WHY I DO WHAT I DO
When you watch me on the hit reality TV show "Cajun Pawn Stars," on History, you may wonder, "what is going through his mind right now?" or "Where did this guy come from and how is he an expert?" All great questions! When I get the call to go down to the Silver Dollar Pawn and Jewelry Center it is always an adventure. I love it. The first step to being an expert is loving what you do. I am passionate about history, learning more about it, visiting historic sites, spending hours at museums, and then on rare occasions holding in my hand something tied to a great moment in the past. These things are thrills and hunting down verification is part of that meaningful interaction with the past.
I got a Ph.D. in history from LSU, I have worked in both public and academic history settings all to get closer to the past. Teaching history to my college students and motivating them keeps me young. Showing them images of artifacts and talking about them is one of my teaching methods. I am honored to bring this passion and my interests to television and share with viewers all across the world an appreciation of the artifacts, material culture, and symbols of long ago. We live in a world shaped by history and I want to make sure we have an accurate understanding of it.
Too often I think that people want to know how much something is worth before they really know or understand what it is. Its place in the past, meaning to people who lived decades or sometimes centuries ago intrigues me more than anything else. When I see an item and determine its condition and meaning I can then check the market and be more informed about a price. People have been bringing things to me for years and I have helped out both on camera and off because I love history. That is the first step to being an expert. TO BE CONTINUED.......