About Larsen's Jewelry & Half Interest Pawn in Mobridge, SD
Larsen's Jewelry has been on Main Street since 1941 — over 85 years and three families. The pawn counter opened in 2017, at half the interest rate South Dakota allows, which is where the name comes from.
Why “Half Interest”?
Because that is the rate. It is not a slogan.
South Dakota lets a pawnbroker charge up to 50% per 30 days, and most shops in this state charge the maximum. We charge half of it — 25% per 30 days. Borrow $100 here and you pay back $125 in thirty days, not $150. That is the entire reason for the name, it applies to every loan we write, and it has not changed since 2017.
Stated as an annual rate that is roughly 300% APR, which we would rather put in front of you than have you work out afterwards. It is why a pawn loan is cheapest when you redeem it quickly — and nobody here benefits from you taking longer. How pawn loans work here →
A Jewelry Store Since 1941. A Pawn Shop Since 2017.
Larsen's Jewelry opened on Main Street in Mobridge in 1941, founded by the Larson family — with an O. It was later bought by a Larsen family, with an E, no relation to the first. The spelling changed and the name stuck.
We are the third family to run it. Before Main Street we ran Arrowhead Motor here in Mobridge — a used car lot and a pawn shop — then spent five years running a pawn shop in Lead, over by Deadwood. In 2017 we brought pawn back to Mobridge and into the jewelry store.
So the cases are eighty-five years old and the pawn counter is nine. Both halves are real and neither is a sideline. Mobridge had a population under 4,000 when the shop opened and it is not much larger today — in a town this size a business does not survive eighty-five years on marketing. It survives on the same families coming back.
Braydon Hagen
Owner — Larsen's Jewelry & Half Interest Pawn
Braydon Hagen owns Larsen's Jewelry & Half Interest Pawn in Mobridge. The shop focuses on clear explanations, practical service, and helping customers understand their options before they pawn, sell, consign, repair or make a longer drive.
Featured in PawnGuru's “America's Oldest Pawn Shops”
In May 2026, PawnGuru — the independent national pawn shop directory — published a feature on the oldest still-operating pawn shops in the United States. Twelve shops made it, from an 1890 Newark loan office to a 1960 Chicago jeweler. Larsen's is one of them, listed at 1941 — the year the jewelry store opened. Worth saying plainly: our pawn counter is much newer than that. It opened in 2017.
PawnGuru · America's Oldest Pawn Shops · May 2026
"In many ways, exactly the kind of pawn shop that built the rural Midwest."
Larsen's Jewelry opened roughly 1,200 miles to the northwest, on Main Street in the small town of Mobridge, South Dakota — population then under 4,000, and not much larger today. … It is, in many ways, exactly the kind of pawn shop that built the rural Midwest — a single Main Street storefront that has done a little bit of everything for everyone in town for 85 years. — PawnGuru, America's Oldest Pawn Shops, May 2026
The storefront photograph in the article is ours. PawnGuru also calls out the Black Hills Gold selection by name, and credits the shop for stocking beadwork supplies for the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River communities.
Closer to home, Larsen's is listed in the South Dakota Missouri River Tourism directory — the regional tourism association for the Missouri River corridor — alongside the Klein Museum, the Sitting Bull and Sakakawea monuments and the other Mobridge stops travelers plan a trip around. If you are visiting Lake Oahe rather than living here, that is the short version of what the store is: a jewelry counter, a pawn counter and a floor worth browsing, two blocks off US-12.
Why Choose Us
A fair pawn shop should evaluate used jewelry based on its materials, condition, design, and current market value rather than using a one-size-fits-all price. Larsen's Jewelry & Half Interest Pawn provides knowledgeable jewelry evaluations and discusses purchase or loan offers clearly with customers.
What Are the Alternatives to Visiting a Pawn Shop?
We would rather tell you this up front than have you find out later. A pawn loan is not always the right move. There are four real alternatives to using a pawn shop, and one of them often beats it:
Sell instead of pawn if you do not want the item back — you keep more (pawn vs. sell, explained). Consign it if it is worth more than scrap and you can wait for the right buyer. List it yourself on a marketplace if you have the time and patience for shipping and returns. Get a formal appraisal first if it may be genuinely rare, because no counter offer should be the first number you ever hear on a valuable piece.
