As noticed on this clip on YouTube, John walked into the Pawn Stars retailer bearing a 1652 replica of Elias Ashmole’s Theatrum Chemicum Brittannicum, which allegedly held the name of the game to developing the thinker’s stone, a legendary subject matter that would flip lead into gold. Rick Harrison knew slightly concerning the e-book, and, in accordance to him, the Church deemed the textual content unlawful because the talent to create gold would have made the gold saved by way of Ecu governments nugatory. The punishment for possessing the Theatrum Chemicum Brittannicum — or any alchemy e-book for that topic — used to be being hanged from gilded gallows. Discuss irony.
John sought after to promote his e-book for $23,000, so Harrison introduced in knowledgeable, Rebecca Romney, to discern its true price. In accordance to Romney, the Theatrum Chemicum Brittannicum used to be a contradiction just because it used to be published. Alchemical books have been infrequently if ever published out of worry of the general public finding out the name of the game to developing gold. In spite of its checkered historical past, the textual content used to be influential to later precise scientists, together with Isaac Newton.
Sadly, John’s replica sported some restore jobs and wasn’t 100% whole — it did not come with a full-page engraved plate. Whilst a pristine model will have bought for over $30,000, Romney positioned the price of John’s at $15,000, so John and Harrison shook arms on $10,300.
