For someone who has never stepped foot inside of a pawn shop and gets his or her education on the industry from Pawn Stars and Hardcore Pawn, our industry’s merchandise seems pretty glamorous and – sometimes – bizarre. “Hollywoodized” television shows regularly feature historic relics, quirky pop culture items and rare collectables so prominently that they appear to be the status quo. However, anyone with experience in the industry – whether a customer or employee of a store – knows that this isn’t exactly an accurate depiction of the average pawn shop. Sure, we have plenty of cool merchandise at great prices, but we carry far more electronics and jewelry than Babe Ruth rookie cards.
But while most of our merchandise is run-of-the-mill, let’s not forget that, at La Familia, our number one priority is meeting our customers’ needs … and that means we’ll take just about anything they bring in for loans. So, over the years, we’ve racked up some stories about interesting and unusual items that have made it into our backrooms. We decided it would be fun to poll our store managers to find out some of the most “offbeat” and unique – or just plain coolest – items that have appeared in their stores. Here’s what we found out:
Medical items – Like we said, we’ll take just about anything … and a couple of our store managers stand by that, even when it comes to medical devices. Jose at our Miami location at 1823 NW 79th Street said he’s accepted a Medela medical grade breast pump and Omar at the 3615 West Vine Street store in Kissimmee currently has a prosthetic leg in pawn. So, if you’re in need of a loan and can’t think of anything you have of value except that old nebulizer or back brace that you haven’t used in years, there’s a good chance we can still help you out.
Sports items – At La Familia, we love sports – so we’re always excited when we get something really cool related to baseball, football, soccer or even squash. (Ok, maybe not squash.) One of our Miami locations recently took in a Red Grange card. For those of you who don’t know, Red Grange was a football hero when the sport was in its infancy and he made the NFL’s 1920’s All-Decade Team. Store manager Jose said that he had the card graded by the PSA, completely authenticating it. Very cool, indeed.
Antique/vintage items – When people have antiques for sale, they generally hit the Web before our stores, but sometimes we get lucky. Jon at our Oak Ridge store recently acquired and sold a Mikiphone pocket phonograph, calling it “one of the coolest things [he’s] seen in awhile.” These Swiss gramophones were manufactured from 1925-1927 and are considered the smallest “talking machines” ever developed, measuring the size of a pocket watch. But that store doesn’t have a monopoly on rare valuables. The store at 1823 79th Street in Miami has received an antique, pre-1950 Coca-Cola “Tome Bien Fria” cooler and vintage Patek Phillipe watch from the 1960’s.
Art items – Most of us in the La Familia family aren’t exactly art connoisseurs, but we do sometimes get some interesting or somewhat valuable pieces in our shops. One of our Miami locations currently has a bunch of cool sculptures and pieces, and store manager Jose said that they once had a signed Romero Britto painting. He might not be Picasso, but Britto is a very popular and famous pop culture artist, and his paintings have gone for upwards of $100,000. The Miami Herald recently reported that he has sold a total of $50 million in merchandise. So, yeah – he’s kind of a big deal.
“Just plain cool” items – Some things we receive are so random that they don’t even fit in a category. Rafael at 7342 Curry Ford Road in Orlando said he recently received a motor that turns a bike into a scooter. As if that weren’t offbeat enough, he also has a cow hide for sale. (Maybe the Curry Ford store should win the award for “oddest merchandise?”) And Jose in Miami just acquired a $1000 bill, which we didn’t even realize existed.
While these items mark some of La Familia’s more “interesting” experiences lately, we want to know what you think. What’s the strangest item you’ve ever seen a pawn shop? And what’s the most unique thing you’ve ever brought in for a loan?
