
36:44That's awesome.
36:45Awesome news.
36:46So what's it worth?
36:48In this condition, I would say on a good day, you can get about $15,000 for this coin.
36:58Wow.
36:59$15,000?
37:00So me having this in my pocket earlier was not a good thing then?
37:04Not so much.
37:06Duly noted.
37:07All right, beat it, Mike.
37:09Hey, nice to meet you.
37:10No, hey, thank you.
37:11Yeah, thank you so much.
37:12Good luck, guys.
37:13It's really cool this coin turned out to be authentic.
37:16The guy seemed really happy and he should be.
37:19Wow.
37:20So what do you want to do?
37:23$7,500.
37:25Mmm, no.
37:28$12.
37:29I think you'll do just fine.
37:31I still have to send this off.
37:33Things can pop up when I send it off.
37:36They can give it a weird grading because they might say it's been cleaned.
37:39Okay.
37:40I end up assuming all the risk.
37:43Well, I'll tell you what.
37:44Let's somewhat split the difference.
37:46About $95.
37:47I'll go $8,000, not a penny mark.
37:50Hmm.
37:52Well, I'm good.
37:53Eight grand.
37:54All right.
37:55Good doing business.
37:56Come on, man.
37:57I'll reach up.
37:58You got it.
37:59All right.
38:01I was very excited when I heard the value of this coin.
38:05Very happy with the eight grand.
38:07This is really going to help me in finishing my home remodel.
38:13Can I help?
38:14Hi.
38:15Yeah, I found this.
38:16I was cleaning out some drawers and stuff.
38:18My mother gave it to me years ago.
38:20Then I was wanting to find out how much it was worth.
38:23This thing looks crazy.
38:24What is it?
38:25What is it?
38:26It's a black widow.
38:27Is it poisonous?
38:30Do you know what you have here?
38:31No, not at all.
38:33This is Fabergé.
38:35Fabergé was one of the most famous jewelry designers in the world.
38:39He was the jeweler to the Russian court.
38:42This is something right here.
38:45When people say Fabergé, they mean Peter Fabergé, one of the greatest jewelers of all time.
38:50This guy became famous for his Fabergé eggs, but he actually made everything from silverware
38:54to necklaces to rings.
38:56And just about anything he touched is considered a masterpiece.
38:59What you have here is pre-revolution Russian imperial jewelry.
39:03That's onyx underneath there.
39:05This white metal right here, that is all platinum.
39:08Those are diamonds.
39:09There's sapphires in the feet.
39:11Those are rubies in the eyes.
39:13This is the kind of stuff that royalty wears.
39:15It's absolutely beautiful.
39:17I can't believe this woman had a Fabergé brooch sitting around in a drawer somewhere.
39:20This is the one thing everyone hopes they'll stumble across when they're going through
39:23grandma's stuff.
39:24What did you want to do with it?
39:26I want to get rid of it.
39:27And how much were you looking to get out of it?
39:29A couple thousand.
39:30Okay.
39:31Um, I would really, really like to give you like 2,000 bucks for it.
39:37But, um, unfortunately I have a conscience.
39:42All right.
39:44Um, I'll cut to the chase.
39:47Um, I'll give you $15,000 for it.
39:50Oh my God, you gotta be me.
39:54Uh, no I'm not.
39:55Uh, it's...
39:56This is stuff you do not see every day.
40:00How about 17?
40:02A man that's willing to pay 15 will definitely pay 17 for that.
40:06No he won't.
40:07I mean, I mean literally...
40:08All right.
40:09How about 16?
40:10I will give you 15.
40:11That's more than a fair offer on this.
40:13This is why I hate having a conscience.
40:17This is Vegas, and I just told this woman she hit the jackpot, and now she wants another spin.
40:22I can pay you 15 grand.
40:24That's more than a fair offer on this.
40:26This is not something that's gonna sell overnight.
40:33All right, you're a good man.
40:35Okay.
40:37Oh my God.
40:38I'm so shocked.
40:39I mean, I couldn't believe it was worth $15,000.
40:41I hit the jackpot today.
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