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  • - Hey, how's it going, man?

  • Good, good.

  • I have something you might be interested in here.

  • What do you got?

  • I have a really old coin.

  • That is cool, and that is not a coin.

  • This is a Benjamin Franklin terracotta plaque.

  • These were really popular in France back in the late 1700s.

  • It's a coin to me.

  • [laughter]

  • I got this through my grandfather's estate.

  • It was in a really nice fancy box,

  • and I figured it's gotta be worth something.

  • I'm coming down here looking for $10,000.

  • $10,000 is going to buy me a lot of textbooks.

  • I'm a broke college kid.

  • It might even pay for some beer.

  • Ben Franklin in 1777 goes to France

  • because we need some money.

  • When this guy shows up in France,

  • he's hanging out with French royalty.

  • Everyone wanted to meet this guy.

  • Everyone wanted to be around him.

  • People loved him so much, a company

  • started making these plaques, and they were hanging them

  • on their wall because everyone loved him because he

  • was such a rock star.

  • Ben Franklin is arguably the most loved founding father,

  • but that doesn't mean everything associated

  • with him is collectible.

  • And even though this terracotta medallion

  • is really, really cool, I have no idea

  • what this thing is worth.

  • It's in really, really good shape.

  • I'm assuming it was put in this box later,

  • you know, years down the road and they glued it to the back,

  • so I don't know if that's going to be a big deal.

  • How much are you looking to get out of it?

  • I think it's worth $10,000.

  • You know, quite frankly, I have no idea.

  • I've seen one of these before, but it's

  • been over 20 years ago, and to tell you the truth,

  • I can't remember what it was worth back then.

  • But I know they're worth money.

  • What exactly that money is, I don't

  • know if it's $500 or $10,000.

  • But I do have a buddy who lives and breathes this kind

  • of weird stuff, and he'll know.

  • So if you don't mind hanging out for a little bit,

  • I can get him down here.

  • - I have some time. - OK.

  • Cool, man.

  • I'll be right back.

  • Let's do it.

  • I'm excited to see what the expert has

  • to say about my piece and shed some light

  • on what the value might be.

  • Ben Franklin terracotta thingy I remember from, like,

  • 20 years ago, but I'm not exactly sure what I remember.

  • This is fantastic.

  • It is a Ben Franklin terracotta medal made by an artist

  • named Jean-Baptiste Nini.

  • It's right from the most important part

  • of the American Revolution in some sense.

  • 1778, he signed the agreement with France which

  • turned the tide of the war.

  • So it's an incredible historical object.

  • Ben Franklin was quite a celebrity,

  • and he was a natural subject for an object

  • like this which was intended to be sold to the general public.

  • What do you think?

  • Does it really hurt the value the glue on the back of it?

  • Well, it doesn't actually hurt the value.

  • It's a uniface medallion.

  • What's important is the front of the piece.

  • OK.

  • So what did these things go for?

  • These are not very common, and this one's

  • actually in very good shape.

  • You know, they're worth, to a collector, $1,500 to $2,000,

  • in that range.

  • All right.

  • Yeah.

  • I thought the thing was worth 10 grand.

  • You know, they were never worth quite that much,

  • but there was a time that this might have been worth $5,000.

  • Well, thanks man.

  • I appreciate it.

  • Hey, not a problem.

  • This piece is actually quite rare.

  • If you wanted to go out and buy 20 of them in six months,

  • it would be absolutely impossible.

  • So obviously you're not going to get $10,000 for it.

  • Make me an offer.

  • I'll give you $1,200 for it.

  • No.

  • I'll take $2,000 for it.

  • No.

  • I'm assuming I'm going to get that for it.

  • $1,800.

  • No.

  • 1,200 bucks.

  • $1,800.

  • All right, well, have a nice day.

  • I mean--

  • You sure you don't want it?

  • I don't want it for that.

  • I mean, you know, you have to look at my--

  • I've got a business here.

  • I'll come down.

  • I'll sell it for $1,400 to you right now.

  • Otherwise, I'm leaving with it.

  • You know what?

  • You got a deal.

  • All right.

  • Thanks, man.

  • I'll meet you right over there.

  • I'll have one of my guys grab it.

  • I'll meet you right over there. We'll do some paperwork.

  • All right, let's do it.

  • $1,400 I feel is fair.

  • It's going to go towards my student loans.

  • I need some new tires for my truck too.

- Hey, how's it going, man?

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