This is an unpublished, original short written and reported in one day for the second issue of Longshot Magazine, entitled “Debt.”
If there’s one place in America that knows about the highs and lows of debt, it’s the pawn shop.
We called up Rich Pyle, store manager for American Jewelry and Loan in Detroit, Mich. to find out the most popular — and bizarre — items he’s seen during his tenure behind the counter.
The pawn shop is featured on the TruTV television show “Hardcore Pawn.”
Pyle’s 8 Most Popular Pawned Items
“The most basic thing they bring in is electronics and jewelry,” Pyle says.
- Watches
- Ladies’ rings
- Chains and charms
- Loose diamonds
- DVD players
- Televisions
- Laptop computers
- Musical instruments: guitars, flutes, clarinets, horns
“The smaller and easier the item is to bring in, the more often we see it,” he says. “People are lazy.”
Pyle’s 5 Most Memorable Pawned Items
- A real-life Olympic torch. ”It was actually on the Early Show on CBS yesterday.”
- A Prince Albert genital piercing. ”That was the first time I’ve ever seen that. I’ve been here 24 years. Hopefully it’s the last time.”
- Gold teeth, straight from the mouth. ”We’ve had people bring in gold teeth and spit it out onto the tray for money. That’s always fun.”
- Guinea pig with a gold chain. ”We took the gold chain but we gave him the guinea pig back.”
- A horse. ”The owner walked him right into the showroom. It took a shit right onto the floor. And we actually bought it. We wanted it.”