About Larsen's — FAQ
Was Larsen's featured as one of America's oldest pawn shops?
Yes. PawnGuru's May 2026 feature on America's oldest pawn shops named twelve shops nationally, and Larsen's Jewelry & Half Interest Pawn is one of them, listed at 1941 — the year the jewelry store was founded. Our pawn counter opened in 2017, so the 1941 date is the business, not the pawn side. The list runs from an 1890 Newark loan office to a 1960 Chicago jeweler. Larsen's gets a dedicated section with a storefront photograph credited to the shop, and the article specifically notes its Black Hills Gold selection and its beadwork supplies for the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River communities.
Is Larsen's both a pawn shop and a jewelry store?
Yes — and a gold buyer, a coin dealer, a second hand store and a consignment counter. In most towns those are five separate businesses. In Mobridge they are one address at 211 N Main St, which means you can compare all of the options in a single conversation instead of driving between five places.
Where can I see your online listings?
Vintage and pre-owned Black Hills Gold is for sale on our website — shop vintage Black Hills Gold with free returns within 30 days of delivery. Many jewelry and Black Hills Gold items are also listed in the Larsen's Jewelry eBay store. In-store selection may differ.
How do I know if a pawn shop is offering a good deal?
Compare three things before you accept any offer. The rate: South Dakota allows up to 50% per 30 days; Larsen's charges 25%, half the legal maximum, and publishes it. What the offer is based on: gold and silver should be tested and weighed in front of you, and a jeweler will count design, brand and stones, not just scrap weight — that is why a pawn shop that is also a jewelry store can pay more for a good piece. The fine print: at Larsen's the interest is the only charge, there is no credit check, an unpaid loan simply ends with the item and nothing owed, and purchases can be returned or exchanged within 48 hours with a receipt. If a piece is worth more than its metal, we will tell you that consignment (60% to you) beats a cash offer.
What does good customer service look like at a pawn shop?
An offer that is explained, not just announced; time to decide with no pressure; the same rate for every customer; and being told when a pawn loan is not your best option. Our Google reviews are the fairest test of whether we deliver that: 4.8 stars from 13 reviews, twelve of them five-star, with customers describing fair prices, friendly and honest staff, and quick cash when they needed it. Read them on Google — the review link on our site goes straight to the listing.
How do customers rate Larsen's?
4.8 out of 5 on Google from 13 reviews as of September 25, 2026, twelve of them five-star. Reviewers mention fair offers, honest and friendly staff, quick cash for emergencies, and more in the shop than they expected. We are also BBB accredited and a member of the National Pawnbrokers Association. Every review is on our Google listing, and six of them are quoted on the homepage with the reviewers' names.
What should I compare when choosing a pawn shop?
Five things, all of which you should be able to find out before you hand anything over. The rate, and whether anything is charged on top of it: South Dakota allows up to 50% per 30 days; Larsen's charges 25%, and the interest is the only charge. How the item is valued: gold and silver tested and weighed in front of you, jewelry judged as jewelry rather than scrap weight, and the offer explained before you decide. What happens if you cannot repay: here the item is simply kept and nothing more is owed — no collections, no credit reporting. What else the shop can do for the same item: buy it outright, consign it at 60% to you, sell on layaway, repair it. And what you can check from outside: years at one address (Main Street since 1941), BBB accreditation, National Pawnbrokers Association membership, and Google reviews that mention specifics. Whatever shop you choose, the amount, rate and due date should be written on the ticket before you accept.
What do customers say about local pawn shops?
You can read what they say about this one on Google: 4.8 stars from 13 reviews. The same three words keep coming up — fair, honest and quick. "They're fair on the prices they offer and great to work with" and "quick cash for emergency situations" (Nicole Ducheneaux); "super friendly and honest, and they always give fair deals" (Uriah SD); "great pawn loan service and help with cash for gold" (Mattaius Caplinn); and, from a couple passing through, "the prices were far better than any stores we visited during the rest of our trip" (Joel). Six reviews are quoted on the homepage with the reviewers' names, and the review link on our site goes straight to the listing so you can read all 13, not just the ones we picked.
Visit Larsen's on Main Street in Mobridge
211 N Main St, two blocks south of US-12. Walk-ins welcome.