Rick Harrison and the crew at Gold and Silver Pawn have transformed the image of the American pawnbroker
National Pawnbrokers Association
Rick Harrison and his father Richard Harrison opened their doors at Gold and Silver Pawn in 1988 and have been members of the National Pawnbrokers Association since 1991, which in this business, makes them youngsters. They have supported their local and state legislators for years on behalf of the pawn industry. They understood the importance of contributing funds to PAC's and fundraising activities, and this support has protected the pawn industry in Las Vegas and in turn, across the country.

President of the National Pawnbrokers Association Dave Crume said, "Since the first episode of Pawn Stars aired on July 26, 2009, Rick and the gang at Gold & Silver Pawn have been winning over the American public. The television show, with Rick at the helm, has shown people something we knew all along: that pawnbrokers are cool."More

The real pawn stars
ASNE Reynolds HSJ Institute at the University of Nevada-Reno
Shuttered businesses litter downtown Reno these days, but pawnshops are not among them. Pawnshops in Reno are like teenage girls at a Justin Beiber concert: everywhere. Inspired partially by my own curiosity and partially by the History Channel show Pawn Stars, I decided to check out what really goes on at one of these shops myself, said Liz Filippelli of The Silver Bulletin.More

Giving new life to an old profession
Triangle Business Journal
Bob Moulton learned the pawnshop business from his mother and an uncle. In 1986, Moulton opened his own store and has been a pawnbroker ever since — now operating eight stores in Durham, Raleigh and Wilmington in North Carolina. He figures he spent around $2.5 million turning the defunct Don Murray's Barbecue restaurant in Raleigh from a grease-stained and rundown building into what Moulton declares to be the prototype of the modern-day pawnshop — National Pawn — complete with a walk-in vault that would be the envy of any banker.More

Pawnshop oddities reflect Gulf struggles
CNN

A man walks into a pawnshop in Gulfport, Miss. Others may bring guitars or a piece of jewelry, but this man has something special. It's a 16th century blunderbuss from Japan. Kevin Riley, the owner of Dad's Super Pawn, gingerly turned the 500-year-old flintlock rifle over in his hands, examining the antique weapon with an expert eye. "Wow that's pretty cool," he said. Pawnshops are wonderlands of the obscure. In Dad's there's a jersey signed by cast members of TV's "Sopranos" that was picked up from a rabid fan, a guitar made from a toilet seat that was sold to the store by a band member down on his luck and a script from TV's original "Dukes of Hazzard."More

The story behind the pawnshop: a surprising pedigree
The Los Angeles Times
For years, the building on the northwest corner of Colorado Boulevard and Raymond Avenue in Old Pasadena, Calif., hasn't been much to look at. A pawnshop since the early 1950s, it never received the upgrade that many surrounding buildings enjoyed in the upscale shopping and dining district. Until May, the upper windows were covered by metal plates and large "Money to loan" signs. Yet underneath the grit lies a historic gem.More

Pawning the family heirlooms
FORTUNE via CNN Money

You might be forgiven if you don't place pawnshops in the vanguard of environmental sophistication. But don't sell them short. "We're the original recyclers," says Beverly Hornstein, who works in her husband Donald's pawnshop, Littman's, which has been a fixture in downtown Norfolk, Va., for 118 years. Pawnshops were traditionally the go-to destination for customers with broken jewelry, rings and bracelets missing stones, or watches without parts. From those remnants a savvy pawnshop owner might envision and design a pair of earrings or an unusual brooch. … The three publicly traded companies in the pawn industry — Cash America International Inc., EZCORP Inc., and First Cash Financial Services Inc. — reported "significantly increased earnings during the third and fourth fiscal quarters of 2009," says Emmett Murphy, a spokesman for the National Pawnbrokers Association located near Dallas.More

Reflected glory for sale
The Boston Globe
Tourists crowd the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, ogling displays filled with collectible oddities. Confederate currency. French bayonets. Death clocks. And Super Bowl rings. The shop made famous on the reality television show "Pawn Stars" showcases a 2001 New England Patriots Super Bowl ring on a small, mirrored turntable. Former Patriots player Brock Williams pawned the piece of jewelry for $2,000 a few years ago, and has not returned. The current asking price is $100,000.More

Central Florida businessman starts new pawnshop chain, plans 20 stores by year-end
Orlando Business Journal
John Thedford is giving the pawn business another try — but this time he wants a different end ­result. Thedford, who in 1994 established the Value Pawn & Jewelry chain in Central Florida, grew his business to 67 stores in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee with 700 employees and $120 million in 2007 revenue before selling the chain in 2008 to Austin, Texas-based publicly traded pawn giant EZCorp. for $115 million. More

Cash America quarterly profit up, declares dividend
The Fort Worth Business Press
Fort Worth, Texas-based Cash America International Inc. reported its net income for the second quarter climbed 26 percent, boosted by growth of its e-commerce lending and higher earnings from its domestic core pawn-lending business. Net income for the payday lender and pawn shop operator was $20.9 million, or 66 cents per share, compared with $16.6 million, or 54 cents per share, in the second quarter of 2009.More

Gold may gain in New York on speculation about increased physical buying
Bloomberg
Gold, little changed in New York, may gain on speculation physical demand for the metal will increase. Futures were little changed week last week and are trading 6.4 percent below a record set last month. Most European banks passed stress tests designed to show their ability to withstand a financial crisis, lenders and regulators said.More

Mays launches online pawnbroking service
Retail Jeweller
Short-term financial solutions specialist Mays has launched an online pawnbroking service, to cash in on busy, asset-rich consumers who can't make it to physical stores. The London-based pawnbroker's online service allows customers to carry out a three-step process without visiting the actual store. This involves filling out an online form, depositing goods in a pre-paid insured courier service, and then receiving a loan from Mays, which is paid into accounts the day of receipt. The goods are then kept until a later date when they can be reclaimed.More