Parisians pawn wine with 'auntie'

Paris -- A Frenchman received $8,000 for a bottle of wine at Credit Municipal of Paris, a pawnshop known to many Parisians simply as "auntie," officials said.

The Credit Municipal of Paris, a government-run pawnshop open since 1777, marked a new phase in pawning when it recently began taking wine, the Los Angles Times reported.

"People can now exchange liquidity for liquidity," said Bernard Candiard, director-general of Credit Municipal.

Since Candiard introduced the idea to accept wine, high-end clients have been crowding auntie, eagerly waiting in line to unload their valuable liquids, the Times said.

It is reported the mayor of Paris is in on the wine-hawking trend, having recently called on auntie to auction off 5,000 bottles of wine once owned by French President Jacques Chirac.

The Times said the wine auction raised at least $1.5 million.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.