Pawn Stars: Loose Vectrex is Worth $275

[Nz17]

I just watched this on the History Channel. $275 seems to me to be a lot for a loose Vectrex game system in good condition. Thoughts?

[bb_hood]

I would say that is alot. If its missing the controller thats way more than its worth. Did a quick check and ebay complete listings says thats alot.
But hey, what can you expect from THEM???

[Tanooki]

I watched it as I DVR the show. The system looked to be in fantastic condition, and the joystick was there, appeared to be 100% in working order. Screen and audio were strong, body from what was shown didn't look damaged or worn and the guy was the original owner and had it stored away. They did overpay looking at ebay since it's like $200 shipped or a little under that compared to them forking over $275. Either some chump will buy it locally from them or online just to have the honor of buying it from them and having it shown off as a TV prop.

[FieryReign]

That show is fixed. Remember the way "Pat" just managed to show up with his NWC carts, trying to "sell" them to a bunch of low-balling douchebags? Just to get more views for his channel and show off his prized possessions?

On a sidenote: that fat disgusting son of theirs needs a slap in the face. It's just a sitcom made to look like reality. No real bearings on what shit is worth. You could walk in there with the Mona Lisa. First they would say "I gotta guy, let me give him a call". Then, after getting it analyzed and authenticated, they'll haggle em down to 15 bucks just to make the seller look like a complete dumbfuck.

[Gamevet]

I just watched this on the History Channel. $275 seems to me to be a lot for a loose Vectrex game system in good condition. Thoughts?

I'm surprised that they had offered that much money for the system. They usually low-ball the seller, telling them that they are taking the risk of being able to sell it, and having it sitting around in inventory.

[Greg2600]

275? Probably twice what it's worth, at least.

[Nz17]

The $275 evaluation was leveled by one of the Gold & Silver Pawn shop's "buddies," a local expert which is called in to appraise the item on offer. I don't have the episode recorded so I can't refer to it to make sure, but I believe they called in a buddy from http://lasvegastoyshack.com/ to assess the Vectrex's value.

I guess the lesson here is, "Don't pay the prices that the Toy Shack in Las Vegas charges."

[Tanooki]

The $275 evaluation was leveled by one of the Gold & Silver Pawn shop's "buddies," a local expert which is called in to appraise the item on offer. I don't have the episode recorded so I can't refer to it to make sure, but I believe they called in a buddy from http://lasvegastoyshack.com/ to assess the Vectrex's value.

I guess the lesson here is, "Don't pay the prices that the Toy Shack in Las Vegas charges."

Yes that was him who came in and drooled over it and gave a price. He said it was worth $275, and the pawn shop forked over $150 if I remember correctly. The Toy Shack clearly being on the air there for years through that show and being where it is in general gets a lot of collector foot traffic with good money already or out from the casinos so they probably fairly clearly rip people off with over retail pricing. He won't come into that show and say what I bet he knows it is clearly worth because then people would call him on his crap in his own store, or just quietly realize the game being played on customers and buy nothing. At $150 the Pawn Shop should still pull in probably $30-50 on it if they priced it at $200 and someone just paid it or dealed down a few bucks off of it.

[JSoup]

I stopped reading a "Pawn Stars".
Nothing about that show or any show like it is to be taken seriously.
The last program I've ever seen that had real people with real products and honest assessments was Antiques Roadshow.

[Tanooki]

That's the thing, beyond the drama and lowballing it's like that old show because you're getting a little bit of a history lesson and seeing things you may never have before without lucking into it at a museum or somewhere else. That's my appeal to it, don't care much for the interpersonal garbage.

[Steve W]

It makes me happy that I bought my first Vectrex for $5 in a thrift, while waiting for one I ordered from somebody on Atari Age for $90 shipped. I sure as hell would never pay $275 for one, even though I had always wanted one since I was a kid. I gave one away to my friend and now have another one I bought in a thrift for $10 that has screen problems.

[Niku-Sama]

survey says...

$180 at time of posting

and yea I am glad I got mine in a thrifty store for roughly $5 aswell, mine came with 2 games even, every one else there thought it was a little tv

[camarotuner]

On one episode I watched them "pay" (read: pretend to pay) 15,000 or so for a samurai sword that was so blatantly a copy that I could have been half drunk and still picked it out. They plant the items, cherry pick the people, and it's all rehearsed to make for better television. If you find it entertaining, great watch it. If you think that's how a pawn shop is actually run you're not very bright.

