Things You Didn’t Know You Could Pawn

It’s virtually always possible to pawn these types of items:

Jewelry, watches, and anything made from precious metals

This is probably the most popular class of items for people to pawn. Pawn shops generally want:

• Fine jewelry: This means anything made from precious metals and/or gemstones (such as diamonds, rubies, or emeralds).
• Expensive watches: Pawn shops are always looking for watches from well-known brands, including Rolex, Omega, and Tag Heuer. Watches made of precious metals, like gold and platinum, will be worth even more, as will vintage and antique watches.

In addition to jewelry, anything else made of gold, silver, or platinum has pawn value. Examples include cutlery, old silver tea sets or candlesticks, or bullion (gold, silver, and platinum bars or coins intended for investment purposes).

High-end fashion items

Items from designers like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Chanel are always in demand. You can pawn many different designer items, including clothes, handbags, purses, and shoes.

Musical instruments

You can pawn any type of musical instrument. Common pawnable instruments include:

• Pianos and keyboards
• Guitars
• Violins
• Cellos
• Flutes
• Brass instruments (e.g., trumpets)

Antiques and vintage items

An antique is generally defined as anything over 100 years old, whereas vintage items are over 20 years old.

Antiques (especially antique furniture pieces) are valuable, and pawn shops usually accept them. Many pawn shops also accept vintage postcards, old signs, radios, record players, and clothing.

Cameras and other photography gear

Pawnbrokers like expensive photography gear, such as:

• Cameras
• Lenses
• Specialized filters
• Tripods
• Other accessories

Popular artwork

You can pawn works by popular artists, including paintings, prints, sculptures, ceramics, and pottery.

Furniture and home decor

As well as antique furniture, you can pawn items made by popular designers or made from rare or exotic woods (e.g., ebony). You can also pawn expensive home decor items like mirrors, clocks, and ornaments.

High-end electronics

You can pawn all types of gadgets, including:

• Smartphones
• Tablets
• Laptops
• TVs
• Computers
• Video game consoles

China and porcelain

High-quality china and porcelain pieces also have pawn value. As you’d expect, the older the pieces, the more they’ll be worth to a pawnbroker.

Fine wines

Pawn shops generally don’t accept consumables, but fine wines are the exception. Some wines retain or increase their value over time, and pawnshops will be particularly interested in famous names like Margaux, Penfolds Grange, and Rothschild.

Collectibles are rare items that are sought out by collectors. They tend to be worth much more than their original purchase price (e.g., a rare comic book that originally cost $0.75 in 1985 might be worth hundreds of dollars now). Because they have high resale value, pawn shops are usually interested in them.

What makes something a collectible?

For almost any class of item you can think of, there’ll be at least a few people out there who are interested in collecting it. The main thing that unites collectors is that they prefer items that are hard to find.

This means that valuable collectibles often share the following traits:

• Age: The older an item it is, the rarer it’s likely to be. For example, first edition copies of popular books are often worth a lot of money to collectors.
• Unusual features: Similarly, if there’s something unique about an item, that can make collectors more interested in it. If a book’s initial print run contained a prominent misprint, that can significantly increase its value.

Types of items that are often collectible

If you have a lot of old stuff lying around—even if it looks unimpressive—it’s worth taking the time to sort through it. Pay particular attention to the following items, which are often sought by collectors:

• Coins
• Rare dollar bills / banknotes
• Stamps
• Figurines/toys
• Comic books
• Trading cards
• Sports memorabilia
• Music memorabilia
• Autographs (or autographed items)
• Historical memorabilia
• Fossils

If you have something that you suspect might be worth money, consider getting it appraised to learn its true value (hiring an appraiser will cost you, but you can get an informal appraisal or valuation for free online).

If you discover that you’ve been sitting on a collectible, you’ll probably be able to get a decent chunk of change for it at a pawn shop. Make sure to bring along some sort of documentation (even if it’s just a website confirming that the item is what you say it is).

If it turns out you aren’t sitting on any collectibles, here are eight more items that not everyone knows you can pawn:

Cars and motorcycles

Pawning a vehicle usually involves a process similar to getting an auto title loan. The vehicle’s auto title is used as collateral.

You’ll need to provide the auto title to your vehicle (listing you as the owner) to pawn it. You may also need to provide proof of your income.

Be aware that only vehicles with lien-free titles can be pawned. You can’t pawn your car if there are outstanding loans or financial obligations tied to it.

Kitchen appliances and cookware

Your kitchen probably has items you can pawn, such as:

• Appliances: This includes toasters, blenders, refrigerators, pressure cookers, and coffee makers.
• Cookware: You can also sometimes pawn pans, pots, baking equipment, and other similar items.

You probably won’t be able to get very much money for these items (unless you have a particularly high-end appliance), but many pawn shops will still take them.

Other household appliances

Other household appliances you can pawn include:

• Fans
• Air conditioners
• Heaters
• Vacuum cleaners
• Washing machines
• Dryers

Power tools

Surprisingly, power tools are among the easiest items to pawn. That’s because tools are very expensive to buy new, and most used tools still have plenty of life left in them.

