Her name was Willy Rey. She came to us one day shortly after we first opened Posh Pawn San Diego. She was in the form of a mint condition, life size poster of a 1971 Playboy centerfold picture. She was beautiful. The owner wanted to sell, didn’t know the value, and needed our expertise. I assured him we were experts. Just not in playmate posters. Not wanting to pass up...
It might not be able to send a picture which self destructs ten seconds later or search the web for any random question that pops into my head. In fact I can’t get it to save ANY information. That is not to say it won’t perform some pretty complicated functions. It will solve time and distance calculations; it will keep time, and even act as a stop watch. Besides...
Four hundred and sixty BILLION dollars. That is the amount spent on Chinese counterfeit goods each year according to some. Luckily some very smart people over at Entrupy Inc. developed a handheld device that can detect fake designer handbags. Now for those of you who may not be well versed in the luxury handbag market let me tell you there is a lot of money at stake. The typical Louis...
Ever wonder who started the designer handbag trend? Well wonder no more. According to Curator Rachel Ward of The Courtauld Gallery this bag is believed to be from 1300's Mongolian Noblewoman. It was discovered in Mosul Iraq and thought to be the oldest know handbag in existence. It is brass and inlaid with gold and silver depicting a courtly scene. There are musicians, hunters, and revellers depicted. This would have...
Forget what you think you know about pawn shops. It's an old industry with well established laws and success history. And like every other mom and pop industry with these qualities, the model is being turned on it's head by more sophisticated players. Just take Pawngo and Borro that have raised hundreds of millions of dollars to do collateral lending over the internet. Basically the customer submits his item (which must be valued...
Seven little know facts about platinum At our San Diego pawn shop we see a lot of platinum jewelry. In fact the vintage estate pieces we get that are made in platinum are usually our favorites. They will often contain older, “European” cut diamonds and usually have tons of character. Here is a great example of an art deco platinum ring from circa 1930's. What you may not know...
"Do you guys know what that is"? I ask to a couple of our younger employees. I'm pointing at the picture of the Spruce Goose airplane on the wall of of our pawn shop. "Isn't it a submarine-airplane"? one of them answers. She's 20 and giving me the usual type of answer we get when young customers are visiting the store and see our memorabilia hanging on the walls. "Do you know...
At Posh Pawn we buy or give loans against designer handbags every day. From the $50 Coach to the $50,000 Hermės Birkin we see it all. In an average day we field about 10 handbag inquiries to our site or in person. We'd like to share what we think will help you get the most cash for your bag. Selling it online or locally yourself: This is usually...
Did you know that on August 15, 1971 the US government was in full crisis mode? It's true. France's Charles DeGualle was sending boats over to the US to exchange dollars for gold. You see back then other governments could take our dollars and legally exchange them for gold. There were other governments doing this as well but he was the most outspoken about our spending habits.. At the rate...
As one of San Diego's largest gold buyers we end up melting A LOT of gold every month. We are always brainstorming about what we could make with it besides just jewelry. Apparently we aren't alone as here are some crazy things we found that other people have made from gold. 1. 32 year old Datta Phuge from India, thought it would be cool to make this shirt out...
"The Hermés Birkin is predicted to double in value in 10 years" claims the fashion blogs. "It's value has gone up 500% in the last 35 years". Is the Hermés Birkin the best handbag investment out there? We honestly don't know. You do have to be on a VIP list to get one, they are considered the best, and on top all of that-this Himalayan Crocodile model did sell for $379,000...
In January 10 thieves broke into Hermés at the Fashion Valley Mall here in San Diego. The heist netted them over $500,000 in designer handbags and goods. The video of the break-in is amazing to watch. A month later 5 thieves walked into the Chanel store inside Nordstroms, armed with mace in broad daylight. After grabbing several handbags they were able to escape. In March of last year, handbags at...
Years ago I told Paola, my wife, I wanted to start a chain of pawn shops. "Absolutely not" was her reply. She never really told me why but she said it with such certainty that I just kinda agreed and let it go. Fast forward a few years and I find a pawn shop for sale here in San Diego. I drag her along kicking and screaming to go see...
We all know how Marie Antoinette met her fate but what isn't known is her jewels were sent to Belgium by her maid for protection prior to her death. Now 200 years later they are being auctioned off by Sotheby's Geneva in November. She was known for her taste of luxury and diamonds. The preview doesn't disappoint. Take a look... This ruby and diamond brooch is estimated to bring $200,000-$300,000. @Sotheby...
Whenever you change lenses on your DSLR camera you are exposing the sensor to dust in the air. Dust is normal occurrence that comes with shooting a digital camera. We find people are very nervous about trying to clean the sensor themselves so we have uploaded a quick video to our youtube chanel to show how easy it really is. Please note that before cleaning the sensor try removing the...
It's all so confusing. One you weigh, one is for purity, and well, the last one you eat. If you already know the difference you probably work in the jewelry industry. If not stay tuned we'll break it down for you. Carat First used around the 15th century and from the French word carat. Apparently the French stole it from the Italians who called it Carato. They stole it from...
We didn't want to settle for being average and you shouldn't settle for an average pawn shop. Our expertise in luxury goods doesn't stop at Rolex watches and Chanel handbags. We also have a passion for aviation, luxury cars, and all the other finer things in life. Not being your average pawn shop means we understand cash flow issues and the urgency that can create. We can respond quickly...
