The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-16
DEAR BARGAINS IN PAwYTICKETs.
A Kind OF Confidence Game Of which New
Workers Are Perennial Victims.

The sole even at a large reduction on their
coinage value OF gold bricks In New YORK Ia
practically unknown among residents such
gold bricks are disposed Of only to visitors
from backwoods districts In other States. The
trade, once lively. in lottery tickets alleged
TO have drawn first prizes ceased when lottery
drawings were abolished. and the sale at a
large reduction of genuine Cuban cigars SNUG
gled into the United States by a needy cigar
maker in Key West has not withstood the en-
li%ghtenment on Cuban affairs which followed
San Juan and Santiago.
But there is one form OF local confidence
dealing which II appears TO be impossible to
overthrow. and which Is peculiarly local TO
New York; New Workers are always the VIC
tins Of II. 1t is the trade in pawntickets' The
conditions Of which method for raising the wind
are very simple An adventurous lnulVloual
has pawned, or says he has pawnei, an article
OF personal property, for which he has a ticker.
He declares that he Is willing. TO sell II lOr a
small proper ton Of the difference between
its value anu the sum advanced upon IL. A
ring to the value perhaps Of 500 Is pl' dyed Tor
s2j. The difference between the value OF the
ring and the loan ana the interest upon II IL
apparently $40 The holder OF the ticket de-
clares his Willingness. TO sell II for $50, sacrl-
ficing thereby SIS OF value. "a he explains,
sooner than forfeit the whole sum The pur-
chaser. convinced by the declara tions oil the
man with the ticket. pays t35, only TO ina that
the marketable value oil tne ring Is, AT most,
$50, and for a fifty-dollar ring he has had to pay
s25 to the pawnbroker rs principal s. as ia leI-
est, and s35 to the seller OF tine ticket, a total
of $40 more than the ring would cost If bought
direct, while the mar with the ticket has for a
ffty-dollar ring received s2j from the pawn
broker and s35 IRON the purchaser OF the ticket,
a total of go.
such is the method Of those who dea dis
honestly in pawn tickets, but there IL another
variation OF the game. which Is perhaps better
calculated to deceive the sophisticated pur-
chaser. Two articles of personal property, one
OF them worth $50 and the other worth so, are
pawned for about hall their value, The pawn
broker issues two tickets. one for IS on the
dollar article The holder Of the tickets pro-
Ceeds TO sell for perhaps S. advance the ticket
which shows a twenty-five dollar loan on an
article presumably worth considerably more
than that. , With the IS he takes out the more
valuable article and leaves to the purchaser
Of the ticket, who supposes that he has a bar
gain In the transaction, the task Of taking out
the less valuable article on the larger ticket.
The pawnbroker suffers nothing from the
transaction. He gets back both principal
and interest. The man with the ticket loses
nothing, but the innocent purchaser Is separated
from several dollars Of his cash holdings with
out any adequate return by a method which
Is well calculated 10 DECEIVE any but an ex-
person.
The trade in pawn tickets Ia so general and
so lively that II continues almost uninterrupt-
eddy, and such is the confidence in their own
saRaClty Of some purchasers that even after
having been deceived they find an attraction
In dealings In stores oren for the sale Of un-
redeemed pledges. Of which the number in New
York has been increasing considerably Of late.