In-world catalog
The eight goods
These are tokens in a game. Borough flavor is fiction. Nothing here is a fencing manual, a tax trick, or a shopping list.
The city sells eight stories. Each has a weight, a usual dollar band when the book is quiet, a named spike when it is not, and a home borough that tends to be cheaper on the buy. The spread is the whole morning: buy where the crate lives, sell where the room is hungry, and do not roll so heavy the law notices the suspension. Chips and jewelry are the light high-value game. Liquor is the brick. Construction paper is permits and payoffs as a token — the least romantic good, and the one the docks never stop needing.
Bootleg liquor
5 wt · usual $80–$400 · home Brooklyn, Staten Island · spike: Boat comes in (cheap) / raid (dear)
Jugs and cases with labels that never saw Albany. Heavy as a brick and twice as honest about it. Brooklyn and Staten Island drink this story; Manhattan pretends it doesn't.
In play, a unit of bootleg liquor occupies 5 of whatever trunk you are driving. Ten of them is a plan; a van full of liquor is a statement the blotter will notice. Sell them in a borough that is not their home if you want the spread. Sell them at home if you need the cash and can live with a thinner ticket. Spikes swing the usual band for a midnight or two — cheap when the boat comes in, dear when the raid scare hits the same story. Crews eat leftovers. You do not need to memorize a real market. You need to read the book in the borough you are standing in, which is always free.
Untaxed smokes
2 wt · usual $40–$180 · home The Bronx · spike: Carton bust across the river
Cartons without the stamp the city wants. Light in the trunk, loud on the corner. The Bronx moves them like weather.
In play, a unit of untaxed smokes occupies 2 of whatever trunk you are driving. Ten of them is a plan; a van full of liquor is a statement the blotter will notice. Sell them in a borough that is not their home if you want the spread. Sell them at home if you need the cash and can live with a thinner ticket. Spikes swing the usual band for a midnight or two — cheap when the boat comes in, dear when the raid scare hits the same story. Crews eat leftovers. You do not need to memorize a real market. You need to read the book in the borough you are standing in, which is always free.
Knockoff couture
3 wt · usual $120–$600 · home Queens · spike: Crate landed / fashion week
Bags and coats that looked expensive under warehouse lights. Queens is where the crate kisses the tarmac.
In play, a unit of knockoff couture occupies 3 of whatever trunk you are driving. Ten of them is a plan; a van full of liquor is a statement the blotter will notice. Sell them in a borough that is not their home if you want the spread. Sell them at home if you need the cash and can live with a thinner ticket. Spikes swing the usual band for a midnight or two — cheap when the boat comes in, dear when the raid scare hits the same story. Crews eat leftovers. You do not need to memorize a real market. You need to read the book in the borough you are standing in, which is always free.
Hot jewelry
1 wt · usual $200–$1200 · home Manhattan · spike: Commission dinner / uptown raid
Small, bright, and inconvenient to explain. Manhattan's quiet rooms pay for quiet stones.
In play, a unit of hot jewelry occupies 1 of whatever trunk you are driving. Ten of them is a plan; a van full of liquor is a statement the blotter will notice. Sell them in a borough that is not their home if you want the spread. Sell them at home if you need the cash and can live with a thinner ticket. Spikes swing the usual band for a midnight or two — cheap when the boat comes in, dear when the raid scare hits the same story. Crews eat leftovers. You do not need to memorize a real market. You need to read the book in the borough you are standing in, which is always free.
Casino chips
1 wt · usual $150–$900 · home Manhattan · spike: Private game / counting-room scare
Clay that used to mean a seat at a private table. Light as jewelry, hotter when the count is short.
In play, a unit of casino chips occupies 1 of whatever trunk you are driving. Ten of them is a plan; a van full of liquor is a statement the blotter will notice. Sell them in a borough that is not their home if you want the spread. Sell them at home if you need the cash and can live with a thinner ticket. Spikes swing the usual band for a midnight or two — cheap when the boat comes in, dear when the raid scare hits the same story. Crews eat leftovers. You do not need to memorize a real market. You need to read the book in the borough you are standing in, which is always free.
Stolen electronics
4 wt · usual $180–$800 · home Queens · spike: Airport delay / boat comes in
Sealed boxes that lost their paperwork between the belt and the van. Queens import flavor; Manhattan will still buy a screen.
In play, a unit of stolen electronics occupies 4 of whatever trunk you are driving. Ten of them is a plan; a van full of liquor is a statement the blotter will notice. Sell them in a borough that is not their home if you want the spread. Sell them at home if you need the cash and can live with a thinner ticket. Spikes swing the usual band for a midnight or two — cheap when the boat comes in, dear when the raid scare hits the same story. Crews eat leftovers. You do not need to memorize a real market. You need to read the book in the borough you are standing in, which is always free.
Sports memorabilia
3 wt · usual $90–$450 · home The Bronx · spike: Big game / locker-room leak
Jerseys, balls, and signatures of uncertain parentage. The Bronx sells the story; the rest of the city buys the game.
In play, a unit of sports memorabilia occupies 3 of whatever trunk you are driving. Ten of them is a plan; a van full of liquor is a statement the blotter will notice. Sell them in a borough that is not their home if you want the spread. Sell them at home if you need the cash and can live with a thinner ticket. Spikes swing the usual band for a midnight or two — cheap when the boat comes in, dear when the raid scare hits the same story. Crews eat leftovers. You do not need to memorize a real market. You need to read the book in the borough you are standing in, which is always free.
Construction paper
2 wt · usual $60–$350 · home Brooklyn, Staten Island · spike: Boom / inspector sweep
Permits, payoffs, and envelopes that make a pour happen on time. Not stationery — the city's least romantic good, and the most reliable.
In play, a unit of construction paper occupies 2 of whatever trunk you are driving. Ten of them is a plan; a van full of liquor is a statement the blotter will notice. Sell them in a borough that is not their home if you want the spread. Sell them at home if you need the cash and can live with a thinner ticket. Spikes swing the usual band for a midnight or two — cheap when the boat comes in, dear when the raid scare hits the same story. Crews eat leftovers. You do not need to memorize a real market. You need to read the book in the borough you are standing in, which is always free.
Borough personality
Manhattan pays for quiet stones and clay. Brooklyn and Staten Island drink and pour. The Bronx moves cartons and game-day stories. Queens is where the crate kisses the tarmac. Prices jitter inside the usual band every midnight, then a spike or two names itself on the blotter. Named crews nibble those spikes so a boat does not last forever. The numbers on this page are the usual band, not a promise.
- ManhattanQuiet rooms. The decision was already made.
- BrooklynDocks, pours, union envelopes.
- The BronxLouder corners. Everybody saw you.
- QueensThe crate landed. Don't lose it.
- Staten IslandSunday is not optional.