University of Virginia Library

This love epistle containing the wedding-ring was
most successful when it first came up, but the public
now are too wide awake. According to another in-
formant, the ring-dropping "lurk" is now carried
on this way, for the old style is "coopered."
"A woman" he says, "is made up so as to
appear in the family-way — pretty far gone — and
generally with a face as long as a boy's kite.
Up she goes to any likely ken, where she knows
there are women that are married or expect
to get married, and commences begging. Then
comes the tale of woe, if she can get them to

[Description: 915EAF. Page 352.]

listen — `I'm in the family-way', she says, `as
you can plainly see young ladies (this she says
to the servants, and that prides them you know).
My husband has left me after serving me in this
way. I don't know where he is, and am forced to
solicit the ladies' charity.' Well, the servants will
bring broken victuals and make a little collection
among themselves for the `unprotected female;'
for which in return, with many thanks for their
kindness, she offers her gold wedding-ring for
sale, as she wants to get back to her suffering
kids to give them something to eat, poor things,
and they shall have the gold ring, she says, for
half what it's worth; or if they won't buy
it, will they lend 2s. or 3s. on it till she can
redeem it, as she hasn't been in the habit of
pledging! The girls are taken off their guard
(she not being in the habit of pledging is a
choker for them) by the woman's seeming sim-
plicity, and there's a consultation. One says to
the other — `Oh, you'll want it, Mary, for John;'
and another, `No, you'll want it first, Sally, for
William.' But the woman has her eye on the one
as says the least, as the likeliest of all to want it,
and so she says to the John and William girls,
`Oh, you don't want it; but here (touching the
silent one), here's a young lady as does,' (that
sweetens the servant girl up directly.) She
says, `I don't want it, bless you (with a giggle),
but I'll lend you a trifle, as you are in this state,
and have a family, and are left like this by your
husband — aint he cruel, Sally (she adds to her fel-
low-servant)?' The money the ring-woman gets, sir,
depends upon the servant's funds; if it is just after
quarter-day, she generally gets a tidy tip — if not,
4 or 5 bob. I've known one woman get 10s. and
even 12s. this way. The ring is made out of brass
gilt buttons, and stunning well: it's faked up to
rights, and takes a good judge even at this day to
detect it without a test."

"The best sort of rings for fawney dropping is
the Belchers. They are a good thick looking
ring, and have the crown and V. R. stamped
upon them. They are 7d. a dozen. I takes my
stand now, in my ring-selling, as if I was in a
great hurry, and pulls out my watch. I used to
have a real one, but now it's a dummy. `Now,
ladies and gentlemen,' says I, `I am not permitted
to remain more than ten minutes in one spot. I
have rings to sell to decide a wager recently
made between two sporting noblemen, to the effect
that I do not sell a certain quantity of these rings
in a given time, at a penny a piece. I can recom-
mend the article as being well worth the money I
ask for it, perhaps something more. I do not say
they are gold; in fact, I must not say too much,
as there is a person in this company watching my
proceedings, and seeing that I do not remain more
than ten minutes in this spot,' — here I always
looks very hard at the most respectable and gen-
tlemanly-looking person among my hearers, and
sometimes gives him a wink, and sometimes a
nod, — `but if you should hear anything more
about these rings, and you want to purchase,
don't be vexed if I am gone when you want me.
The ten minutes has nearly expired; three minutes
more; any more buyers? It makes no difference
to me whether I sell or not — I get my pay all the
same; but, if you take my advice, but; and per-
haps if you was to call at the sign of the Three
Balls, as you go home, you may be agreeably sur-
prised, and hear something to your advantage.
Perhaps I have said too much. I have one minute
more, before I close the establishment. After
shutting the box, I dare not sell another in this
spot, if you were to offer me 5l. for it; therefore,
if you wish to purchase, now is your time.' I
make many a pitch, and do not sell a single ring;
and the insults I receive used to aggravate me very
much, but I do not mind them now, I'm used
to it. The flyest cove among all us ring-sellers is
little Ikey, the Jew. There were two used to
work the game. They had a real gold ring, just
like the ones they were selling, and they always
used to pitch near a pawnbroker's shop. Ikey's
pal would buy a ring for a penny, of the street-
seller, and would then say, loud enough to be heard
by the bystanders, `There's a pawn shop — I'll go
and ask them to take it in.' A crowd would
follow him. He would enter the pawnbroker's —
present a real gold ring — obtain a loan of 5s., and
would present the ticket to the bystanders, who
would then buy very fast. When the pitch was
over, Ikey's pal would take the ring out of pawn,
and away the two would go to work near some other
pawnbroker's. I have heard Ikey say they have
pawned the ring thirty-five times in a day. I
tried the same caper; but my pal cut with the
gold ring the first day, and I've never had another
go at that fake since.

