Passing by on a Saturday, I had thought pawnbroker S & G Gross had closed, but actually it’s not open on weekends. It even has a web presence and, like the sign says, the outfit was established in 1901.
The three golden balls that signify the pawnbroker was a symbol that developed in Lombardy, a province in Italy, during the medieval period. The “balls” were originally gold coins, according to one line of thought, that were made into spheres on shingles that were hung above pawnbroker shops.
6/3/13