Licensed pawnbroker in Springfield, Illinois

Cash in your hand
in fifteen minutes.

Bring in gold, diamonds, a watch, a guitar or a toolbox. We appraise it in front of you, quote a number you can walk away from, and hold your item safe until you buy it back.

Estimate my loan How pawning works
  • No credit check
  • Free appraisal
  • Open six days a week
Appraiser at the counter working out a valuation Counting out a cash loan payout
31,400+ loans written since 1994

Family-run on Maplewood Lane

A pawn shop that treats
your item like it's yours

Most people who walk through our door have never pawned anything before. So we slow down. We tell you what your piece is, what it weighs, what the metal is worth today, and what we can lend on it — before you commit to anything.

Your loan runs for 30 days with a 30-day grace period, and everything we hold sits in a UL-rated safe under camera. Miss a date? Call us. We would rather extend than sell.

“We have never once put a customer's item on the shelf without calling them first. That is the whole business.”

More about the shop

Four counters, one desk

What we can do for you today

See everything we do

First time pawning something?

Four steps, about fifteen minutes

Nothing here is a surprise, and you can stop at any point. Walking out with your item and no loan costs you nothing.

  1. 1

    Bring the item and a photo ID

    Driver's licence, state ID or passport. The law requires us to record it on every transaction — that protects you as much as us.

  2. 2

    We appraise it in front of you

    Metal tested, stones graded, serials checked, watch movement opened. You see the scale and the screen. Takes five to ten minutes.

  3. 3

    Take the cash and your ticket

    Two numbers on the ticket matter: what you got, and what you pay to get the item back. Both are printed before you sign anything.

  4. 4

    Come back within 30 + 30 days

    Pay the ticket and your item comes straight out of the vault. Need longer? Pay the finance charge and we write a fresh 30 days.

Every item is logged with its description, serial number and your ID, reported to the local police department, and held a minimum of 30 days before it can be resold. It is why stolen goods do not end up here — and why your pledge stays traceable and protected.

Who is behind the counter

Three generations of
the same family

Ray Okonkwo opened SWP with one display case and a jeweller's loupe. His daughter Ada runs valuations now, and she still uses his loupe. Between them the counter has seen a Civil War sabre, a Stradivarius copy that fooled two auction houses, and about forty thousand wedding bands.

Every appraiser here is trained to GIA diamond-grading standard and re-tested annually. If we cannot authenticate something, we say so instead of lowballing you.

4.8 average from 612 Google reviews

Ada Okonkwo

Head appraiser & owner

The team behind the shop counter
1994 Same corner, same family

Gold is near a record high. Your old chain is worth more than you think.

Bring in any broken, single or unwanted gold this month and we will pay 5% over our posted scrap rate — tangled chains, odd earrings and dental gold included.

Get today's gold price

Why people drive past two other shops

Straight numbers, written
down before you decide

You will get a printed ticket showing the item description, the loan amount, the monthly finance charge, the redemption total and both key dates. Nothing is verbal. Nothing changes after you sign.

State law caps what a pawnbroker can charge, and we publish our rate on the wall and on this page. If another shop will not tell you the redemption total up front, that is your answer.

Licensed & bonded

State pawnbroker licence IL-PB-4471, surety bonded and audited yearly.

Insured in our vault

Every pledged item is photographed, tagged and covered to full appraised value.

Appraiser showing a customer a gold chain Pre-owned luxury watches in the display case Staff member logging an item into the vault system

Before you load the car

What we lend on

If it holds value and fits in the vault, we will look at it. Not sure? Send a photo and we will tell you in a sentence.

Gold & silver

Any karat, broken or single pieces welcome

Diamonds

0.3ct and up, certified pays more

Fine jewellery

Rings, chains, bangles, estate pieces

Watches

Swiss automatics, box and papers ideal

Power tools

Cordless sets, welders, compressors

Instruments

Guitars, amps, brass, DJ gear

Cameras & lenses

Digital, film and glass in any mount

Designer bags

Authenticated in-house, dust bag helps

What we do not take: firearms, car titles, televisions, printers, anything still locked to an account or finance agreement, and any item without a matching photo ID.

Gold jewellery laid out for weighing Cash being handed across the counter

Typical loan range

What we will lend on it

Real figures from our ticket book last quarter. Your offer depends on weight, condition, papers and the day's metal price — but this is the neighbourhood.

  • 14k gold chain per gram, scrap $38
  • Diamond solitaire, 1ct certified, VS clarity $1,450
  • Swiss automatic watch with box and papers $900
  • Cordless tool set 18v, charger included $120
  • Electric guitar known brand, playable $260
  • Laptop, 3 years old wiped and charging $180
30 days Loan term
+30 days Grace period
No Credit check
Send photos for a quote

The decision everyone stalls on

Pawn it, or sell it?

There is no wrong answer — it comes down to whether you want the item back. Here is how we would explain it across the counter.

Pawn it

You want the item back

A short loan against the item. We hold it, you hold the ticket.

  • Item returns to you when the ticket is paid
  • 30-day term plus a 30-day grace period
  • Renew as many times as you need
  • Walk away any time — no debt, no credit mark

Typically 40–65% of resale value

Sell it

You are done with it

One transaction, more money, no ticket to keep track of.

