Dead scorpions & gold teeth to firearms and guitars - what do people bring to pawn shops?

CHILLICOTHE — From jewelry to tool sets pawn shops see a variety of products come through their doors to be pawned.

Buckeye Gold in Chillicothe is no exception.

Store Manager Justin Holbert and other workers often see a variety of objects come into the store for sale or pawn. The most popular item usually falls within the jewelry category, Holbert said a "vast majority" of people bring in gold jewelry and coins to sell. Other popular items include firearms, guitars and tools. While televisions were once a popular item to pawn they have seen a decrease in them in recent years.

When neat objects come in workers have to judge not only if the item is valuable but if it will sell easily based on what their customers want. There have been times when the store has turned people away due to items either being not valuable or likely unable to sell. While they do this to keep a fresh stock there are times when an object just won't sell, like an exhaust system that has been in the store since May of 2019.

Sometimes a seller will walk in with unique items such as Chillicothe memorabilia, vintage toys, and World War II items that pique the interest of Holbert who said he enjoys learning about the history of each piece.

Other times people will come in with items Holbert and others never expected to see like signed photos of the Golden Girls, taxidermied foxes, dead scorpions and tarantulas, a three-foot-tall Gremlin statue, plain rocks and even gold teeth with the tooth still in them.

Buckeye Gold Pawn & Loan is located at 750 Western Avenue in Chillicothe.

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Dead scorpions & gold teeth to firearms and guitars - what do people bring to pawn shops?