There are 8 million stories in the naked pawnshop.
There’s the bling put up by a beloved Knick before his death; an MTV Award presented to a world famous rapper; a 1976 World Series trophy awarded to a minor cog in the Big Red Machine; and a $45,000 watch put up by the girlfriend of a triple murderer.
Then there’s the wacky: a Russian cosmonaut’s spacesuit, which one Manhattan pawnshop is negotiating to secure.
And the weird: a “paranormal kit” complete with “spirit meter,” rosary beads and holy water left by a ghostbuster wannabe.
“We get everything. We get awards from musicians and actors, heavyweight boxers and former basketball players. We have a few championship football rings,” says Roni Rubinov, 36, owner of New Liberty Pawn Shop on West 47th Street.
Pawnshop proprietors do not kiss and tell, keeping the names of clients confidential — at least until they are no longer in a position to complain.
Former NBA star Anthony Mason, who died exactly a year ago Sunday at age 48, made more than $40 million during his 13-year career, which included a memorable run with the Knicks in the 1990s. But he fell on hard times and had to hock his baubles, including a treasured gold cross, to Rubinov, for $30,000.
“He wasn’t in a position to borrow. He knew he wasn’t going to make the money back,” Rubinov recalled.
A pawn is a four-month loan secured by collateral, with borrowers getting 10 percent to 80 percent of the value of the item they put up. The item is kept in a vault until the term of the loan is up, at which time the client pays the principal and interest (4 percent per month, plus fees) and gets his item back, or pays just the interest to extend the loan.
About 85 percent of people who take out pawn loans pay them off and get their collateral back, experts say. The loans are regulated by the city Department of Consumer Affairs.
When a Wall Street whiz needed $500,000 to pay out bonuses and a pop star needed six figures to finance a small-venue tour, they turned to Baba Blumkin, manager of high-end New York Loan, also on 47th Street.
“The cornerstone of our business is . . . being able to finance a six- and seven-figure loan in a matter of minutes with no personal recourse,” Blumkin said. “We don’t run a credit check. All you need is ID and the collateral.”
Blumkin, 37, cut his teeth working at the company’s flagship Beverly Hills store. He has given loans on everything from World Series rings and Warhols to Grammys and Oscars.
“I personally had the opportunity to loan against [an Oscar for] one of the most iconic films of all time. Pre-1950,” he said. “Six figures plus. I’ve had players who have won multiple Super Bowl rings and pawned them.”
A high-profile employee from the 1998 Yankees hocked his World Series ring in 2013. A Fortune 500 exec put up his Andy Warhol portraits of Cabbage Patch Kids. Both went for tens of thousands of dollars, Blumkin said.
A member of the 1976 Cincinnati Reds traded in a team trophy in 2014.
“Most of our customers are high-net-worth individuals with liquidity issues where they do not want to liquidate property, stock and things of that nature,” Blumkin said.
An MTV Moon Man statue presented to a famous rapper in 1994 now belongs to Blumkin and is worth at least $15,000.
David and Lauren Kaminsky are the father-daughter duo that runs 14 EZ Pawn shops in the city, including one on West 14th Street. One day, a woman showed up with a $45,000 custom-made, diamond-encrusted Breitling watch.
Tarantino was sentenced to three life sentences in April 2013 for orchestrating the murders of three associates — including the brother-in-law of Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider.
David Kaminsky also recalled the quirky sad sack who hocked the briefcase of paranormal items.
“He would pawn it and then take it out when he had a job,” he said. “He did it five or six times.”
As for the spacesuit?
A Brooklyn man claims it is back in Russia, where it was once worn by his dad, Kaminsky said.