  • Paid more — we carry no storage or risk
  • Nothing to remember, nothing to renew
  • Best route for scrap gold and broken pieces
  • Paid in cash or same-day bank transfer

Typically 20–35% more than the loan offer

Undecided at the counter? Pawn it. You can always come back and turn the ticket into a sale — you cannot undo a sale.

From the ticket book

What customers tell us

Every one of these is from somebody who walked out of the shop with cash and came back for their item.

My furnace died in February and the repair guy wanted the money that day. I brought in my mother's bracelet expecting to be talked down. Ada weighed it in front of me, showed me the gold price on her screen, and offered more than I asked for. I paid it back in five weeks and got the bracelet back in the same little box.
Marisol Vega Springfield, IL
I sold a box of my late father's watches here after two other shops offered me a flat price for the lot without opening a single case back. These people opened every one, told me which two were worth real money, and suggested I keep one rather than sell it. I did keep it. I still wear it.
Dominic Boateng Chatham, IL
Pawned a guitar and an amp to cover a deposit and honestly expected to lose them. They texted me twice before the ticket lapsed and let me pay the finance charge over the phone. Picked both up six weeks later with the strings I had put on still there.
Kayla Brennan Rochester, IL
I bought my wife's engagement ring off their floor for about half what the mall jeweller wanted for a smaller stone. It came with the grading paperwork and a 90-day warranty, and they resized it in-house at no charge. Four years on it still looks the day I bought it.
Tomas Iversen Springfield, IL
They turned me away once — told me the "gold" chain my ex gave me was plated and not worth a loan, and that I should not let anyone tell me otherwise. They could have offered me twenty dollars and I would not have known. That is why I came back with the real stuff.
Priya Ramnarine Sherman, IL
Straightest counter in the county. I have pawned the same set of Snap-on sockets four times over two years to smooth out slow months, and the number has never once moved on me. They know my name and they know the tools.
Wes Halloran Auburn, IL
IL-PB-4471 State licensed
Fully bonded Surety & insured
GIA trained Diamond grading
NPA member Since 1998

Redeemed, tested, ready to go

On the floor this week

Unredeemed pieces priced well under retail. Every item carries a 90-day warranty and 20% layaway is always available.

Steel dive watch, serviced

$1,240

18k pendant necklace

$680

Gold bands, matched pair

$410

Vintage film camera

$185

The SWP display case seen from the shop floor

Rough numbers, no details needed

Work out your loan
before you drive over

Pick what you have got and drag to what you think it would sell for second-hand. We will show the loan range we would normally write, and what it costs to redeem after one month.

This is a guide built from our own ticket book, not an offer. The real number comes from the item in front of us — condition, papers and the day's metal price all move it.

$50 $10,000
Likely loan —
To redeem after 30 days —

Assumes a 3% monthly finance charge plus a $5 storage fee — the maximum state law permits on a loan this size.

Get a real number

Before you come in

The questions we get every day

If yours is not here, call us. Nobody at this shop works on commission, so there is no reason for us to be vague on the phone.

Call +1 (000) 555-555
What do I need to bring?

A government photo ID and the item itself. If it is electronic, bring the charger and remove any lock or account, or we cannot lend on it. Boxes, papers and receipts raise the offer on watches and jewellery.

Does pawning hurt my credit?

No. We do not run a credit check and we do not report to any bureau. If you never come back, the item covers the loan and that is the end of it — no debt, no collection call.

How much will I get?

Usually 40–65% of what we could realistically resell it for, and more if it is precious metal. Selling outright pays more than pawning, because we take on no storage or risk.

What if I cannot pay on the due date?

Pay the finance charge and we will write a new 30-day ticket. You can do that as many times as you need. We also call and text before a ticket lapses — we do not want your item, we want the loan repaid.

Can someone else redeem my ticket?

Only if they are named on it. Tell us at the counter and we will add a second name with their ID — safer than handing the ticket to a friend and hoping.

Do you take firearms or car titles?

No. We do not deal in weapons and we do not do title loans. Jewellery, watches, precious metals, tools, instruments, cameras and electronics only.

No obligation, no hard sell

Send a photo, get a range
before you leave the house

Text or email a clear picture and any hallmark or serial number. We will reply with a realistic loan and buy range, usually within the hour during shop times.

  • Same-day payout in cash or bank transfer
  • Free appraisal whether you deal or not
  • Walk out in 15 minutes with your ticket

    We reply by text unless you ask otherwise. We never share your details.

    Find the shop

    On Maplewood Lane,
    two doors from the corner

    • 123 Maplewood Lane, Apartment 4B Springfield, IL 62704, USA
    • Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00 · Sat 09:00–16:00 Closed Sunday. Appraisals stop 30 minutes before close.
    • +1 (000) 555-555 Call or text a photo — same number
    • contact@example.com Replies within one working day

    Free parking behind the building off Ash Street, step-free entrance, and the counter is on the ground floor. Carrying something heavy? Call ahead and we will meet you at the door.

    Get directions Call the shop

    From the counter

    Notes from
    the shop

    Short, practical posts about what things are actually worth and how to avoid getting a bad deal — here or anywhere else.

    All posts
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