Originally Posted by bettis1

I'm not sure just who first attached the term "Pawn Shop" engraving to this style (I believe that our mentor, Ed C., is the first that I heard use it so until told otherwise, he gets the honor.) That is a pretty good term because it immediately denotes a little declasse version of a common item. Additionally, and most importantly, the originator of the style was actually...wait for it now...a pawn shop!

Rather than just grossly applying SP's tag of "ugly", I might describe the style as kitsch. There is no question that when compared with the classic engraving styles of Gustave Young, the Ulrich family, Cuno Helfricht, etc. this style is aesthetically deficient. If this was a "one off" example it could be dismissed as an abuse of a gun. On the other hand, the fact that it is represented multiple times, I think that the style can be called an excellent example of a truly American art form. In the art world, it would be like comparing the primitive style of Grandma Moses to one of the classic old world artists.

What is interesting is to try to determine just how and why it evolved as a "style". We are pretty comfortable in saying at this point that Wolf and Klar, a large jewelry store/pawn shop in Fort Worth was the most prolific supplier of this style. W&K marketed their wares specifically to prominent folks in the southwest such as lawmen, oilmen, and cattlemen. These folks were, almost as a group, type A personalities. They were gregarious, ostentatious and "in your face" with their personalities and lifestyles. Many times their economic condition was a real roller coaster ride. When they came into a gusher or sold a herd or pinned on a badge, they often wanted to get some indication of their new found stature. Because of the distance and time between the market center of Fort Worth and the social center of the east coast, having the Factory produce a classically engraved gun was out of the question. They walked into W&K, laid some cash on the counter, and walked out with a shiny new toy. What we now call instant gratification.

What say you all?

Bob