Capital Pawn owner retiring after more than 30 years, auctioning valuable items inside shop
TAMPA, Fla. - The man with the giant iguana on his roof knew from the start that he wanted it.
"I'll be the only pawn shop in the world that has a green iguana on top of my roof," says Joseph Cacciatore.
The iguana isn't real, or course, but it speaks of Cacciatore's habit of acquiring unusual and often valuable things. He owns Capital Pawn and Financial Services on East Busch Boulevard in Tampa.
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He's been in the pawn business for more than 30 years. His treasure trove is eclectic, like something from a TV show.
"I know a lot of people have seen ‘Pawn Stars.’ I am ‘Pawn Stars’ on steroids," says Cacciatore.
In fact, he has appeared on "Pawn Stars," the popular cable show that often features the kind of items Cacciatore has acquired in his pawn business. He has some favorites.
"The Babe Ruth baseballs, I've been waiting to see a real one for 25 years," said Cacciatore. "And then in one week, I got two. I mean it was meant to be."
Cacciatore plans to retire soon, and he plans to offer his many treasures to the highest bidder. The items range from baseball memorabilia to rock music souvenirs, like a signed guitar from Guns N' Roses.
"There are signed and historical pieces from Ernest Hemingway to Castro. You name it," he said.
There are animation images from Bugs Bunny and Scooby-Doo, a robe that belonged to Muhammad Ali, and collections of gold and silver.
"We get Rolexes, big diamonds, you name it," said Cacciatore.
If there's one thing that interested him more than historical or valuable items, it might be the people who bring the items to his pawn shop.
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"It's going to be hard to retire from this business, because it's a lot of fun, and I get to meet people from the richest of the richest to the poorest of the poor and everybody in between," said Cacciatore. "I've been blessed. I've been truly blessed."
The auction is scheduled for October 21, not at the pawn shop, but somewhere that's larger and able to accommodate what's expected to be a large crowd of potential bidders.
For more information visit www.harrisauctionsllc.com.
