Man’s 2011 trade of his 1932 Lincoln for $95,000 in gold has turned out to be one of the smartest moves ever
Published on Feb 03, 2026 at 3:44 PM (UTC+4)
by Keelin McNamara
Last updated on Feb 03, 2026 at 3:44 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
A man’s 2011 trade of his 1932 Lincoln for $95,000 in gold went viral.
Because it turned out to be one of the smartest moves ever made.
The incredible trade came on an iconic episode of Pawn Stars.
And the value of that gold has now shot through the roof.
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Man sells stunning 1932 Lincoln on Pawn Stars
Today’s story is quite a unique and bizarre one.
Because it features a classic 1930s car that ended up being traded for gold. And not in the 1930s, either.
The story takes place during an episode of Pawn Stars from 2011.
A man named Uncle Phil walked into Rick Harrison’s shop in Las Vegas.
Phil explained that he had a 1932 Lincoln convertible V12 to show to Rick.
Naturally, Rick was greatly intrigued – so he and his father went to have a look.
As you can probably imagine, the pair are amazed by what they found.
“This is a classic car, Rick,” remarked his father.
“The 1930s really was the golden age of cars,” explained Rick.
Rick went on to offer some more reasoning as to why this is such an incredible offering.
“It’s hard to believe that Lincoln made this bad-ass ride at the height of the Great Depression.”
“Since there were fewer buyers for luxury cars back then, automakers had to go all-out to compete for their business.”
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But Phil doesn’t want cash…
This is where the story gets even more fascinating.
Uncle Phil originally asked for $100,000 for his 1932 Lincoln.
Rick eventually counteroffered with $95,000, which Phil accepted.
But Phil didn’t just want cash for his car, he wanted something that Rick had in abundance – gold.
However, by law, the shop isn’t allowed to directly trade gold for this 1932 Lincoln.
But Phil is allowed to convert the $95,000 into gold himself.
And this is why people believe this to be one of the smartest trade-in moves ever made on Pawn Stars.
Given that today, that $95,000 in gold is now worth over $300,000, it’s pretty hard to disagree with them.
