When the seller first approached shop co-owner Rick Harrison with a golden coin, Rick immediately recognized it as a form of currency used in Peru under Spanish colonial rule. Rick explained that Spain owned mines in Peru in the late 1600s and early 1700s and forced the country's local population to work in them as slaves. As per his explanation, golden coins from that era are essentially wealth amassed from slave labor.
Its seller recognized the coin as likely to be valuable but was unaware of the extent of its historical significance. As the seller explained, he simply found the coin in a safe he inherited following his grandfather's death. Fortunately for him, his grandfather kept the coin in a plastic container and in good condition, which was quickly noted by Rick.
The seller opened negotiations (which, when shown on camera, are fake but reflect an off-camera deal made beforehand) with a desire to sell his coin for $2,000. In response, Rick brought in an expert on Spanish colonial coins to assess whether or not the coin was the real deal, citing a recent forgery as cause for his concern. According to him, the coin was not only legitimate but an exemplary specimen. With the seller to his immediate left, Rick's Spanish colonial coin expert valued the item at $18,000.
Thus, with negotiations between the seller and Rick back on, the seller, naturally, opened by asking for $18,000 following its valuation. Rick countered with $10,000. After a bit of back-and-forth and a threat from the seller to walk, the two landed on a price tag of $11,000. As the seller explained, he showed up on set expecting to walk away with $2,000 and got exponentially more than that, making him a very happy man.
