License to Pawn: Deals, Steals, and My Life at the Gold & Silver By Rick Harrison of the popular TV Show on the history channel Pawn Stars was a great book. When I first picked this book up I was afraid that this was going to be an almost 300 page infomercial for the show Pawn Stars boy was I wrong but in a good way.
As well all know from watching the show Rick Harrison loves his history he describes himself in the show as a “Uber History Nerd” and in License to Pawn Rick Harrison gives you his history. He talks a little bit about his life growing and some health issues he has as a kid. Harrison gives an in depth history of his father and his military background. Harrison even goes in depth about his other family members.
Harrison then dives into starting the pawn shop business and how they got started just buying and selling gold and silver to then opening a coin shop then to acquiring a pawn broker license and then struggles to open up a larger store.
Harrison then writes about life before then the show and how the pawn shop business works. Talking about how people use the pawn shop for credit and how people use it to get money to gamble in vegus. Harrison goes into depth telling stories about the kind of customers he services and how the business stay profitable.
Harrison then writes about his real relationship with his father, his son and Chum. He speaks about how sometimes there real feeling for each other does not come out on TV. Harrison writes about working very hard to get a reality TV show and how the original channel that was going to pick it up was HBO but the deal fell through at the end.
Harrison talks about the late nights and long days of recording the show and how they have been forced to close the shop while filming. They then goes on to explain that as much as the show has helped him and his family in the financial area he misses talking to his regular customers at times.
Harrison did admit to family issues between his other son and Corey do the popularity of the show. Harrison goes on to say how the pawn shop is ran mostly by his workers rather than him and Corey cause they are too busy with the show and appearances.
Overall I give this book 5 stars because Rick Harrison wrote this book as a business man not as a television personality. I learned a lot about the pawn business from this book. I would say this book is more of a business manual for a pawn shop owner or someone looking to own or buy a pawn shop. Even though Rick Harrison is main star on Pawn Stars he puts the focus on the Pawn Shop not himself.