NATIONAL PAWNBROKERS DAY
Each year on December 6th, National Pawnbrokers Day pays tribute to a profession that provides a valuable service to their clientele. Those who are in need of cash funds and also those looking for a reasonably good deal seek the services of pawnbrokers.
#NationalPawnbrokersDay
The word pawn is derived from the Latin word pignus, meaning pledge.
The history of pawnbroking begins thousands of years ago in the west in Ancient Greek and Roman Empires and in the East over 3000 years ago in China. The pawnbroker offers a loan of cash in exchange for property or goods as security. When the loan plus interest is repaid, the pawnbroker returns the property. However, if the clients don’t repay the loan, they forfeit the property and the pawnbroker may sell it to recover the loan.
Governments and churches even became involved in public pawnshops, though no one ever established this type of brokerage in the United States.
Five years ago, the National Pawnbrokers Association began a wonderful program on National Pawnbrokers Day called Musical Instrument Gift Day. Pawnbrokers across the country make generous donations of musical instruments to organizations in need. December 6, 2012, they worked with the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation and collected instruments for a high school in Mississippi.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL PAWNBROKERS DAY
Learn more about the history of pawnbrokers. Shop at a pawnbroker business. Consider a donation to Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation to support instruments on behalf of the National Pawnbrokers Association.
Read The Pawnbroker by Edward Lewis Walland or A History of Pawnbroking Past and Present by William A. H. Hows.
Use #NationalPawnbrokersDay to post on social media.
NATIONAL PAWNBROKERS DAY HISTORY
This National Day is celebrated on International St. Nicolas Day, the patron saint of pawnbroking.
December 6th Celebrated (And Not So Celebrated) History
1830
The U.S. Naval Observatory is established as the Depot of Charts and Instruments in the Potomac River’s foggy bottoms in Washington, D.C.
1865
The states ratify the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery. Georgia was the 27th state to ratify the amendment bringing the 3/4ths majority necessary for ratification.
1877
Thomas Edison records his voice by reciting, “Mary had a little lamb,” to test his invention of the phonograph.
1877
Founded by Stilson Hutchins, The Washington Post published its first issue.
1964
NBC airs the stop-motion animation Christmas special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
1997
The romantic comedy As Good As It Gets premieres in Westwood, CA. Starring Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, and Greg Kinnear, the film is directed by James L. Brooks. The film would win Academy Awards for both Best Actor and Actress in Leading Roles.
December 6th Celebrated (And Not So Celebrated) Birthdays
Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin – 1805
The French clockmaker and magician created a magical theater in the mid-1800s and served as an inspiration for Harry Houdini.
Libbie Hyman – 1888
Throughout her career as a zoologist, Hyman published six volumes of reference texts titled The Invertebrates.
Jesse B. Blayton – 1897
In 1949, Blayton purchased the Atlanta radio station WERD becoming the first Black radio station owner and operator in the United States.
Irv Robbins – 1917
Together with his brother-in-law Burt Baskins, Robbins co-founded an ice cream parlor known as Baskins-Robbins.
Craig Newmark – 1952
In 1995, the internet entrepreneur founded the classified website Craigslist.
