The Vintage Bazooka Toy That Sold For A Mint On Pawn Stars

We live in an age of nostalgia, where people want to hang onto all of the toys and items they remember from their childhoods. Whether that comes in the form of a vintage lunchbox or some collectible Pokémon cards, things that originally sold for a couple of bucks can now be worth hundreds of dollars. 

The guys on "Pawn Stars" know this all too well. Every so often, a customer will walk into the shop with a vintage toy, perhaps even something one of the employees recognizes from their own background. It usually makes for good conversation, especially if the toy is something with moving parts they can actually show off in the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop.

That's precisely what happens during the Season 9 episode "I'll Be Doggone," in which a man walks into the store trying to sell an old-school bazooka toy that actually shoots toy missiles. Corey thinks it's pretty neat, but Rick has a decidedly different reaction. If you learn one thing from watching the clip, it's that toy companies haven't always cared as much about safety standards as they do today.

The bazooka toy's in great shape, but as is the case with most things, Corey wants to ensure it works properly. The price difference between an operational toy and one that just looks pretty is significant, so Corey thinks it would be a good idea to shoot off a toy missile inside the shop. Unfortunately, he's forgetting the "Christmas Story" line "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!" He fires, and it hits Rick directly in the face. Rick ends up sporting a black eye later in the episode when the toy expert comes to appraise the item. 

When reading through the comments on the YouTube clip of the sale, it seems a lot of viewers aren't convinced that Rick's black eye was legitimate, with comments like, "[Can't] believe people actually believed the black eye was real," and "I called a buddy of mine who's a black eye expert ... unfortunately that's not a real black eye." It wouldn't be the first time "Pawn Stars" has faked something, but one thing that's all too real is the cash the seller made from the sale. 

While the customer initially wants $500 and continues to ask for that much even when the toy expert says the pawn shop crew could likely get that much out of it, they eventually settle for $375. The seller walks away happy, and Rick walks away to go apply an icepack ... or wash off that black eye makeup.