A CHECK from an infamous criminal turned into one man’s treasure trove.
Rick Harrison, lead of the hit show Pawn Stars and owner of Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, has seen plenty of historical keepsakes.
The last thing he’d expect to buy was a check from a mafia gangster for a “hit” or a murder.
Al was featured on the show when he came to the shop to sell his check from Carlo Gambino, a Sicilian mob boss from Sicily.
Carlo Gambino was “one of the biggest mob bosses of all time,” according to Al.
He said he got the check as a gift some years ago since he collects mafia memorabilia.
A LITTLE HISTORY
Gambino immigrated to New York City in the 1920s and ran a crime family from 1957 to 1976, creating a national crime syndicate.
He was an outlaw from day one, as he was smuggled into the US abroad on a fishing boat.
His life is said to have inspired the plot of The Godfather, a critically acclaimed movie from 1972.
“According to legend, a lot of his enemies ended up being buried in concrete,” Harrison said.
“Hence the term ‘cement overcoat.'”
The check also had a signature from a “George Schiller” who Al said was one of Gambino’s associates from a labor union.
“They were crooked to begin with,” Harrison said. “There wasn’t a lot of respect for the law and the rules.
Al noted there weren’t a lot of mobsters back in the day who banked with checking accounts as their trade was a cash-heavy business.
Harrison felt somewhat suspicious about the signature since he was the head of a major crime family.
“For some reason, I don’t think he would be signing his own checks,” he said.
He also wanted to figure out if George’s signature was worth anything.
That’s when he brought in a signature expert named Drew to determine its authenticity.
GANGSTER GAINS
Drew, a forensic document examiner and member of Authentic Autographs Unlimited, gave the check a good look.
He determined George Schiller was a Russian businessman with mob ties who wasn’t officially part of the mafia.
“To be a made man, you have to be Sicilian,” Drew said.
Harrison asked him about the check’s “S.G.S. Associates” mark, which Drew said was a front for the crime business for money laundering.
He noted how the check was dated from 1962 and seemed legitimate based on its prefiration.
The “G” in Gambino’s signature also had a slant similar to other records, and Drew determined the check was authentic.
He valued the check at $1,000, and Al asked for $800.
Harrison said he couldn’t buy it for that price since he’d have to frame it and put a lot of work into selling it.
He shot back with a $400 offer, and after some haggling, they settled on $500.
“I think it was a fair price,” Al said. “$500 I’m going to put away, and hopefully take a trip.”
RARE FINDS
Another Pawn Stars episode featured a more wholesome and valuable find.
The seller Adam showcased a Gutenberg Bible leaf he bought at an estate sale.
The leaf, which is two sides of a page, was historically relevant because it signified the birth of the printing press.
A rare books specialist determined the leaf’s chain links signified its authenticity and valued it at $80,000.
After some haggling back and forth, Harrison bought the leaf for $47,000 and was pleased to add it to his collection.
The U.S. Sun covers more rare items like valuable coins.
An early minted nickel prototype was valued at $80,000 by a coin expert.
Meanwhile, a couple dug an old violin from the trash worth $50,000.