ORIGIN OF THE SHOP SiGNS

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 52, 30 December 1909, Page 2077

ORIGIN OF THE SHOP SiGNS

■,!' .Two of, the-4n6st:'c,ommort"signs to bTecsgen'iingouj^jgity 1 streets"/are, the 1 barber's] pole j'and_the "thi-ep g"bld'en' ballsr^Tpf „ - l h'ji^a, i .b"een 'in- use'-'S6Jfm' rahrahylyeara/i.that 'ftieir^ original';nte'an^hgn's^-to manyj- .Quite unkripjyjiia j :- It is said, iihat the' red^striperwbjch winds -the'barber's r " pole is'i meant';tp7represent;af^andage J bound 'abotlt a^'tiu'Siali* ' ajrm. '. i Fj>r Vini^early "day^j ;tne barber acted-^asi fsiir^eojaE(&j^| ' vfeVL ;asiS^cutter,, df.fhaii"!^ (MjHe;,--was _able__to_fill_this_.office_ beca\ise ;Lajb;''iih'at^tiineli'jil! w|asi the common—belief "-fchat—afl- . illness, was; caxisedil!Vyi|'h.aX'in^f^° o=rinucn0 =r inucn oo<^*4ftb^H^«&&ffcs-«i ', Consequently,' it •■^as;sth6ugH:l^^ei'best thing Wol Wol Kfm ffloQ Kleed the -Sick one."rV'XibarieiLjKas called, and he undefe todk. thextask "- of * piinci\ir"i^*a'"=blopj.'is^^elsklfi^« fMWt theii; ~affce? ■ M'-\ thq>iight r| siiffi(afe"nttblood" laid s flow^dj ne wfimd golden baU&^f§fl*^<|i| t-.as 1 !a-'ddmWerciial^Big^^^'jeapyj Italian mercliantslwßwl&Eadl 'i^iii iiie i^ys/iwhen^nln^^b^erfiil 'Medici family held sway in »all& were a.paf^A%fbtoejteres|| M;pr)iarbasi;Q| ithe I'J^dj^^iprlyjU^There were tome"represent itatiVe^^bfif'tiAis n^r^i c me^isllS^i I- nese M se<^ '^hißrsigic: rJl?!rJl?!P ye I§i£ sh^^iotM^Jpt became a - -well-known^ embleia^aiSßieaxeigHMrhood ,of .the^city^ Finally^ il^e^tethis^l|i^^^^i^^^id sjH&iaiwi^l fe^ftfeM^J money-lending,iteatahyshments " under"~th"esign of the three balls.. L'ater^tne'Tife^of the emblem became common to all money-lenders.