Moro Kris on Pawn Stars TV show

[Dimasalang]

Anybody catch this episode last week?
Pawn Stars is a popular reality TV show which is based on a pawn shop located in Las Vegas Nevada. They feature many different items ordinary people bring in to sell or pawn. These items are then appraised by outside experts called in by the show for authenticity, afterwords they negotiate a deal on the item.
Last week they featured a Moro Kris. Looked beat. Blade looked real but in not so good shape(looked grinded down and polished, and was already rusting). The handle was obviously not original...it was dated 1901 but had what looked like a cheaply carved serpent head. The expert quickly pointed that out. In the end, it went for a measly $100. The seller was happy...he said his mother picked it up at a Church sale for $5. Either way, pretty cool to see a Moro Kris on a popular TV show.

[Rick]

Yeah, I like that show .
Didn't see that episode yet .

[Battara]

I'm with Rick. Love the show - missed the episode.

OO, OO, but it is on the History Channel tonight as a repeat at 8:00 pm!

[Berkley]

Cool show.

The episode is online here.

[laEspadaAncha]

I happen to know Sean. He's based out of the San Diego region (the History Channel flies him in for the show and puts him up on in a hotel for a week while they line up a bunch of "visits"). He has a ridiculous collection of European arms and armor (the finest privately-owned pieces I've ever seen are his, and they have a price tag to match!), and does a brisk business. He supplied Disney with the edged weps for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (which were all real, BTW)... But IMO, he undervalues ethnographic weapons.

[Battara]

Which one is Sean? Are you saying the show is rigged?

[laEspadaAncha]

Originally Posted by Battara

Which one is Sean? Are you saying the show is rigged?

Not at all... Sean is just (one of) the antique arms and armor experts the Shop consults with to determine an item's value. However, as it's not cost feasible for the HC to keep a production crew on location 24/7, they simply have a process in place to have people come back with the really cool stuff so they can coordinate their visits with appraisals by their experts for our collective viewing pleasure.

So they line up a week's worth of visits, and a certain arms and armor expert gets a free paid vacay to Lost Wages.

[ThePepperSkull]

I love this show. Informative to those casually interested in antiques of various kinds.

the employees/owners are amusing enough as well. Though I'm not very fond of Big Hoss' attitude somtimes. "Old Man" is always great though.

[Ferguson]

It looked like a separate gangya, so probably early 1900's. The "expert" said it was 18th century, so 1700's? I doubt it. But I would have paid $100 for the blade.

Love the show.

Steve

[laEspadaAncha]

Originally Posted by Ferguson

It looked like a separate gangya, so probably early 1900's. The "expert" said it was 18th century, so 1700's? I doubt it. But I would have paid $100 for the blade.

Love the show.

Steve

Hi Steve,

I forgot about the (likely erroneous) age attribution. Nonetheless, I wouldn't go as far as to put "expert" in quotes... Sean performed weapons restoration at the Smithsonian while working on his postgrad - I would most definitely consider him an expert in antique arms and armor. However, most of us have areas of specialization that supersede our expertise in other areas, and I think he is no exception - I would say his knowledge of SE Asian and Oceanic arms and armor is not nearly as deep as his knowledge of European arms and armor from the Middle Ages through the mid-19th C.

[Dimasalang]

Originally Posted by laEspadaAncha

I happen to know Sean. He's based out of the San Diego region (the History Channel flies him in for the show and puts him up on in a hotel for a week while they line up a bunch of "visits"). He has a ridiculous collection of European arms and armor (the finest privately-owned pieces I've ever seen are his, and they have a price tag to match!), and does a brisk business. He supplied Disney with the edged weps for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (which were all real, BTW)... But IMO, he undervalues ethnographic weapons.

Is his collection in San Diego also? Im in San Diego...would be cool to check out his vast collection of weapons.

[laEspadaAncha]

Originally Posted by Dimasalang

Is his collection in San Diego also? Im in San Diego...would be cool to check out his vast collection of weapons.

Another San Diegan forumate? Let's get together and have a couple drinks and talk about All Things Sharp & Pointy...

Anyway, if you want to see some of his collection, he puts a lot of his items on consignment up at Guy Stuff in Carlsbad.

[David]

Originally Posted by Ferguson

It looked like a separate gangya, so probably early 1900's. The "expert" said it was 18th century, so 1700's? I doubt it. But I would have paid $100 for the blade.

Love the show.

Steve

Keep in mind Steve that they pay $100 so that they can sell it for $300-400.

