Pawnbroker’s Sign
notes: label: Description
content: This is a copper pawnbroker’s sign, most likely hung outside a pawnshop in upstate New York during the Depression Era. Pawning, or putting an item up as collateral for a short period of time, has been in practice since at least the 5th century in China, and gained popularity in Europe during the Middle Ages. Pawnshop owners during the Middle Ages began using this symbol, the three spheres, to designate the type of service they offered since around this same time. The three spheres most likely represent three (gold) coins, but spheres are more recognizable than flat objects when using them for signage. Immigrants arriving to the United States during the early years most likely brought and continued this tradition from Europe.
topic: label: general subject association
content: Business
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Retail and Marketing
label: See more items in
content: Advertising
label: See more items in
content: American Enterprise
label: Exhibition
content: American Enterprise
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Wendy A. Woloson
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2012.0156.01
label: accession number
content: 2012.0156
label: catalog number
content: 2012.0156.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: sign
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: copper (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 24 in x 23 1/2 in x 8 3/4 in; 60.96 cm x 59.69 cm x 22.225 cm