Scripophily Glossary
by Terry Cox and Bob Kerstein
If you would like to see other words defined, please email us.
South Africa Scripophily
by Mario Boone
South Africa is not only one of the most beautiful countries in the world, it is probably also one of the most fascinating, with a history that goes back as far as mankind. The first permanent European settlers were Dutch. Under the orders of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), Jan van Riebeeck founded in 1652 the first white settlement at the Cape of Good Hope. It was the beginning of a long colonization process by which Dutch, German and French colonists (so-called Boers) went deeper and deeper into the unexplored African inland, often leading to bloody conflicts with the native inhabitants, the Khoisan and Bantu tribes such as the Xhosa and Zulus. In the beginning of the 19th century, the British took control over the Cape and many Boers went further north to establish their own republics: Transvaal and Orange Free State. However, Great Britain didn’t give in and tried to unite the whole of South Africa under its authority. In 1910, and despite two Boer Wars led by the legendary Paul Kruger, London achieved its goal. In the following years, South Africa increased its autonomy towards Great Britain and went more and more its own and well known way.
For centuries, South Africa had an economy largely based on agriculture and without any major industries. As a result, very few old stocks are known.
The discovery of Diamonds
In 1869, this was all to change. It that year, the discovery on the banks of the Orange River of the Star of Africa, a 83,5 carats rough diamond, became the catalyst for the great diamond rush. While at first ‘wet’ diggings along the banks of the Orange and Vaal rivers were pursued, it was only a matter of months before major finds were made ‘inland’. Six major diamond mines were discovered during the “Great Rush” (1869-1871) : Bultfontein, Koffiefontein, Jagersfontein, Dutoitspan, De Beers and Kimberley (the richest of all). From than on and up till today, no other country would mine more diamonds than South Africa does. In those early days, some 3600 different mining claims were bought by individual persons. Consolidation (economics of scale) made of course much sense and after a change of law in 1876, this was exactly what happened. After a fierce battle for overall control of the diamond fields between Barney Barnato and the legendary Cecil Rhodes, the latter took de facto control over almost the complete South African diamond industry. He amalgamated his holdings into the De Beers Consolidated Mines. By 1929, the German-originated Oppenheimer family took control over De Beers and continues up till today to run what is by far the world’s biggest diamond business.
The discovery of Gold
Even more important than diamonds for the South African economy was the discovery of gold in 1886 when George Harrison found an outcrop of the main reef of gold-bearing conglomerate near Johannesburg. Unlike the earlier Californian and Australian discoveries, this field was not an alluvial deposit where thousands of freelance gold diggers could work, it was the tip of low grade reefs which could be mined only at depth and at great initial capital cost. There was very little capital in South Africa at that moment, so many mining companies were founded and listed on the stock exchange in London. Here again, consolidation took place among the successful companies (i.e. those who had claims where enough gold could be extracted to make a profit) while many others were quickly dissolved because of lack of fortune. While for diamonds, only ‘De Beers’ really stands out, there are seven big gold mine companies who make that South Africa was, and still is, the world’s largest gold producer: Gold Fields of South Africa (founded by Rhodes), Rand Mines (now Randgold), Johannesburg Cons. Investments, General Mining (now Gencor), Union Corporation (now Gencor), Anglo American (founded by Oppenheimer, now AngloGold) and AngloVaal. Up until today, South Africa has produced no less than 35% of all gold ever mined in the world!
Collecting South African stocks & bonds
The historical significance of collecting South African certificates is obvious from the above text. Yet, there is more: several pieces are very attractive, most ones are in English and sometimes with interesting foreign influences. Overall, there are a few hundred different pieces known, though almost all are quite rare because of the low number of stocks issued (most were small companies), yet prices tend to be rather moderate thanks to the fact that Scripophily is not yet very well known in South Africa.
