Collectible Characters: The Star Cards of Pawn Stars and Hardcore Pawn
Reality TV isn’t just about the drama — it’s also a goldmine for collectibles. From the pawn shop counters of Las Vegas to the storage unit auctions of California and the back roads of rural America, the stars of shows like Pawn Stars, Storage Wars, and American Pickers have built brands around finding and flipping hidden treasures. But beyond the items they buy and sell, the stars have become pop culture collectibles, with autographed merch, rare appearances, and fan
Let’s look at some of your favorite characters from these hit shows — and what fans chase to keep their legacies alive.
Pawn Stars: All In the Family
At the heart of Pawn Stars is Las Vegas’ Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, a family-run business that opened in 1989 and made its TV debut on the History Channel in 2009. Rick Harrison leads the shop with his encyclopedic knowledge of historical artifacts. His son Corey (“Big Hoss”) learned the trade under his grandfather, Richard “Old Man” Harrison, a no-nonsense fan favorite until his passing in 2018. Rounding out the crew is Austin “Chumlee” Russell, Corey’s childhood friend and the show’s comic relief — a collectibles expert who’s parlayed his popularity into a merchandising empire.
Whether it’s a first-edition Charizard Pokémon card, a mint-condition Amazing Spider-Man #1, or a signed Babe Ruth baseball, the shop’s eclectic mix of pop culture and nostalgia has become a hotspot for collectors. And with the cast becoming pop culture icons in their own right, signed merchandise and memorabilia tied to the show — from Funko Pops to shop-exclusive shirts — are now collectibles themselves.
What to Collect: Both 2024 Wild Card and 2025 Leaf Pop Century feature both Rick and Chumlee. Autographed versions of each sell for around $20—and dual autos will run you around $75. While harder to find, the cast first appeared on cards with autos in the “Keeping It Real” subset of 2012’s Leaf Pop Century—a signed card of Corey recently sold for $60.
Hardcore Pawn: The Gold Family’s Detroit Drama
Set in Detroit’s American Jewelry and Loan, Hardcore Pawn debuted on truTV a year after Pawn Stars and followed the volatile dynamics of the Gold family—Les, Seth, and Ashley—as they dealt with chaotic customers and high-stakes pawn deals. Known for its explosive confrontations and outrageous finds, the show delivered plenty of memorable moments, from rare sports memorabilia to bizarre celebrity keepsakes.
What to Collect: The Gold family made their only cardboard appearance in the 2013 Leaf Pop Century release. While there have been no recent sales, two Gold-family triple autos from the set are currently listed on eBay for $225-$250.
From Vegas to Detroit, the stars of Pawn Stars and Hardcore Pawn have turned the art of the deal into must-watch TV — and themselves into pop culture collectibles. Beyond the wild items they appraise, the colorful cast of characters behind the counters is the real draw. Whether it’s Rick Harrison’s encyclopedic knowledge, Chumlee’s quirky charm, or Les Gold’s no-nonsense negotiating, these pawn shop pros have become collectibles in their own right, proving that sometimes the real treasure isn’t what’s on the shelf — it’s who’s behind the counter.
Lucas Mast is a writer based in San Francisco East Bay, where he’s a season ticket holder for St. Mary’s basketball and a die-hard Stanford athletics fan. A lifelong collector of sneakers, sports cards, and pop culture, he also advises companies shaping the future of the hobby and sports. He’s driven by a curiosity about why people collect—and what those items reveal about the moments and memories that matter most.