You can pawn tools like:

• Drills
• Nail guns
• Air compressors
• Routers (rotary cutting tools)
• Chainsaws
• Circular saws
• Welding equipment

If your tools are from a popular brand name like Milwaukee, DeWalt, or Bosch, they’re likely to fetch a higher price.

Landscaping equipment

Like power tools, landscaping equipment is often expensive and makes for a popular second-hand purchase. If you have a garden, you may have valuable equipment for landscaping, such as:

• Lawnmowers
• Leaf blowers
• Weed whackers
• Pressure washers
• Sprinklers
• Mulchers or chippers

Hobby and leisure items

If you have an expensive hobby (or even an inexpensive one), your equipment may be worth something. Examples of hobby and leisure items you can pawn include:

• Sporting goods: Bikes, golf clubs, fishing rods, and watersports equipment are very popular second-hand purchases.
• Workout equipment: You can also pawn treadmills, training bikes, elliptical trainers, home gyms, dumbbells, and other fitness equipment.
• Hunting gear: This might include hunting rifles, ammunition, bows, crossbows, gun cases, or gun safes.
• Camping gear: Tents, sleeping bags, outdoor cooking gear, and other pieces of camping paraphernalia are often pawnable.
• Vinyl records: These have value both as vintage items (collectibles) and for practical use by people who still prefer records.
• CDs and DVDs: Some pawn shops will accept these, although their value has decreased over the years due to the rise of digital media and streaming services.
• Books: Pawn shops don’t always accept books. They’re more likely to do so for widely known titles, comics and magazines (which, as mentioned, are often collectible), or college textbooks (which can be very expensive). Rare books and old editions are more likely to be worth something at a pawn shop.
• Board games: Not all pawn shops accept these, but some do. Very old board games are more likely to have value (as long as they’re in good condition).

Items for pets and babies

If you have babies or animals, you may be able to pawn the following items:

• Pet supplies: Pawn shops sometimes accept cages, aquariums or fish tanks, pet carriers, and high-end pet beds. They might also accept collars and leashes, although this is less likely.
• Baby gear and equipment: You can pawn kids’ car seats, cribs, strollers, playpens, and other items for babies or young children.

Weaponry

Certain pawn shops accept firearms and other weaponry as collateral.

You can potentially pawn:

• Handguns
• Rifles (including sporting rifles for hunting or target shooting)
• Shotguns
• Knives and swords
• Bows and crossbows

However, pawn regulations regarding weapons vary depending on local laws and the respective shop’s policies. Only pawnshops with the necessary licenses can accept weapons, and you might have to provide proof of ownership or other documentation.

You should never try to pawn items that are:

• Stolen
• Illegal (e.g., drugs or prohibited weapons)
• Counterfeit (e.g., fake designer clothes, replica watches or jewelry, etc)
• Hazardous or dangerous (e.g., asbestos, explosives, or fireworks)
• In poor condition
• Alive (pets or other animals)

It’s particularly important to watch out for counterfeit items when you’re trying to pawn designer goods. Even if you weren’t aware that an item was counterfeit or a replica, you could still get into legal trouble for it.

In many cases, a pawn shop loan isn’t a great way to get quick cash. The interest rate on pawn shop loans is typically very high—in many cases, up to 10 to 30 times higher than on traditional loans.

What’s more, you won’t get full value for your items at a pawn shop. They’ll usually offer you a percentage of an item’s estimated resale value. Typically, this will be around 20% to 60%.

Alternatives to consider if you want to sell unused items for quick cash

If you want to sell your items instead of pawning them for a short-term loan, there are many other avenues you can try:

• Specialty stores: Your first stop should be stores that specialize in the type of item you want to sell. For instance, your local music store may be interested in your old guitar or violin. Record and music stores may want your old vinyl records, and so on.
• Online marketplaces: You can sell used items on Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and Craigslist. The advantage of using these sites is that you can promote your item to a large audience of buyers around the country or even the world. The disadvantage is that you’ll usually have to pay a commission on the items that you sell, but you’ll still get more than you would at a pawn shop.
• Flea markets: These are places where many different vendors gather to sell all kinds of secondhand items, collectibles, antiques, handmade crafts, and more. You usually have to pay a rental fee for the booth or stall you use, so this is only a good option if you have a lot of items to sell (or if you can team up with other people who also want to sell something).
• Garage sales or yard sales: This is a type of sale you can hold on your own property—the advantage being that you don’t have to pay anything to rent the space or pay a commission on items you sell.
• Selling to family and friends: This is by far your simplest option. You can always use social media or word of mouth to find out if anyone you know wants to buy your stuff.

If you look over the options above and decide to pawn your item after all, that’s okay. Just be aware that it can be risky (and expensive). You can do it as a fallback option, but it’s not something to make a habit of or turn into a regular side hustle.