Second Hand Shops: How Old Wares Were Redistributed in Shakespeare's England

In Shakespeare's play, The Winter's Tale, Autolycus talks about "selling all my trumpery." The reference made me wonder if Autolycus was packing up all his attic junk and random periphery collected over the years to sell them in what might be considered a yard sale for Elizabethan England. Did Shakespeare's England have garage sales where people sold their gently used items to their peers and neighbors? And what about the potential for the Renaissance equivalent of a Goodwill wtore, a thrift store, or even a consignment or pawn shop? Was it possible that people in Shakespeare's lifetime were selling their used items for profit?

In order to explore the world of second hand clothing, thrift stores, and pawn shops of Elizabethan England I'm delighted to welcome Dr. Kate Kelsey Staples, author of "The Significance of the Secondhand Trade in Europe, 1200–1600" to join us to help us explore exactly where one would have deposited or dispatched of their superfluous household goods.