Interesting TV show

[DWLange]

Last night a new show debuted on the History Channel called Pawn Stars. It's about three generations of one family operating a large pawn shop in Las Vegas. There was one funny scene in which the son/manager confronts his elderly father about mis-tagging an uncirculated silver dollar at just $50 when it is supposedly worth $500. The father failed to notice the CC mintmark, and when asked whether he can see it confesses that he can't.

 

The next day the grandson goes with his grandfather to have his eyes tested. When pop comes back to the shop with his new glasses, the son dumps about forty silver dollars onto pop's desk and tells him he has one minute to find the CC coin. With his new glasses, the grandfather is successful and gets to keep his job.

 

As I've said many times in the past couple of years, "What does this show have to do with history?" Nevertheless, it's a fun program in the ever-growing reality field.

[WinstonWare]

I'll have to check that out

[kryptonitecomics]

I watched it.....saw that bit and was thinking it would have been nice to pick up the coin for $50...no way to know if it was a $500 coin since they didn't mention a date or grade.....the coin did look like it could be Unc.

 

What I want to know is what pawn shop around my area would pay $30,000 for an old cannon? Most of the stuff they bought really surprised me

[123cents]

I watched the show last night and enjoyed it very much. The cannon and the Civil War sword were very neat!

[coinman1794]

Last night a new show debuted on the History Channel called Pawn Stars. It's about three generations of one family operating a large pawn shop in Las Vegas. There was one funny scene in which the son/manager confronts his elderly father about mis-tagging an uncirculated silver dollar at just $50 when it is supposedly worth $500. The father failed to notice the CC mintmark, and when asked whether he can see it confesses that he can't.

 

The next day the grandson goes with his grandfather to have his eyes tested. When pop comes back to the shop with his new glasses, the son dumps about forty silver dollars onto pop's desk and tells him he has one minute to find the CC coin. With his new glasses, the grandfather is successful and gets to keep his job.

 

As I've said many times in the past couple of years, "What does this show have to do with history?" Nevertheless, it's a fun program in the ever-growing reality field.

 

I caught the back end of this show, too. It looks like it could be very entertaining.

 

I have also questioned the historical nature of recent HT programming. But, having a masters in the field, I've come to the following conclusion: Modern technology allows us to document obscure practices like ice road trucking, and mountain logging while they are still here. Thus, we will have record of them when they are gone. It's the same as doing an oral history on someone who lived through the Depresion, wouldnt we all want to have an extended reality documentary on it, if we could go back in time? The field of "Public History" gaining popularity.

 

Granted, I'm still not a fan of the shows I mentioned...

[physics-fan3.14]

But Doug, you have to balance that with the fact that these shows are off the wall crazy ridiculous and not really based on reality. For example, there was a recent show along those lines which took place on an oil rig, "documenting" the life of an oilfield worker. We watched this show on a rig I was on at the time, and couldn't help but laugh at how over-the-top it was. There was nothing real about the show - it played more like a Charlie Chaplin slapstick comedy show. I think we counted how many safety violations occured, and how many times people would have died if they had really done it that way, and we stopped when we got to 50 or so (in one show!). These shows are pure entertainment, and do not document "public history."

[coinman1794]

But Doug, you have to balance that with the fact that these shows are off the wall crazy ridiculous and not really based on reality. For example, there was a recent show along those lines which took place on an oil rig, "documenting" the life of an oilfield worker. We watched this show on a rig I was on at the time, and couldn't help but laugh at how over-the-top it was. There was nothing real about the show - it played more like a Charlie Chaplin slapstick comedy show. I think we counted how many safety violations occured, and how many times people would have died if they had really done it that way, and we stopped when we got to 50 or so (in one show!). These shows are pure entertainment, and do not document "public history."

 

I couldnt agree more..."Granted, I'm still not a fan of the shows I mentioned... "

[WoodenJefferson]

I will have to watch this show, it must have been opposite something I regularly watch, but I’m in the opinion that these shows are somewhat exaggerated. I watched a couple of episodes of the reality show “Operation Repo” and in every occasion they confronted the owners of the vehicles about to be repo’ed.

 

In real life, the repoman sneaks around in the middle of the night and takes cars while the owners are asleep, or wait to snatch cars in parking lots while the owners are shopping. They avoid confrontation as much as possible. It would make for some very dull TV so these new shows spice things up...eventually someone is going to get iced.

 

[DWLange]

All of these reality shows are somewhat contrived. The producers seek out characters who are over the top in their behavior and appearance and then prod them to play it up all the more for the cameras. I'm waiting for a show about a wild and wacky coin grading service, but things are too sedate here for Hollywood.

[physics-fan3.14]

All of these reality shows are somewhat contrived. The producers seek out characters who are over the top in their behavior and appearance and then prod them to play it up all the more for the cameras. I'm waiting for a show about a wild and wacky coin grading service, but things are too sedate here for Hollywood.

 

Well, they could get some PCGS groupies to storm the NGC office in the first episode. And then in the next episode, they could stage a CAC riot, er, I mean, debate.

[kryptonitecomics]

I will have to watch this show, it must have been opposite something I regularly watch, but I’m in the opinion that these shows are somewhat exaggerated. I watched a couple of episodes of the reality show “Operation Repo” and in every occasion they confronted the owners of the vehicles about to be repo’ed.

 

In real life, the repoman sneaks around in the middle of the night and takes cars while the owners are asleep, or wait to snatch cars in parking lots while the owners are shopping. They avoid confrontation as much as possible. It would make for some very dull TV so these new shows spice things up...eventually someone is going to get iced.

 

 

Operation Repo are reenactments....it says so online and at the beginning of the show. Once I found that out I stopped watching as I thought they were really confronting owners.....but it is all made up after the fact.

[Conder101]

Am I the only person who caught when they were giving their father a hard time over the CC dollar they asked him if he knew what the CC meant and he replied "Yes I do, It means this silver dollar was struck at the Carson City mint in Carson City, Nevada. And they also struck them in San Francisco, New Orleans, and they also struck some in Charlotte, North Carolina."

 

Charlotte, North Carolina?? Silver dollars?? That would be the Morgan dollars with one C right?

[DWLange]

I did hear that, but I wasn't certain whether he was describing mints that coined silver dollars or just US mints in general. The sad thing is that these three dummies still know more than most of their customers.

[WoodenJefferson]

Well, I finally got to see the show with the genetically pre-disposed family members and thought the old man was hoot. He did not cut his kids any slack and when he lost a bet, he followed through with the consequences.

 

You have 60 seconds to find the CC…with less than 10 seconds left, bingo, he found it. I can remember my transition to wearing glasses full time. It was tough, but objects that could not be moved back and forth to get into focus was becoming a problem. You just have to admit to yourself, with aging comes assistance.