Points to "pawnder"

I have driven by this pawn shop at Woodford's corner a zillion times in the last 5 years. While always yearning to stop in and check out the wares, I have never had a reason. Now that I am officially executing operation downsize, I have that reason. With a bit of time on my hands today and with only one kiddo in tow, I collected a few "valuables" and headed to MA Storck Company to see what this pawn process was all about.

Upon entering, I realized that customer service is not at the crux of the pawn business. I waited at least 15 minutes while the owner chatted with his daughter about the woes of caring for twins (it is a small shop, and he is a loud phone talker so I couldn't avoid eavesdropping). When Mr. S finally hung up I asked if he might be interested in buying a circa 1999 Kosta Boda plate. He hemmed and hawed a bit and let me know that he didn't think there was much of a market for these sort of things. "People aren't buying these days" he said. When he asked how much I wanted for it I launched into an entire dissertation about the downsizing challenge as well as the history of the plate. This was a wedding gift that we have never used (evidenced by the original box with price tag for $99 and the gift receipt from Marshall Fields still attached). I explained that it had no value to me and that I was just looking to get rid of it today. I threw the question back at him - "how much are you willing to give me for it today?". We settled on $15. Since he was chatty and willing to cough up cash, I quickly pulled out another item that I had uncovered in the depths of my basement shelves. This was a real beauty - circa 2000 Waterford crystal "Millenium Votive" in its' original packaging. I don't even remember how it came into our possession. Mr. S offered $2 on the spot and led me to the counter to fill out the paper work. Just as I had imagined, I had to show my license and sign on the dotted line. He informed me that he is required to report all items that he acquires to the police and that they have to remain in his possession for 10 days. This was real deal pawnshop hawking - talk about living on the edge!

With $17 in my hand and having shed 2 items, I have completed the challenge for another day. The entire experience left me with some points to ponder. For one, why did I hold on to these items for 10 + years even though they sat idle on my shelves day after day? In fact, they held enough importance to make the move from Milwaukee to Portland more than 5 years ago. Here is what I think...somewhere deep inside I felt the need to keep them because of their supposed value. The price tag read $99 - didn't that mean it was worth $99 or more? Perhaps I was mesmerized by the "Waterford" label or the media-created importance of the year 2000. Wouldn't that equal some big payoff if I kept the votive around long enough? As it turns out, they are only worth what someone else is willing to pay for them at any given time. Today, that was $17.

As Mr. S and I haggled (ok, that might be a stretch) he gave me a bit of insight into the world of collectors. He claims that they are a dying breed. Apparently the younger generation ( a bit younger than me he pointed out) doesn't care about collectibles. They just buy a bunch of stuff and throw it away when they are done with it. And so, as the elderly pass away, the collections they have accrued will be of no value because there will be no buyers. I don't know which is sadder, the gross over-consumption by the young or the inflated value placed on trinkets by the old.

What I do know is that I am $17 fatter and 2 items lighter thanks to Mr. S.