[David]

Originally Posted by Ferguson

It looked like a separate gangya, so probably early 1900's. The "expert" said it was 18th century, so 1700's? I doubt it. But I would have paid $100 for the blade.

As has been pointed out, their "expert" was not extremely familiar with Moro kris. Firstly this style is not unique to the area as we all know that there are Malay Sundangs. I think he also confused a bit or "kris" info with Indo "keris" when is mentions that they were carried every day by the common man since as far as i can figure the Moro kris is more a weapon of war, not something for everyday person self defense. The Indo keris OTOH, is carried daily by average people. His take on the "good luck/bad luck" hilts also didn't make much sense to me and i don't think this is a tourist hilt, just one that doesn't belong to this form of blade. It's actually a pretty cool hilt and i am wondering if it might be made from horn.

[Lew]

The kris looked a bit off to me. The was pretty thin down by at the base I think this was tourist stuff and would not have touched it.

[Lew]

Originally Posted by David

Keep in mind Steve that they pay $100 so that they can sell it for $300-400.

And as the owner says in 5 years he will wonder why he bought it in the first place.

[Rick]

Yeah, I think he took a real flyer on that piece expecting to reap $300 .

[sabertasche]

I watch the series on a regular basis. My wife hates it and mentioned that this show is really an antique show for rednecks". Not a very nice thing to say but.....well, pretty true. The show really represents an American flavour as there are always guns on the show as well as a desire to fire the guns bought by the pawnshop.

Others who attend the local gunshow say that much of what you see is really set up by the producers to make the show interesting and that the Chumly guy is really an actor. Whatever It's a better waste of time then watching Cosmo Channel.

Greg

[Dimasalang]

Originally Posted by laEspadaAncha

Another San Diegan forumate? Let's get together and have a couple drinks and talk about All Things Sharp & Pointy...

Anyway, if you want to see some of his collection, he puts a lot of his items on consignment up at Guy Stuff in Carlsbad.

Yes Ive been in SD since 79. Let me know when you'd like to hang out sometime.

Never been to Guy Stuff...I'll stop by there sometime.

[David]

I would like to think that Chumlee is an actor because he's a pretty large waste of good oxygen otherwise. Sheesh!
What i don't really understand about this show, considering that most people are selling with no intention of returning to claim a piece, is why they don't just sell the stuff on ebay. These guys only offer them a third of the value at best. If they needed a quick sale i might understand, but in order to get this stuff set up time must be involved, so they could probably get more money on ebay in the same time.

[Battara]

Yea I see your point - low amount.

Just saw this episode and think that the expert is wrong - I would date it more in the early to mid 1800s.

[Dmitry]

The Pawn Stars is staged, in a pretty obvious way. It is entertaining, though. Saw a couple of episodes, but couldn't stand that fat kid. He's just annoying.

[apolaki]

The Pawn Stars is staged, in a pretty obvious way. It is entertaining, though. Saw a couple of episodes, but couldn't stand that fat kid. He's just annoying.[/QUOTE]


Thanks,

apolaki

[laEspadaAncha]

Kris. Pawn Stars.

[David]

Anyway it's about Pawn Stars and a particular Moro sword, which makes it relevant to this forum. Let's stick to the topic.

[David]

Dmitry, you had a bad experience with one set of "experts". If there was another problem on the show in the past with some other arms appraisers it would seem that it ran it's course and their scam was revealed. You have made an accusation of suspected shilling for which you have no proof. Even if this were the case this does not translate into "many, if not most" &*% experts being scam artists. I am not surprised however that their "experts" are not well versed on every kind of edged weapon or firearm that crosses their path, but i see no malice in that. It is to be expected. It should also be noted the the vast majority of what shows up on the show is NOT weapons related at all and that many of the folks that show up have no intention of selling their "treasures" so i hardly think that dealers are "filling the catalogs for the auctions they run" from this show.
This discussion is now waaaaay off topic. I strongly suggest it ends here and we get back to discussing this kris. If you have an axe to grind i would suggest you do it elsewhere.

[Dmitry]

The proverbial American fear of getting sued. Why not delete my posts? That'd be the easiest way to remedy this, I think, and totally understood.

[Lew]

This is really getting out of hand here. Dimitry the forum is not a sounding board for bashing establisments that you may have had an unpleasant experience with. In the future if you have a gripe against certain appraisers or auction houses please use the PM option. I have deleted all references to the said show. Please stick to the topic of the kris.

Thanks

Lew