Quaker Oats Company – 1970
$195.00 – Rare and Scarce Stocks / Bonds – Beautifully engraved SPECIMEN certificate from the Quaker Oats Company printed in 1968. This historic document was printed by the American Banknote Company and has an ornate border around it with a vignette of a Quaker holding a box of Quaker Oats and allegorical sisters. This item has the printed s…
Playboy Enterprises, Inc. ( Nude Willy Rey in Vignette ) – Hugh Hefner as President – 1972
$195.00 – Rare and Scarce Stocks / Bonds – Beautifully engraved SPECIMEN certificate from the Playboy Enterprises, Inc. printed in 1982. This historic document was printed by the American Banknote Company and has an
ornate border around it with a vignette Miss February 1971, Willy Rey and the Playboy bunny logo. This item has the printed si…
Autographs by Terry Cox
| Autograph collecting is a hobby separate from stock and bond collecting. It just happens to overlap the stock and bond hobby because many certificates are issued to, or otherwise signed by, major and minor celebrities. Autographs are important both for their historical significance, and for their speculative possibilities.
Do your research Newcomers often share the misconception that autographs represent excellent opportunities to get rich quick. A warning is in order. You cannot stumble into this specialty and reasonably expect to win. Autograph collecting takes careful research. It takes a clear understanding of the market. Without both, speculation in autographs represents a terrific opportunity to get poor quick. The autographs that show the greatest demand among advanced collectors are those of major industrialists (Rockefeller, Carnegie), major investors (Hetty Green), legendary railroaders (Commodore Vanderbilt, Jay Gould), and major historical figures (Nathan Bedford Forrest). Signatures of that caliber routinely attract prices in the thousands of dollars. There are fewer such autographs than there are collectors who want them, so important signatures show steady increases in prices. Price increases routinely beat inflation by several percent per year. At that level of collecting, all attention is focused on the value of autographs. The values of certificates on which they it appear are immaterial. Down the ladder of importance are signatures of prominent railroaders (Harriman, Huntington, and the Vanderbilt heirs), important industrialists (Morgan, DuPont, and Mellon), politicians (Fillmore), and military figures (Burnside.) Make no mistake. These were important Americans. Still, collectors usually pay less than a thousand dollars each for their signatures. Their popularity is somewhat fickle. They are in a different class than the previous group. Like the previous group, their signatures are worth more than the certificates they grace. In less demand are the signatures of minor figures. In this group are autographs from people like Cassatt, Clews, Depew, Grow, and Scott. These people were important to their companies. Many were well known in their time. Still, they had limited impact on the nation as a whole. At this level, you can discern the values of autographs separate from the values of certificates. Expect to pay $5 to $100 for autographs from this group plus the cost of the certificates they are on. Buy autographs from this group carefully. Always consider possible resale. When you buy these kinds of autographs, try to buy those with minimal cancellations, legible handwriting, and scarcer certificates. The most unpredictable group of autographs are those of locally-important figures. These are figures who were important in one city, county, or state, but who may not have been well-known elsewhere. Such autographs can attract huge bids in one auction, and go unsold thereafter. This is the realm of the specialist. When you are first starting to collect autographs, be very cautious! If you see an autograph for sale, and you do not already know who that person was, that is a gentle hint that you should do more research before you invest. Never buy an autograph until you know whose signature you are buying and why you need to own it. What exactly is an autograph? For the purposes of this catalog, an autograph is:
This definition seems so obvious that I need to define what is NOT an autograph.
