A MacGuffin Podcast

In the five-part podcast series CHAINS, Alix de Massiac paints a portrait of the Amsterdamse Stadsbank van Lening, a four-hundred-year-old pawnshop that’s a unique combination of business and social service. The Stadsbank lends money, accepting jewellery as collateral. Payment is immediate, but onward sale or melting down are irrevocable if the loan isn’t paid off on time. From the Televizier Ring to gold carpet-beaters, regional jewellery from Zeeland or gems said to have belonged to the Russian Tsar: the jewels dealt in by the Stadsbank come from all over the globe and all segments of the population. The depositors of the gold and silver have one thing in common: they are relinquishing part of their history in exchange for cash. Washing machine broken? Get your necklace out of the safe. Drawing upon what the clients, staff and objects have to say, CHAINS describes how the Stadsbank has changed along with the city and its residents. The Stadsbank reflects economic developments, but also our view of what constitutes ‘a dignified existence’. Items of gold jewellery often prove more than a mere luxury. Imbued with personal histories, they are sometimes needed to make ends meet at the end of the month. Or to put a bunch of flowers on the table. Of the twenty-four branches that the Stadsbank once boasted, only three remain: in the city centre, in De Bijlmer and in Osdorp. Soon the branch on the Nes in central Amsterdam, where once the jewels belonging to Rembrandt’s wife Saskia were pawned, will be closed. But the queue at the counter is undiminished. What is the future of the Stadsbank? And what will happen to the pawned objects, and to the clients who rely on the money their gold or silver jewellery brings in? Money is life. Stay alive. Concept, montage and production: Alix de Massiac Sound design: Nathalie Bruys Sound mix: Tom Ruijg Voice-over: Alix de Massiac and Seecum Cheung Translation: Jack Eden Editors: Kirsten Algera and Ernst van der Hoeven Graphic design: Sandra Kassenaar Photography: Mathijs Labadie Assistance: Emil Rosi Lanz, Benjamin McMillan and Mirelle van Tulder