"Before I commenced the jewellery line," con-
tinued my candid informant, "a good many years
ago, I used to hold horses about Bond-street.
Afterwards I was taken as an errand boy at
a druggist's, was out of an errand one day and
got 6d. for holding a gentleman's horse, which
kept me nearly an hour; when I went back to
my master's I was told I wasn't wanted any
more. I had been cautioned about stopping of
errands two or three times before; however I
didn't like the situation, it was too confining. I
next got a place as pot-boy, in Brick Lane. Here
I was out one day gathering in the pots. I hung
the strap of pots to a railing to have a game at
chances (pitch and toss), somebody prigged my
strap of pots, and I cut. A few weeks after I
was grabbed for this, and got a month at the mill;
but I was quite innocent of prigging — I was only
careless. When I came out of prison, I went
to Epsom races, thinking to get a job there at
something or other. A man engaged me to
assist him in `pitching the hunters.' Pitching
the hunters is the three sticks a penny, with
the snuffboxes stuck upon sticks; if you throw
your stick, and they fall out of the hole, you
are entitled to what you knock off. I came
to London with my master the pitcher-hunter,
he went to a swag shop in Kent-street, in the
Borough, to purchase a new stock. I saw a man
there purchasing rings, this was little Ikey, the
Jew; some days afterwards I saw him making
a pitch, and selling very fast. I had fourpence

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in my pocket; went to Kent-street, to the swag
shops, bought a dozen rings, and commenced sell-
ing them. I sold that day three dozen; that
wasn't bad considering that my toggery was very
queer, and I looked anything but like one who
would be trusted with ten pounds' worth of gold
rings. This wager between the two sporting
noblemen has been a long time settling. I've
been at it more than fifteen years. The origin of
it was this here: when sovereigns were first
coined, the Jew boys and others used to sell
medals and card-counters upon particular occasions,
the same as they do now, and shove them in a
saucepan lid, with silver paper under them. Cap-
tain Barclay, and another of the same sort,
bet a wager, that one of these Jew-boys could
not dispose of a certain number of real sovereigns
in a given time, supposing the Jew-boy cried
out nothing more than `here's sovereigns, only
a penny a piece.' The number he was to sell
was 50 within the hour, and to take his station
at London Bridge. The wager was made, the
Jew-boy procured, and the sovereigns put into
the pot lid. `Here are real sovereigns a penny
a piece, who'll buy?' he cried; but he sold
only a few. The number disposed of, within
the hour, I have heard, was seventeen. Those
who purchased, when they found that they had
really bought sovereigns at a penny a piece, re-
turned for more, but the salesman was gone. A
good harvest was afterwards reaped among the
Jews, who got up a medal something like a so-
vereign, and sold them in every quarter of London,
for the Captain's wager soon spread about every-
where. It's a stale game now; it was so before
my time, but I've heard the Jews talk about
it. The second day I tried the ring dodge, I
was a little more successful; indeed every day
for some time exceeded the day before, for, as I
improved in patter, my sales increased. My ap-
pearance, too, was improving. At one time I was
a regular swell, sported white kid gloves, white
choker, white waistcoat, black ribbon, and a
quizzing glass. Some people used to chaff me,
and cry out `there's a swell.' I never was saving,
always spent my money as fast as I got it. I might
have saved a goodish bit, and I wish I had now.
I never had a wife, but I have had two or three
broomstick matches, though they never turned
out happy. I never got hold of one but what
was fond of lush. I live in Westminster, at a
padding-ken. I'd rather not tell you where, not
that I've anything to fear, but people might think
I was a nose, if anybody came after me, and
they would crab me. I'd rather get something
else to do if I could, but I think this is the best
street game I could follow. I don't believe any
of the ring-sellers dispose of more than myself,
except little Ikey; he now adds other articles, a
silver thimble (he calls it), some conundrums, a
song-book and a seal, and all for a penny. I
tried the same thing, but found I could do just as
well with the rings alone. We all expects to do
great things during the Exhibition. I think all
on us ought to be allowed to sell in the parks.
Foreigners are invited to witness specimens of
British Industry, and it's my opinion they should
see all, from the highest to the lowest. We did intend petitioning the Prince on the subject, but I
don't suppose it would be any go, seeing as how
the slang coves" (the showmen), "have done so,
and been refused."