History Channel’s “Pawn Stars” is a TV classic at this point in 2024. The show has been on air since 2009, and has been nothing but successful, to the point that its cast members turned into international stars just by being their funny and interesting selves in front of cameras.
Nonetheless, the Harrisons and Chumlee aren’t the only ones who acquired considerable fame thanks to the show. The guest experts, who always come to the rescue of whoever is behind the pawn shop’s counter to offer their professional advice regarding all types of objects, also gained a huge spotlight through “Pawn Stars” which isn’t easy to replicate by any other show.
It isn’t any different for the antique book expert Rebecca Romney, whose boundless knowledge about rare editions and old manuscripts, gained her the hearts and admiration of thousands of viewers.
So where is Rebecca now? When was the last time she appeared in the show, and what about her business? Keep with us to find out!
Where Is Rebecca Now?
It’s been a long time since we last saw Rebecca Romney examine some books in “Pawn Stars”. Her last appearance in the show was in the 18th season’s episode “The Spy Who Pawned Me”, when she appraised a Lewis & Clark Journal. She also briefly appeared in the first season of the 2022 spin-off “Pawn Stars Do America”, though viewers were utterly shocked to see her in Washington, D.C. instead of Nevada, as was usual in the main show.
As it happens, Rebecca is no longer working for the Las Vegas-based Gallery of Bauman Rare Books. At some point, she moved away from Sin City to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, per Bauman’s request, and then established herself in Brooklyn, New York City, to work for another company. However, she eventually moved to Washington, D.C., where she now lives and manages her antique book business Type Punch Matrix.
Despite her several changes of address in recent years, Rebecca hasn’t disappeared from the public eye at all. These days she has a large following on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, with the latter being her most active account given how it allows her to create short, entertaining videos to promote her business and talk about her biggest passions: books and history.
Other TV Appearances
There’s no denying that Rebecca Romney is a fan favorite in every sense. She’s deeply knowledgeable in everything book-related, straightforward with her examinations, and highly likable. So not only are her appearances in “Pawn Stars” highly anticipated, but the videos shared by the franchise online are also filled with praise for Rebecca, whenever she appears in one.
However, many would be shocked to find out that Rebecca also appeared in another history-related production. We’re talking about “The Booksellers”, a documentary film released in 2019 which follows the lives and experiences of several New York City-based book experts, whose fascinating stories about their rare finds and bookstore experiences are endless.
Besides Rebecca, several other rare book specialists appeared in the documentary, though the film surely is entertaining for those “Pawn Stars” fans who were fascinated by her job, and wanted to know more. On top of that, Rebecca is also a regular guest in literary and academy-related podcasts and events, so it’s not rare to find videos of her on the internet, talking about books.
If that and seeing Rebecca on social media isn’t enough, she also has a YouTube channel which she rarely updates, but which contains several videos of her performing autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) while checking books.
What About Her Business?
You might be wondering what’s the story behind Rebecca Romney’s business, and why she left the company she worked for while in “Pawn Stars”. While the latter question is unclear, Rebecca is quite open while talking about her company Type Punch Matrix, which is based in Washington, D.C.
Rebecca and her business partner Brian Cassidy started the business in 2019, though there’s nothing special about its location except that Rebecca wanted to be close to her relatives in the state, as she confessed in an interview with The Washingtonian.
Back then, Cassidy was the owner of a bookstore, so both book experts simply decided to unite forces, starting what is now known as Type Punch Matrix, a rare book firm which focuses on providing antique and scarcely-seen editions of books. However, common edition books which belonged to someone highly memorable are also available for purchase, such as Amy Winehouse’s $135,000-valued collection.
While the concept of rare books sounds posh and expensive, Rebecca insists that book collecting is for everyone. Erasing misconceptions about the field is something that Rebecca takes very seriously, and why she’s written columns about the treatment of old books, and even gave a seminar refuting myths about book collecting for Case Western Reserve University in 2021.
In general, it seems that Rebecca’s work is interesting even when she’s away from TV cameras.
Her Books
Collecting and commercializing rare books is a unique and exciting profession, especially for those who love literature and history as much as Rebecca Romney does. What most people don’t know about our favorite book expert is that Rebecca is also a published author.
Her first book ever published is “Printer’s Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History”, which she wrote alongside her now ex-husband J. P. Romney. The book came out in 2017 and followed the quirky and interesting findings of Rebecca during her years as a book dealer. Rebecca was also the editor of “Projections: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction”, featuring several old-time sci-fi works which she considers predicted the current state of the US society.
Last but not least, there’s her most recent book “Jane Austen’s Bookshelf”, published in 2024, and centering around the female authors from whom the emblematic classic British writer Jane Austen took inspiration. Other interesting pieces written by Rebecca are found on her website.
All in all, it isn’t hard to see that Rebecca is not only doing well these days, but also that her career is at a great place altogether.
While her new location and professional endeavors make it highly unlikely that she’ll resume her appearances in “Pawn Stars”, the hope of seeing her again on the small screen is never lost.