Stock certificates commonly offer several autograph possibilities. On the front (recto) of each stock certificate are usually two signatures of company executives. These are usually the company president and a clerk or treasurer. Additionally, there may be counter-signatures or clerks or officers in trust companies or banks. If a stock certificate was legally transferred, the signature of the stockholder will usually appear on the back (verso). Such certificates may also include potentially valuable signatures of witnesses, attorneys, and transfer company officers. Issued bonds usually show the company president’s signature on the front. They may also include signatures of comptrollers, treasurers, and clerks. Owners’ signatures seldom appear anywhere on bearer bonds. Registered bonds, however, may show owners’ signatures on the back. The backs of many bonds show the signatures of trustees and guarantors. Issued to, but not signed by… In this price guide, you will see a few references to certificates that were issued to famous people, but the celebrities never signed them. Normally, such certificates are signed by attorneys. Such certificates are not autographed. However, because they carry famous names, they attract auction bids slightly above ordinary certificates. Pens used for autographs Prior to the 1940s, almost all stocks and bonds were signed by hand with some sort of quill pen, steel nib pen, or fountain pen. Inks for those pens were usually a black or bluish black when applied, but most aged to a brown color. As a rule, very old autographs show a brown halo caused by migration of the liquid agent (usually linseed oil) that carried the black pigment (usually lamp black.) Signatures signed in ball point pen started appearing in the 1950s. Although uncommon, you will occasionally find low quality ‘forgeries’ signed with ball-point pens. The modern ball-point pen was invented in about 1935, although the earliest patent was issued in 1888. The first successful ball point pen was sold in large quantities in 1945. You can be certain that anything signed with a ball-point pen before 1935 is definately a forgery. Any certificate signed in ball point before late 1945 should be highly questionable. It is sometimes hard to distinguish facsimile signatures from autographs. The surest way to tell the difference is to flip the certificate over. Fountain pen ink normally soaked through the paper while printed facsimile ink did not. Real autographs normally dented the paper, the evidence of which can be seen most easily from the back. Another method is to look closely where one pen stroke crossed another. If the junction of the two strokes is exactly the same shade as the surrounding pen strokes, you’re probably dealing with a facsimile. (Experiment with both fountain pens and ball-point pens to see how they behave.) Facsimile signatures are common on recent stocks and bonds, but it is hard to pinpoint exactly when they first appeared. The New York Central heavily used pre-printed officers’ autographs in the 1940s, and thereafter. The earliest recorded facsimile signature in the database is currently attributed to a New York Central specimen (NEW-530-Ss-65) from 1914. There is no easy way to discriminate between Autopen signatures and genuine handwritten signatures. Generally, you need several certificates for comparison. If several signatures are identical in flow and appearance, you have a mechanically-made signature. If the signatures vary considerably, you probably have genuine signatures. (Notable exceptions are the signatures of the U.S. Presidents where several different auto-signing machines may be used concurrently.) Authenticity Authenticity is a serious issue with autographs. Fortunately, the engraving on stocks and bonds is usually so complex, and certificates are still so cheap, that counterfeiting of whole documents makes little sense. However, forgers can buy unissued certificates and add fake signatures. They can also remove worthless signatures from issued certificates and substitute forgeries of valuable autographs. So far, stock and bond autograph forgeries have proven rare. That will probably change as autographs grow increasingly valuable. Protect yourself as much as possible by buying autographs from reputable, established dealers who unequivocally guarantee their products. For valuable signatures, seek expert authentication from one or more third party appraisers. Finally, read these books:
