Hardcore Pawn is a popular show here at Blaze. It’s addictive, in fact. Many a morning, afternoon and evening has been whiled away across the planet watching the guys at American Jewelry & Loan wheel and deal in their pawn shop where there’s barely a dull second.

While it’s fun to see the wacky items come in and watch the bartering, part of what makes Hardcore Pawn so darn watchable is the family that own the Detroit store. The sibling rivalry between Seth and Ashley is a big draw, of course. But, for many viewers, it’s all about the siblings’ old man, Les Gold. He’s the Daddy in more ways than one.

Let’s find out a little bit more about the man here…

Who is Les Gold?

For the uninitiated, ‘Les Gold’ isn’t the French name for a precious metal. It is, instead, the name of arguably television’s most famous pawnbroker. A third generation broker, Leslie Gold was born back in June of 1950 and continues to live and work in the Michigan city he was born in.

Widely known as ‘The King of Pawn’, Gold was a natural-born entrepreneur who showed signs of his business acumen from an early age. As a kid he would buy pizzas and sell them by the slice to the other kids at Hebrew School. As an adult, he would eventually set up a store continuing the family business. This was back in 1978. That store was American Jewelry & Loan. 

The business grew bigger and now operates at multiple sites, employs hundreds of staff and serves upwards of a thousand people each and every day. It’s safe to say that Gold is now a pretty rich man. A verified pawn star.

How much is Les Gold worth?

After more than 40 years in the pawn game, Les Gold has managed to amass something of a small fortune. The man is a millionaire, but only just. While he is a very successful business owner, Gold can’t quite compete with the big boys and so will never feature alongside the crème de la crème of US businessmen. That said, he’s a pretty big player on the Detroit high street scene.

It’s difficult to know exactly how much any one man is worth, but it’s perfectly possible to estimate based on what’s known publicly about them. With his stores, TV career and other ventures and sidelines, it’s believed that Les Gold is worth something just north of around £3.5 million. Not bad going for a guy running a pawn store, eh?!

A few interesting facts about Les Gold

Here are few choices tidbits about the man that may interest you:

● Gold might not look like your average best-selling author, but he is. His autobiography, which doubles as a business guide, hit #4 on The New York Times Best Seller 'How To' List back in 2013. The book was called 'For What It's Worth: Business Wisdom from a Pawnbroker' and shifted some serious copies all across America.

● Despite what you may have heard online, Les Gold is still very much alive and kicking. For some strange and unknown reason, there have been several fake ‘news stories’ about the man’s death which have circulated over the past few years. 

● Gold likes making money, but he also likes raising it for charity. He's a big advocate and supporter of a Detroit charity called 'The Heat And Warmth Fund' ('THAW'). He regularly organises events which can make tens of thousands of dollars for them.

Hang on, we’ve just realised something… His name’s ‘Gold’ and he runs a pawn shop… That’s some cosmic stuff right there. Nominative determinism or what…?

Hardcore Pawn Stars airs on Blaze TV. So watch it. Go on.