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Behind the Knife Cabinet at Pawn Stars

January 25, 2016

If your local pawn shop didn’t have a cabinet dedicated to knives 5 years ago, thanks to the growing popularity of premium pocket knives, they probably do now. In Las Vegas, the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, the setting of the History Channel’s megahit Pawn Stars, is no exception. Following our coverage of SHOT Show 2016, we paid a visit to check out the blades Rick, Corey, Chumlee and the old man were hawking.

Since the show first aired in 2009, Pawn Stars has become the single most successful show in the history of the History Channel. Pawn Stars now airs in 38 languages and 150 countries, has inspired two successful spin offs, and often outperforms the major networks in the ratings. “All I was hoping for was a season or two,” pawn star and the shop’s co-owner, Rick Harrison told the Star-Telegram. “So everything that has happened is beyond my expectations. It’s insane.”

With the success of Pawn Stars, the shop has morphed into a Las Vegas tourist attraction. It only took us 10 minutes, but according to Las Vegas locals, fans often have to wait hours to get in and the line can circle the entire perimeter of the shop and overflow into the parking lot. We were also warned that these days spotting one of the stars is a rare occurrence and on our visit we couldn’t.

Pawn Shop Knives

At first glance the venue looks just as it appears on TV, but much of the shop is now dedicated to selling memorabilia (like this tacky folding knife) to fans of the show. If you’re not up for buying a t-shirt depicting Chumlee in sunglasses you might be disappointed that some of the most interesting and rare items, including Benny Binion’s trademark white stetson, are not for sale. On the other hand, if you’re looking to drop some big dollars on a watch in Las Vegas, the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop is still a good place to find one.

knife on pawn stars

Beside the pay-out counter where Rick commands Chumlee to “write ‘em up,” we spotted a cabinet containing a couple bright blue Benchmade boxes. The options included a yellow handled or all black Griptilian for $80 a pop as well as a barely used Benchmade Presidio for $100 – not bad. The rest of the cabinet contained a couple Frost Cutlery folders, some generic Chinese tactical folders, and several really cheap folders in a variety of handle colors still wrapped in their original packaging. Civil war buffs could also find a very rare, 1861 Bowie Bayonet in the antique weapons display that would set you back $1600.

bowie knife on pawn stars

Buying knives at a pawn shop is a crap shoot. Like any pawn shop, this famous shop’s selection is always changing. So on your next visit to Las Vegas remember to check out what’s behind the knife cabinet at Pawn Stars. You never know, you might find a deal on exactly what you’re looking for.

Knife featured in image: Benchmade Presidio

 

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