Prices for autographed issues Autograph collecting is a separate hobby that happens to involve stocks and bonds. Autographs of famous people add significantly to values of otherwise common stocks and bonds. Autograph collecting can be highly profitable. Taken as a group, autographs have historically shown excellent price growth. They are popular investments. Fame and autograph demand Generally, the richer and more influential the individual, the more collectors demand his or her signature. Autographs from last century’s millionaires are usually in high demand. Autographs from heirs and offspring are worth much less than their illustrious parents. Signatures from celebrity spouses are usually in less demand except among specialist collectors. Unless individuals were notorious, rich, or both, autographs of company officers are seldom sought after. Autographs from persons of pure celebrity (movie stars, composers, sports figures) are valued roughly in comparison with their enduring fame. The perceived value of autographs from politicians, military figures, judges, crooks, and other notables roughly track the degree of their national impact. Presently, the most ‘valuable’ rail-related autograph is that of Andrew Carnegie. It appeared on a Pullman Palace Car stock certificate and sold for over $70,000 in the 1999 Strasburg sale by R.M. Smythe. Other extremely valuable autographs include ‘Commodore’ Cornelius Vanderbilt, founder of the New York Central Railroad and the Vanderbilt dynasty. His signature is extremely rare on railroad certificates. Signatures from Jay Gould, on items other than MKT stocks, are also extremely valuable. The pricing of autographs is problematic The so-called value of autographs depends on one thing – how important buyers think an autograph should be. One buyer may be completely enamored with the ‘get it done’ tenacity of John Casement as he drove the Union Pacific westward across the continent. Another buyer might wonder, ‘So what?’ The value of every autograph is personal. The values of autographs in the catalog come primarily from prices realized at auctions. In most cases, auction prices represent competition between two or more bidders. Prices in fixed-price catalogs will usually be higher. Look before you leap Buy autographs cautiously, especially when you are first starting. Study all aspects of autograph collecting before you invest. Prices will be cyclic. Autograph prices CAN AND DO FALL! Financial returns can be wonderful or pitiful. Think about resale Because of potential profits, and losses, autograph collecting is often equated with investing. Consequently, when you collect autographs, you should always keep an eye on potential resale. Never buy an autograph before you assess its future. Ask yourself, as dispassionately as possible, whether you think future collectors will think a particular signature as desirable as you do. Commodore Vanderbilt’s autographs are easy. But what about Henry Clews’? Uncontrollable events affect values. Random events affect people’s impressions about the importance of specific autographs. For example, consider the 1869 Selma Marion & Memphis Railroad bond. All were signed by Confederate hero Nathan Bedford Forrest. In 1989, the bonds routinely sold for $150 to $250. Then came along Public Television’s broadcast Ken Burn’s Civil War series in 1990. Within months, dealers in a wide range of hobbies noticed an unprecedented interest in every kind of collectible related to the Civil War. By 1992, Selma Memphis & Marion bonds were selling for as much as $900. By 1994, auction prices had topped $1,100. They are currently in the $2,500 to $3,000 range. Outside events can also lower values and salability of autographs. You can see notable examples with signatures of World War I personalities. They were in very high demand during the 1920s and 1930s. After World War II, interest in World War I autographs dropped significantly. Prices are still low considering their age and historical significance. |
The Wealthy One Hundred
The Wealthy 100
Some years ago, two business professors published a most interesting book entitled The Wealthy 100, in which they compared and ranked the fortunes of various American businessmen across time. For example, John D. Rockefeller was worth approximately $1.4 billion when he died in 1937, apparently mere pocket change for the $60 billion wealth of Bill Gates today. Yet according to the authors, Rockefeller is #1 on the list and Gates is #31. The writers used an interesting measuring stick that allows them to compare different eras. It is a simple formula, dividing a person’s wealth by the estimated Gross National Product. When Rockefeller died, his fortune was estimated as 1/65th of the GNP, whereas Gates’ wealth accounts for only 1/425th of the GNP in 1995 [it has grown considerably in the last 3 years, and is now estimated in 1999 at only 1/135th of the GNP, still far behind Rockefeller’s share]. In today’s dollars, Rockefeller’s personal fortune would be worth an astounding $190 billion, making Gates’ $60 billion slightly more than pocket change for Rockefeller! To put this into more understandable terms, at times, Rockefeller’s wealth exceeded the annual Federal budget. I won’t comment on whether this is a commentary on the growth of Federal expenditures or the reduction in the accumulation of wealth. But I believe it would be impossible for Gates’ net worth to exceed today’s trillion dollar budgets. Still, it has been recently estimated that Gates is as wealthy as the bottom 100 million Americans combined.
