pawn shop finds - photos of your pawn shop treasures

#61
hotshot said:
Love the analogy between a pawn shop and buying tampons!!

Funny, but true!!!!
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i know, it's a bit off the wall, but as i was leaving a pawn shop today, i was thinking to myself how embarrassed i used to be to go into one, let alone purchase from one, and immediately said to myself "who cares?"

then i thought how i felt the exact same way when i first had to buy tampons. i was embarrassed as hell but then realized who cares? nobody is judging you either way.

silly, i know. hopefully it got a little laugh from you ladies. lol
 
#62
I just got back from Boca Raton, FL and have to say that Florida Pawn Shops are the place to go. Tons of people unloading Estate goods, the shops range from the cheesy types to very nice jewelry/pawn buying shops.
An acquaintance of mine owns a gorgeous shop called The Silver Queen near Tampa and he has a huge buying area that is fascinating to watch. His shop has a museum style display of Estate pieces of silver dinnerware from Presidential Periods and from Tiffany & Co.
 
#63
Japster said:
I just got back from Boca Raton, FL and have to say that Florida Pawn Shops are the place to go. Tons of people unloading Estate goods, the shops range from the cheesy types to very nice jewelry/pawn buying shops.
An acquaintance of mine owns a gorgeous shop called The Silver Queen near Tampa and he has a huge buying area that is fascinating to watch. His shop has a museum style display of Estate pieces of silver dinnerware from Presidential Periods and from Tiffany & Co.
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oh are you serious? one of my good friends from college lives in florida, and i visited her 2 summers ago and i wish i would have thought of that then.

looks like i will have to make another trip to see her soon. :graucho:
 
#64
I love all the pieces everyone has posted.

I saw on the travel channel one of the high end pawn shops. Wow, they had some lovely things. It was on the " Cash & Treasures" show. It's called Beverly Loan Co. It's over a bank in B Hills.

I'm not affiliated with it, don't know anyone involved. But it looked neat on TV. If anyone is near there, it would be nice to know if it's worth the trip.
 
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#65
~Mina~ said:
I love all the pieces everyone has posted.

I saw on the travel channel one of the high end pawn shops. Wow, they had some lovely things. It was on the " Cash & Treasures" show. It's called Beverly Loan Co. It's over a bank in B Hills.

I'm not affiliated with it, don't know anyone involved. But it looked neat on TV. If anyone is near there, it would be nice to know if it's worth the trip.
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how funny. i was just googling online pawn shops and that one came up many times as being the pawnshop to the stars. how odd that you just mentioned it. unfortunately, it doesn't look as though you can purchase anything on their website. i wish i was closer to beverly hills than 1,500 miles.
 
#66
onegirlcreative said:
oh are you serious? one of my good friends from college lives in florida, and i visited her 2 summers ago and i wish i would have thought of that then.

looks like i will have to make another trip to see her soon. :graucho:
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Yes def. check out the shops. I didn't do any buying this trip- just visiting MIL, but was amazed at some of the stock at the ones I checked out!
 
#68
onegirlcreative said:
^^^did you inquire about pricing? did it seem overpriced for a typical pawn shop?
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Pricing is good if you haggle. Here are some tips for those that may be unsure of pricing and how to negotiate.

What I recommend with pawnshops is to go in there with a set price per gram that you want to pay for 14k, 18k etc. Look at the marketprice that day and consider that the dealer buys at 60% of scrap or less usually and unlike the retailer, he doesn't pay a slight premium above scrap to pay for a jewelry designer/artist's work or for his bench jeweler's labor to make the piece, ect. However, he can also just as easily scrap the jewelry with a refiner for the market price that day so you don't want to offer too low.

When you see something you like give them an offer based on the gram weight vs. what the price tag says. Tell the dealer, gold price is XXX per oz and I don't want to pay more than XXX per gram. I can't imagine any dealer refusing a reasonable offer.

Hope that helps!
 
#70
japster: that's such good advice! i never thought of haggling that way... i'm so americanized/retailized about paying sticker price..... thanks for the insight!
 
#71
Japster, I just about hit the floor with the pictures of those earrings - stunning!

I love pawn shops both personally and professionally as lots of people love dead pawn Indian jewelry!
 
#72
Japster said:
Pricing is good if you haggle. Here are some tips for those that may be unsure of pricing and how to negotiate.

What I recommend with pawnshops is to go in there with a set price per gram that you want to pay for 14k, 18k etc. Look at the marketprice that day and consider that the dealer buys at 60% of scrap or less usually and unlike the retailer, he doesn't pay a slight premium above scrap to pay for a jewelry designer/artist's work or for his bench jeweler's labor to make the piece, ect. However, he can also just as easily scrap the jewelry with a refiner for the market price that day so you don't want to offer too low.

When you see something you like give them an offer based on the gram weight vs. what the price tag says. Tell the dealer, gold price is XXX per oz and I don't want to pay more than XXX per gram. I can't imagine any dealer refusing a reasonable offer.

Hope that helps!
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thanks, japster. i am honestly embarrassed to admit that i never haggle at a pawn shop. i guess in a way, why not? nothing is set in stone at these places and they're just trying to get rid of their inventory.

i was at a pawn shop yesterday (the only one open where i live) and as soon as i looked at a specific ring, the guy offered it to me at $75 and the listed price was $229. i was like huh? :wtf:

i didn't get that particular ring, but i found a better one that was supposedly in the wrong area of the counter that listed prices at $70, so i grabbed it (the tag said it was $299).

i need to get it resized so once i get it back from the jeweler, i will post pics.
 
#73
i went to a pawn shop today on my way home from work (in a different town from where i live) and omg, i think i hit the jackpot with this place. you wouldn't believe all of the jewelry they have in there. i was shocked, because it's not in the best area, that's for sure.

i found this stunning 5 diamond yellow gold estate ring that was simply gorgeous. it's only $500 so i think i may put it on layaway for a few weeks and then i'll need to size it down and get it cleaned up. once i do, i will post pics of it. omg, i cannot believe how gorgeous this thing is and the diamonds are really big, too. it's a steal!
 
#75
Japster said:
^^ Yay- can't wait to see it!
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i know, i can't wait to get it and have it resized and polished. it'll be a stunner, i promise you.

i will need to put it on layway for probably a month since we just got back from vacation last week, and we spent a little too much money—but it was so worth it.

otherwise, i promise i will post when it's ready. i don't want to post it until after i have it resized and polished because it's really dirty right now. this person probably hadn't had it polished in ages.

it's also a very old ring, so i love the setting. thanks, japster.
 
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