[Nz17]

Now as anyone who read the thread about when Pat the NES Punk was on Pawn Stars would know:

• "Reality TV" is not reality.
• Anyone who goes on the show has the option to pawn, sell, or not.
• People often ask for outlandish amounts of money for something when they don't really want to sell it. (See the high prices the hoarders ask for on "American Pickers.")
• The "story" segments are directed.
• Many people go on the show to promote themselves or grab some fame rather than actually intending to sell/pawn.
• One reason for the prices being high is because the store is in Las Vegas where prices tend to be high.
• They and their buddies know they can get things sold for high prices because of the fame brought by the show.
• They are going to try to get the lowest possible acquisition prices to get the most profit possible.
• The people who are on the show go to them, not the other way around except in some rare cases.
• The people who bring in items are regular people, not actors nor plants.
• The items brought in are the normal people's items, not the show's nor the shop's items.
• The people who go on the show are selected from the group of interested parties by the directors to try and make the most interesting, varied episodes which they can.
• ...and pretty much everyone realizes everything up above.

So I really don't understand the vitriol toward the show and its cast. Do other reality TV shows get you this upset?

[Tanooki]

Well err listed? Said. Anyway. It's one of my favorite few tv shows I still watch on TV. I don't really care much about the story junk they added the last few seasons to lighten up stuff. I've always had an interest in history and politics, even to doing that in college. That's why I watch. The random(for us) stuff that walks in the door because you get to see it and a nice little history lesson. Same thing for American Pickers.


Both of them have existed long before they hit TV and will continue to do so after. The fact they had such a passion for history and their jobs that they dared take it to a TV network years ago when crap like that would have been laughed off, and actually talked the A&E Network(that owns History) into trying them for a season to see if it would bomb or not was huge. If they bombed, oh well, flash in the pan, they'd still be at it without the coverage. Sure they're both semi-scripted, but not 100%. PS you have the story parts that are played up, and the fact they annoyingly want to 'call a buddy' when I'd personaly say I'm calling an expert so-n-so who is ... so people know it's not shady is what I'd do so it irks me. Around that, the people who come in from Pat the douche being his usual attention whoring self, to the honest one offs, and the semi-regulars like that older gun guy are legit people as are their items. With American Pickers, the only thing scripted there are the evaluators who come to the shop, the fluff at their shop, some of the bs from Danielle to the guys, their rambling on the road too...but the homes/businesses they visit are 100% real other than when the first supposedly drive up and get the OK to come in, that's scripted to look nice. No one wants to see a crew drive up first, a bunch of prep crap, and then fake knocking on the door. You have to have some compromises, but the core 'history' items and junk from those 2 shows that show up at the 'stars' feet and the people carrying them are real whether they're attention whoring or truly honest people looking to let stuff go.

[Gamevet]

Here's a guy that made a video about being on Pawn Stars. I actually remember seeing him on the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUfa-dx-fmo

Is the show real? I think for the most part it is, but I have a feeling that they do plant sellers and items on the show to spice it up, and that people travel from all over to bring their unique items with hopes of being on the show, more than actually selling it.

[Tanooki]

A couple of years ago history on that shows page had a link to submit an item for an item to potentially sell to them. If they liked it enough theyd have you brought out to Vegas to get on the air.

[camarotuner]

I did find out from interviews that the experts they use on the show are not paid. They do it for the exposure and it's been EXTREMELY beneficial for them to do so. So far the show has spawned 2 spin-offs (American Restoration and Kounts Customs I think) and the other experts have all seen an increase in business. Good for all of them. Can't hate on people for wanting to make money and they're not hurting anyone. Plus the show is pretty funny at times. Chumlee, while played up as the "shop idiot" is actually very intelligent from what I've read. His sneaker collection is insane.

[Tanooki]

Youre correct about Chum. I got curious about him a few years back. I found out hes the high guy on the list there under the family and he is also in charge of the handling of gold and silver testing it for purity and keeping up on values for people buy sell and trading it, so hes not an incompetent. That is true about the people who show up and I too do not blame them. The Clark Co museums got like a 4 fold increase in traffic due to Mark Hall started showing up on there to non price evaluate stuff.

[Gamevet]

I'd like to visit that hot little book girl that they use to evaluate old literature.