Looking over the list, I think the most interesting aspect of the list is how many of these successful entrepreneurs were immigrants, their sole baggage on the long ocean voyage little more than a large dream. Andrew Carnegie, John Jacob Astor, Stephen Girard, Alexander Stewart, Frederick Weyerhauser, William Weightman, Claus Spreckels, Anthony Brady, Adolphus Busch, John Kluge, Joseph Pulitzer, Samuel Slater, and August Belmont were not native-born Americans. In fact, five of the top ten were born in Europe and came here seeking a better life, which they ultimately found.
Also remarkable is the number of people who left their fortunes to charity, and many of them are well known, such as the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the numerous Carnegie Libraries, Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History, Girard College, Stanford University, the Frick Educational Commission, the Peabody Educational Fund, Duke University, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Johns Hopkins University, and many other unnamed charities and foundations.
We believe it would be interesting and challenging for scripopholists to try to collect as many of The Wealthy 100 as possible. So we made it as easy as possible for you. Below, is a listing of the ninety-nine men and lone woman who made up this list, followed by an assortment of their signed stocks, bonds, letters and documents.
| Rank | Name | Born | Died | Wealth in 1000s | Ratio (Wealth: |
| GNP) | |||||
| 1 | John D. Rockefeller | 1839 | 1937 | $1,400,000 | 65 |
| 2 | Cornelius Vanderbilt | 1794 | 1877 | $105,000 | 87 |
| 3 | John Jacob Astor | 1763 | 1848 | $20,000 | 107 |
| 4 | Stephen Girard | 1750 | 1831 | $7,500 | 150 |
| 5 | Andrew Carnegie | 1835 | 1919 | $475,000 | 166 |
| 6 | A.T. Stewart | 1803 | 1876 | $50,000 | 178 |
| 7 | Frederick Weyerhaeuser | 1834 | 1914 | $200,000 | 182 |
| 8 | Jay Gould | 1836 | 1892 | $77,000 | 185 |
| 9 | Stephen Van Rensselaer | 1764 | 1839 | $10,000 | 194 |
| 10 | Marshall Field | 1834 | 1906 | $140,000 | 205 |
| 11 | Henry Ford | 1863 | 1947 | $1,000,000 | 231 |
| 12 | Andrew W. Mellon | 1855 | 1937 | $350,000 | 258 |
| 13 | Richard B. Mellon | 1858 | 1933 | $350,000 | 258 |
| 14 | Sam M. Walton | 1918 | 1992 | $22,000,000 | 275 |
| 15 | James G. Fair | 1831 | 1894 | $45,000 | 280 |
| 16 | William Weightman | 1813 | 1904 | $80,000 | 286 |
| 17 | Moses Taylor | 1806 | 1882 | $40,000 | 286 |
| 18 | Russell Sage | 1816 | 1906 | $100,000 | 287 |
| 19 | John I. Blair | 1802 | 1899 | $60,000 | 289 |
| 20 | Cyrus Curtis | 1850 | 1933 | $174,000 | 320 |
| 21 | Edward Henry Harriman | 1848 | 1909 | $100,000 | 322 |
| 22 | Henry H. Rogers | 1840 | 1909 | $100,000 | 322 |
| 23 | J. P. Morgan | 1837 | 1913 | $119,000 | 328 |
| 24 | Col. Oliver Payne | 1839 | 1917 | $178,000 | 337 |
| 25 | Henry C. Frick | 1849 | 1919 | $225,000 | 351 |
| 26 | Collis Potter Huntington | 1821 | 1900 | $50,000 | 374 |
