Mike Devlin December 17, For years, pawnshops have held an ugly stigma as the last refuge of the impoverished, taking advantage of people at their most desperate. But after the economic collapse ofthe traffic into pawnshops has increased considerably, with middle class and even wealthy folks being forced to trade in their valuables for loans.

The following year, the History Channel debuted Pawn Starsa reality-style TV show detailing the misadventures of a shop in Las Vegas. Today, the industry is thriving, albeit often misunderstood.

One of the biggest risk a pawnbroker takes upon buying or pawning an item is that it is actually stolen property.

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The pawnshop frequently turns in a list of the merchandise and its attendant serial numbers to police, who check it against reports of stolen goods. The pawnbroker is required to keep all merchandise for a set period of days typically two or three months before selling it, not only to give the person who pawned his valuables a good faith chance to purchase them back, but for police to investigate any shady transactions.

That notion has since been debunked; by the time Columbus was ready to set sail, Isabella had already pawned most of her jewelsincluding a pearl and ruby necklace that had been given to her by King Ferdinand as a wedding gift and the crown of Castile. She gave them to the merchants of Valenica and Barcelona to pay for the campaign against the Moors and to fund the Spanish Inquisition.

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Episodes have shown owners trying to sell or pawn cannons, a Batmobile replica, and even a cigar box that belonged to John F. Like most reality shows, much of Pawn Stars is staged and scripted for dramatic effect.

Saint Nicholas was known for his benevolence. In one instance, he rescued the three daughters of a poor man from becoming prostitutes by giving him three bags of gold to provide dowry for them to be married, hurling the sacks through a window at night.

Some versions indicate that Nicholas dropped the bags off one at a time over three consecutive how to make money in pawn shops. On the third night, the man attempted to discover the identity of his mysterious benefactor, but Nicholas rmb usd exchange rate december 31 2010 shrewd and dropped the bag down the chimney.

This story was modified a bit throwing in reindeer and swapping the gold for toys to create the beloved legend of Santa Binary options market share. Most pawnshops cater to people who trade in a necklace or ring for a few bucks to pay a bill or make rent, but in recent years, a new trend has emerged.

Collateral lenders a fancy euphemism for high-end pawnshops cater to typically wealthy, cash-poor clientele who need a quick influx of capital.

Often, the money is needed to open up a new business or make payroll during a lean month. Loans can range into the tens of thousands or up to a million dollars, and collateral can include things like exotic sports cars, priceless artwork, and the kind of jewelry normal people might only see behind glass at a museum. Interest rates for loans of this caliber are often insane—in the state of Texas, collateral lenders are legally allowed to charge percent a year.

When the New York Giants met the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVIno one gave the underdog Giants much of a chance.

The Giants had beaten the Patriots in a Super Bowl four years previously, but many considered it a fluke; the Patriots were out for revenge. The Giants would go on to win.

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Welker was devastated by the incident, appearing near tears in the post-game interview. Smelling the kind of marketing opportunity born of controversy, Pawngo. Most pawnshops will take anything of value though some operate on a specialty basis, doing trade only in musical instruments, tools, or firearms. Electronics like televisions, video games, and latops are popular items to hock, but customers are often dismayed by the low returns they get.

Knowledgeable customers will also typically bypass items like used computers, which may come with problems that are not initially apparent.

The majority of items pawned are jewelry. Gold, silver, and precious gems have intrinsic value by virtue of weight and quality. A pawnbroker will always be conscious of their fluctuating values. Moreover, pieces of jewelry often have sentimental value, ensuring that the customer will come back to retrieve them and make his interest payments. The international pawn symbol is that of three gold spheres hanging from a bar.

There are several competing theories on the origin of this symbol. Some tie it to the infamous Medici dynastya family of monarchs, bankers, and even Popes.

The legend was that an early member of the clan killed a giant with three bags of rocks, hence the spheres. Merchants attributed this symbol with prosperity and adopted it as their own, hanging it outside their shops. Others claim the three spheres are symbolic of the aforementioned story of Saint Nicholas and his three sacks of gold. While it would seem that those desperate enough to pawn something as dear to them as an engagement ring are probably unlikely to ever recover it, but according to the National Pawn Brokers Association, an average of 80 percent of goods are eventually reclaimed.

The majority of transactions in pawnshops are conducted by repeat customers, frequently pawning and reclaiming the same item over and over again. This is good business for the pawnbroker, who can reap continual interest payments with a greater confidence the customer will make good on them.

However, in some economically disadvantaged areas, the reclaim rate has fallen to as little as 50 percent.

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