Automobiles
The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805 – 1942 lists over 5,000 companies and builders of automobiles in the United States alone. While most have heard of many of the largest manufacturers such as Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, numerous other companies manufactured one automobile only to discover the unique economic difficulties confronting the capital intensive business of automobile manufacturing. During the course of the “glory days” of the automobile industry, thousands of small companies raised capital through the sale of stock to the general public with the only remaining value in that investment being whatever a certificate collector is willing to pay for it. Today, while many of these companies’ automobiles are no longer in existence, their stock certificates and bonds have survived as a reminder of the pioneering days of the automobile industry. As such, many historical and graphically interesting certificates are available to Scripophilists today.