| 27 | Peter A. Widener | 1834 | 1915 | $100,000 | 387 |
| 28 | James Cair Flood | 1826 | 1888 | $30,000 | 405 |
| 29 | Nicholas Longworth | 1782 | 1863 | $15,000 | 411 |
| 30 | Philip Danforth Armour | 1832 | 1901 | $50,000 | 413 |
| 31 | Bill Gates | 1955 | $15,000,000 | 425 | |
| 32 | Mark Hopkins | 1813 | 1878 | $20,000 | 446 |
| 33 | Edward Clark | 1810 | 1882 | $25,000 | 458 |
| 34 | Leland Stanford | 1824 | 1893 | $30,000 | 462 |
| 35 | William Rockefeller | 1841 | 1922 | $150,000 | 493 |
| 36 | Hetty Green | 1834 | 1916 | $100,000 | 498 |
| 37 | James J. Hill | 1838 | 1916 | $100,000 | 498 |
| 38 | Elias Hasket Derby | 1739 | 1799 | $800 | 515 |
| 39 | Warren Buffett | 1930 | $12,000,000 | 532 | |
| 40 | Claus Spreckels | 1828 | 1908 | $50,000 | 554 |
| 41 | George Peabody | 1795 | 1869 | $16,000 | 556 |
| 42 | Charles Crocker | 1822 | 1888 | $20,000 | 608 |
| 43 | William Andrews Clark | 1839 | 1925 | $150,000 | 609 |
| 44 | George Eastman | 1854 | 1932 | $95,000 | 611 |
| 45 | Charles Tiffany | 1812 | 1902 | $35,000 | 616 |
| 46 | Thomas Fortune Ryan | 1851 | 1928 | $155,000 | 633 |
| 47 | Edward Stephen Harkness | 1874 | 1940 | $155,000 | 643 |
| 48 | Henry M. Flagler | 1830 | 1913 | $60,000 | 651 |
| 49 | James Buchanan Duke | 1856 | 1925 | $140,000 | 652 |
| 50 | Israel Thorndike | 1755 | 1832 | $1,800 | 674 |
| 51 | William S. O’Brien | 1825 | 1878 | $12,000 | 696 |
| 52 | Isaac Merritt Singer | 1811 | 1875 | $13,000 | 709 |
| 53 | George Hearst | 1820 | 1891 | $19,000 | 712 |
| 54 | John Hancock | 1736 | 1793 | $350 | 714 |
| 55 | John W. Garrett | 1820 | 1884 | $15,000 | 715 |
| 56 | John W. Mackay | 1831 | 1902 | $30,000 | 718 |
| 57 | Julius Rosenwald | 1862 | 1932 | $80,000 | 726 |
| 58 | George F. Baker | 1840 | 1931 | $100,000 | 758 |
| 59 | George Washington | 1732 | 1799 | $530 | 777 |
| 60 | Anthony N. Brady | 1834 | 1913 | $50,000 | 781 |
| 61 | Adolphus Busch | 1839 | 1919 | $50,000 | 781 |
| 62 | John T. Dorrance | 1873 | 1930 | $115,000 | 786 |
| 63 | George Pullman | 1831 | 1897 | $17,500 | 835 |
| 64 | Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. | 1893 | 1968 | $1,000,000 | 864 |
| 65 | Horace E. Dodge | 1868 | 1920 | $100,000 | 889 |
| 66 | John F. Dodge | 1864 | 1920 | $100,000 | 889 |
| 67 | J. Paul Getty | 1892 | 1976 | $2,000,000 | 893 |
| 68 | William Aspinwall | 1807 | 1875 | $4,000 | 913 |
| 69 | Johns Hopkins | 1795 | 1873 | $10,000 | 944 |
| 70 | John Werner Kluge | 1914 | $6,700,000 | 952 | |
| 71 | Samuel Colt | 1814 | 1862 | $5,000 | 966 |
| 72 | James Stillman | 1850 | 1918 | $77,000 | 989 |
| 73 | William Collins Whitney | 1841 | 1904 | $23,000 | 993 |
| 74 | William Thaw | 1818 | 1889 | $12,000 | 1040 |
| 75 | Paul G. Allen | 1953 | $6,100,000 | 1046 | |
| 76 | Cyrus McCormick | 1809 | 1884 | $10,000 | 1072 |
| 77 | Arthur Vining Davis | 1867 | 1962 | $400,000 | 1103 |
| 78 | Thomas H. Perkins | 1764 | 1854 | $3,000 | 1116 |
