The universal symbol of pawnbroking is three balls and is one of the most easily recognized in the world.
The Medici family in Italy along with the Lombards in England were money lenders in Europe.
Legend 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.