Sunday, May 4, 2008
hanging balls
The universal symbol of pawnbroking is three gold balls and is one of the most recognized in the world. The Medici families in Italy along with the Lombards in England were moneylenders in Europe. Lengend has it that one of the Medicis in the employ of Emperor Charles the Great fought a giant and slew him with three sacks of rocks. The three balls or globes later became part of their family crest, and ultimately, the sign of pawnbroking.
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1 comment:
run, don't walk
go see this beautiful, incongruous construction
floating above the west side highway, anchored to a fading reminder of nyc
as it once was
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