6 December: Pawnbrokers

Today is National Pawnbrokers Day, since it is the feast day of St Nicholas, the patron saint of pawnbroking. 10 things you might not know about pawnbrokers:

1. What is pawnbroking, anyway? A pawnbroker is an individual or business that offers secured loans with items of personal property used as collateral. The borrower can redeem the item within a contractually agreed amount of time, after which the pawnbroker is entitled to sell it.
2. It's one of the oldest forms of Money lending. The practice was known in Buddhist monasteries in China 1,500 years ago. Pawn shops in Europe began with the Medici family of bankers, when one side of the family split off and went into the pawnbroking business.
3. The three gold balls symbol of the pawnbroker is said to have originated from the Medici family crest. According to legend, one of the early members of the family killed a giant with three bags of rocks, which were incorporated in the family coat of arms as three gold spheres. Another theory is that they represent the three bags of Gold that their patron saint dropped down the chimney of a poor household so that the daughters cold get married.
4. Those in the industry sometimes joke that the three spheres mean “Two to one, you won’t get your stuff back.” However, around 80% of pawned items are redeemed by their owners. In fact, 80% of people who use pawn shops pawn the same items over and over again.
5. What kind of things do people pawn? The cliche of someone pawning their Wedding ring holds true – jewellery and especially gold rings, are the most popular items although anything valuable is fair game. What is unlikely to get a high price is electronic equipment, because it so quickly becomes obsolete. Pawn shop owners have to be conversant with different makes and models of computers, software, and other electronic equipment, so they can value objects accurately.
6. Pawnbrokers run the risk of ending up with stolen goods as it seems like an easy way to turn swag into cash. Of course, it's impossible to tell by looking at something whether it's stolen or not, so they have to be careful to keep records of everything they accept and might even ask for customers to provide fingerprints. Every so often they'll supply a copy of their inventory to the police who can check it against their list of stolen items.
7. Wealthy people whose fortune is tied up in property and are cash poor often make use of the pawn industry. Except the pawnbrokers they deal with brand themselves as "collateral lenders". In the USA, there are lenders who can legally charge interest of 240% a year. Even royalty have been known to pawn things. In 1338, Edward III pawned his jewels to raise money for the war with France. King Henry V did the same in 1415. Queen Isabella of Spain was said to have pawned her crown jewels in order to pay for Christopher Columbus's expedition in 1492. However, historians now say that isn't true, because by then, she had already pawned them to pay for the campaign against the Moors and to fund the Spanish Inquisition. What probably happened was that she pawned some smaller items which then encouraged other investors to pitch in.
8. There's even a reality show about pawnbrokers on the History Channel. It's called Pawn Stars and follows the fortunes of the Harrison family, who own Las Vegas’s Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. Items they have been presented with on screen include a replica of the Batmobile, cannons, and the most expensive item in their shop which is a cigar box that belonged to John F. Kennedy. If you want that, it will set you back $125,000.
9. The word “Pawn” comes from an Old French word meaning “piece of cloth”, which can be traced back to the Latin “Pignus”, meaning “to pledge”. In Europe, Pawn shops are frequently referred to as the “Lombard”, in reference to the House of Lombard, a prominent lending family in medieval London. Colloquially, an item which has been pawned has been "hocked" or "popped".
10. Which brings us neatly to "Pop goes the Weasel", that old nursery rhyme. There are numerous versions though the best known lyrics are probably "Up and down the City Road, In and out the Eagle, That’s the way the money goes: Pop! goes the weasel." While nobody knows for sure what "Pop goes the weasel" actually means (it almost certainly isn't exploding mustelids) it may well have to do with pawn shops. The Eagle is a historic London pub; "weasel" could be Cockney rhyming slang for a coat (weasel and stoat), meaning that the song could be about somebody who spends all their money in the pub and has to pawn their coat.

A Very Variant Christmas

Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.

The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?

Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.

Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.

Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.

Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.

Themes 

Christmas; superheroes; reunions; parties; life choices; shocking surprises; mistaken identity; kidnap and rescue.

Reasons not to read it

• It's a bit short. You could probably read it in one sitting.
• Most of the action takes place at a Christmas party. In a palace.
• It's all about Christmas but there doesn't seem to be a schmaltzy moral message.
• There are a couple of babies and some small children in it - and one nearly gets eaten.
• Santa appears in it, but he isn't really Santa.
• Superheroes. Again.
• Not to mention a whole bunch of super-villains. Again all new ones and not the ones we know from Marvel or DC.

Available from Amazon and Amazon Kindle