i get a kick out of the cable tv show pawn stars. the concept is that various customers come into the shop and try to unload things they perceive to be of great value. the owners of the shop are always interested in one thing above all others — authenticity. they enjoy a rich story behind a particular item for pawn. rarity is also important. however, the scarcity of an item will not trump authenticity. the parallels to branding per proper construction and care are abundant and relevant. the more that’s noteworthy, interesting, exclusive, and credible about a business, the more enticing it’s offering will be.
the episode i saw featured an unopened bottle of vintage dom perignon champagne from 1921. if you know the label, then you know that this was the inaugural year. only 1,000 were produced, and this bottle was unopened. unfortunately for the customer, the bottle was not of interest to the shop. why, do you ask? the customer was not savvy and stored the champagne incorrectly. it had become turpentine in a fancy bottle. an appraiser came to the shop and offered that spoiled it was worth maybe $1,000 to the right person. stored properly and aged, it was worth $10,000 or more and in very high demand because of its scarcity.
the bottom line? if this was to be a truly valuable collector’s or conversation piece, all bases would need to be covered. someone is going to ask if the champagne can be enjoyed. the no answer will not be sexy. the fact that the owner ruined the champagne through ignorance doesn’t make him look good. game over.
