Meet the Pawn Stars

After serving in the U.S. Navy and losing a million dollars in the real estate market, Richard Harrison uprooted his family and moved to Las Vegas in pursuit of a fresh start.

Opening the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in 1988, he had to learn a little about a lot really quickly. From Rolexes to antique cars, Richard is now armed with the rare skill of assessing the value of anything accurately. With uncanny precision, Richard is the king of purchasing underpriced merchandise, even from archrival pawn shops, which has helped turn his initial $10,000 investment into a multi-million dollar business.

Disciplined, wise and cunning, Richard drives a hard bargain and is anything but easy to please.

After 28 years in the business, Rick Harrison is an expert when it comes to spotting anything fake or stolen. He is the man for the job as far as big-ticket items are concerned. Spotting a fake Cartier watch that most people would mistakenly purchase for $30,000 is just one of his many skills.

Often acting as the middleman between his father and his son, Rick is the glue that holds this family and the business together. Trained in the pawn business from the age of 13, he is born a hustler. He even dropped out of high school to pursue his $2,000-a-week business of selling fake Gucci bags. With enough money to partner with his father at the age of 23, he never looked back.

Corey Harrison began working at the pawnshop at the age of 9. Expertly trained in the art of appraisal, Corey not only has the brains to spot a cheat but the brawn to back it up.

He is not afraid to throw his muscle around, especially when it comes to protecting his family. He also handles everything when it comes to hiring and firing employees and managing eBay clients.

Often treated a bit like a slave, Rick believes that Corey needs to earn his keep. Without a real stake in the business, Corey is hoping that all of his hard work pays off.

As Corey’s devoted childhood friend, Chumlee is just like a son to Rick and he’s been around the shop since he was a kid. Everybody loves Chum, but he is often the butt of the boys’ jokes.

Part of the reason he isn’t taken seriously is that he constantly begs Corey to buy items that entertain him, like video games and circus paraphernalia, that usually don’t make good business sense. And, although his heart of gold makes him a pro at customer service, it’s continually proven to be bad business for the shop. Chumlee always wants to give his patrons the best deal and often takes their side, a trait that never fails to push Rick’s buttons.

Where did Chumlee get his nickname? Friends in elementary school took the name from cartoon character Tennessee Tuxedo’s sidekick, a walrus named Chumley.