Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-06-01
CHAT WITH A PAwNBRokeR.
THE oeee-, Tsin= Ever o@erea to

The ocSe-t Thin. Ever offered tn
f'in'-rhc susiaess Not All Proat.
The oldest thing l ever had offered
to me-" said .pawn6roker, was a
skeleton. end L didn't take 1t. I
hadn't any doubt that it was all right;
that the man that offered IL owned IL
aud had right to sell IL. 1 suppose he
was medical student who wanted
money just then more than he wanted
the skeleton. But | didn't know any
thing about the value of skeletons aud
how much to advance on II, and so
didn't take IL. But that will give you
some sort of an idea of the variety OF
things that the pawnbroker has offer
ed to him.
"ot course, you understand that not
all pawnbrokers take everything; there
are men who advance money on moth
ing but watches>and jewelry and dia-
monds and pictures and that sort of
thing and who wouldn't give anything
on the handsomeSt satin lined overcoat
that ever was, because it isn't in their
line They have no place to put such
things. no conveniences for taking
care OF them. And then there are
pawnbrokers doing a general business
who take all sorts of things-watches
and banjoS. boxing gloves and silver
spoons, practically anything and every
thing that offers. They might occa-
sionally run across something that they
wouldn't take. as | did with the skeIe-
ton, but not often. There's practically
nothing but what they viii take and
practically nothing but what is offered
at one time and another.
ION some things the amount advapc-
ed is very small, but still I've got
things in safe that l never should get
my money back on if l had to sell
them. You'd suppose it would be easy
for the pawnbroker to give on a thing
no more than he could get for it if he
had to sell it, and so it would be, but.
as matter of fact. he may give more
than he could get back He would be
| governed by circumstances and by his
judgment of the person Offering the
goods.
Il might have customer bring In
diamond ring that 1 would lend so
much on, whatever it was, aud that
would be n safe loan. The ring would
be good for ii if it was never reclaim
ed. But maybe the next week the same
customer, hard up and needing money.
would bring in a pair of trousers, spot
ted and worn, not worth much IL YOU
mad to sell them. And very likely l
would lend more on those trousers than
could ever get for them, lending that
because he's n customer and l want to
accommodate him and 1 want to keen
him as customer and because the
chances are that he'll take the trousers
out again, but If he doesn't, why, then
I'm out
THE question of whether man who
wants loan is likely to redeem what
he offers is often taken into account.
1t is common thing for the pawnbro-
kcr to look at the man, maybe n stran-
ger, md lend on his Judgment of the
man as well as on his knowledge of the
Naluc of the thing the man puts down
on the counter. OF course he makes
mistakes in this. but he takes the
chances, aud suppose he oftener gets
1t right than not. There might come in
here you or anybody needing money
with an old fashioned key winding
watch, that could not get SO for. and
want to borrow $50, and very likely I'd
lend 1t, though | know l never could
get my money back If the watch was
not redeemed. But know, or think
1 know. at glance whether he will re-
deem the watch or not, what sort OF
man he is and how much he values the
watch for it's associations, and go ac-
cording TO my Judgment.
NO doubt, rs n general proposition.
the puwnbroker sets out to lend on
things no more than he could sell them
Tor. There are times when, instead OF
making money, he loses It. What he
tries to do is 10 get n. profit as the net
result"-New York Sun.