Bob Dylan and Kirby Puckett collectibles pop up when 'Pawn Stars' do Minneapolis

Bob Dylan's handwritten lyrics and guitars fetch a pretty penny on the market. But what's the value of a set of floorboards from his former Dinkytown apartment? That's one of the intriguing questions that faced the team from "Pawn Stars Do America" during its Twin Cities shoot last August.

The two episodes, which air at 7 p.m. on Wednesday and May 1 on the History Channel, give fans four hours of watching the Las Vegas visitors appraise dozens of items, from a Grateful Dead cookie jar to a 1941 Lincoln Continental used in "The Godfather" during Sonny Corleone's assassination scene.

But local viewers might be most tickled by memorabilia with local ties: a Jesse Ventura doll, a VIP gift box from a Prince concert at Paisley Park, a soccer ball signed by Minnesota United players, a dress worn by Grand Rapids native Judy Garland, a Purple People Eater jersey, a commemorative T-shirt from the year Kirby Puckett was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. At one point, Electric Fetus co-owner Aaron Meyerring stopped by, hoping to get a good deal on an autographed copy of the Rolling Stones' "Dirty Work" album.

This is the second year that "Pawn Stars," a cable hit since its 2009 debut, has gone on the road, collecting merchandise for the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas. Dylan is such a fan that he made a cameo in a 2010 episode and recruited a couple of cast members to appear in a 2013 interactive video for "Like a Rolling Stone."

"It's one of the few family shows left on TV," frontman Rick Harrison said in a phone interview Monday from his Vegas store that attracts about 2,000 visitors daily. "It's a little like a game show. Is it real? Is it fake? Are they going to make a deal? And people learn something. They don't want to hear from a professor. They want to hear from their uncle."

For this week's episode, prospective sellers line up at Semple Mansion, a popular wedding venue near the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Viewers are led to believe that the May 1 episode spotlights St. Paul, but viewers will notice that the bulk of the bartering took place at the Machine Shop near St. Anthony Main with Minneapolis-based food trucks in the parking lot.

Harrison said he had nothing to do with selecting that location.

"To me, the two cities just blend together, like Las Vegas and Henderson [city near Vegas]," said Harrison, who had never been in Minnesota before. "I just went where they told me to go."

Harrison and his most famous employees, son Corey Harrison and Austin "Chumlee" Russell, did get a chance to visit some sights in the actual St. Paul during their roughly 15 days of shooting.

At Can Can Wonderland, they considered buying a pinball machine so large that it uses a cue ball. They had dinner at St. Paul Brewing, where the younger Harrison got teased for ordering the Cherry Smoothie Ale.

Other field trips included an obligatory meal of Jucy Lucys at Matt's Bar and a visit to the Chaska Event Center, where the team got a curling lesson from 2019 national champion Taylor Anderson.

"When in Rome," Harrison said before taking the ice.

"We're in Minnesota," Russell replied with his trademark, understated delivery.

Harrison said the highlight was spending time at the Minnesota State Fair, where he played carnival games, heard country music and jumped on many rides.

"I've never seen so many food types on a stick," he said. "The deep-fried bacon on the stick was amazing. I actually felt my heart slow down."