Pawnbrokers find the goods that cross their counters a reflection of the times. In 1932 business was rotten: the U.S. had run out of things to hock. Now pawnshopslike the nationare on a queer, priority-ridden, psychologically insecure spree. Despite typewriter freezing (which has stopped loans on a pawnshop specialty), despite the fact that no workman today would think of hocking his irreplaceable micrometers, calipers and toolbox, most U.S. pawnshops are in the money.
> Skittish civilians are sweeping hock-shop shelves clean of shotguns, rifles, pistols, revolvers.
> With more Americans working than...
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