當舖的發展歷史已逾千年之久，儘管時代劇變，仍歷久不衰， 可見社會對於當舖的需求性必有其市場。然而在眾多金融借貸管道 系統中，當舖較為不透明，故多數民眾對於當舖的想像仍停留於過 去的負面標籤、刻板印象，致使當舖一直難以跳脫過往框架。
過去文獻所提「因物稱信」一說作為所有典當交易的最後決定， 筆者持有疑慮，物品乃身為動產，其本身所具之價值有其一定漲跌 之風險，故本研究將採用當舖業者對於持當人的收當判斷探究典當 交易過程中「因信合議」的可能性，並透過個案訪談兩位典當業者， 以訪談內容作為驗證本研究之佐證。
其研究結果顯示，抵押物品本身價值對於當舖是否願意與持當 人進行第一次收當交易確佔其主要判斷因素，但對於業者來說，持 當人的確有可能因為多次的典當行為及長期情感配合的信任關係 之下，使得業者願意借貸高於抵押品的金額。
The origin of pawnshop can be traced back to thousands of years ago. It has stood the test of time, amazingly unfazed by all the social changes seen in human history. On that account, it is clear that pawning service has always been in demand. However, to this day, the pawn industry still struggles to get rid of the negative stereotype and impression resulted from its low transaction transparency when compared to that of the financial institutions.
According to previous studies, the value of the collaterals is considered to be the decisive factor for making pawn deals. Yet, given the fact that collaterals are mostly movable properties, subject to the risk of changes in value, the present study aimed to probe the possibility of pawn deals made based primarily on trust. Research interviews with two pawnbrokers were conducted to find out whether trust determines pawnbrokers’ willingness to make transactions.
The results indicated that the value of the collaterals is the determining factor when making transactions with first-time customers. Nonetheless, it is also suggested that pawnbrokers are more likely to offer loans worth more than the value of the collaterals to frequent customers out of trust.