| 79 | Joseph Pulitzer | 1847 | 1911 | $30,000 | 1142 |
| 80 | Daniel Willis James | 1832 | 1907 | $26,000 | 1169 |
| 81 | Howard Hughes | 1905 | 1976 | $1,500,000 | 1190 |
| 82 | Frank W. Woolworth | 1852 | 1919 | $6,500 | 1214 |
| 83 | John McDonogh | 1779 | 1850 | $2,000 | 1278 |
| 84 | Samuel Slater | 1768 | 1835 | $1,200 | 1312 |
| 85 | August Belmont | 1816 | 1890 | $10,000 | 1313 |
| 86 | Benjamin Franklin | 1706 | 1790 | $150 | 1320 |
| 87 | Sumner Murray Redstone | 1923 | $4,800,000 | 1329 | |
| 88 | Capt. Robert Dollar | 1844 | 1932 | $40,000 | 1451 |
| 89 | Richard Warren Sears | 1863 | 1914 | $25,000 | 1457 |
| 90 | H. L. Hunt | 1889 | 1974 | $1,000,000 | 1474 |
| 91 | Jay Van Andel | 1924 | $4,300,000 | 1483 | |
| 92 | Richard M. DeVos | 1926 | $4,300,000 | 1483 | |
| 93 | Henry Phipps | 1839 | 1930 | $60,000 | 1506 |
| 94 | Lawrence J. Ellison | 1944 | $4,300,000 | 1519 | |
| 95 | Ronald Owen Perelman | 1943 | $4,300,000 | 1519 | |
| 96 | Peter Chardon Brooks | 1767 | 1849 | $1,300 | 1646 |
| 97 | Charles W. Post | 1854 | 1914 | $22,000 | 1656 |
| 98 | Samuel I. Newhouse | 1895 | 1979 | $1,500,000 | 1681 |
| 99 | William Wrigley, Jr. | 1861 | 1932 | $34,000 | 1707 |
| 100 | David Packard | 1912 | 1996 | $3,700,000 | 1724 |
Alaska Gold Mining Company – Berners Bay, Alaska 1898
$149.95 – Mining Companies beginning with the letters A – B – Beautifully engraved certificate from the Alaska Gold Mining Company issued in 1898. The company was incorporated in the state of Indiana. This historic document has an
ornate border around it with a vignette of mill next to a stream with smaller vignettes of miners underground. Gilded print on …
Universal Leaf Tobacco Company Specimen (Now Universal Corporation) – Virginia
$199.95 – Specimen Stocks, Bonds and Documents – Beautifully engraved RARE specimen certificate from the Universal Leaf Tobacco Company. This historic document was printed by the American Banknote Company and has an
ornate border around it with a vignette of a ship in port with dock workers. This item has the printed signatures of the Company’s o…
Napa and Sonoma Wine Company – California 1872 – ( Now Charles Krug and Peter Mondavi Family Winery)
$99.95 – Rare and Scarce Stocks / Bonds – Beautiful unissued certificate from the Napa and Sonoma Wine Company printed in 1872. This historic document has an
ornate border around it with a vignette of grapes and two women on the left. This item is over 144 years old.
Certificate Vignette
Certificate Vignette
In 1879, Charles K…
Japan – Flora Mines and Tunnel Company – Telluride, Colorado 1903
$99.95 – Rare and Scarce Stocks / Bonds – Beautifully printed certificate from the Japan – Flora Mines and Tunnel Company dated 1903. This historic document was printed by the Denver Litho Company and has an
ornate border around it with a vignette of miners working underground. This item has the hand signatures of the Company?s President…