a
reference to the
symbol of three golden balls that has been used for hundreds of years to designate a
pawnbroker's
shop. Dating back to the
Middle Ages, this
symbol was used on the coat of arms of the Medici family, the richest merchants and moneylenders in Florence,
Italy. A coat of arms is a
shield or drawing of a
shield that bears designs that are symbolic representations of the
history of a family, especially as used by European nobility. The three golden balls adorning the Medici coat of arms is said to have originated with an ancestor who
slew a giant with a weapon made of three golden balls. When the family went into the
business of
money lending, this
symbol became the
symbol for their
trade.