FHW auction features more than 1500 historic bonds and shares including several German collections

Freunde Historischer Wertpapiere (FHW) has scheduled its 124th sale for October 7, 2023. This time the auctioneer selected more than 1500 lots of historic bonds and share certificates. Major sections have been reserved for scripophily from the USA, Germany, the German DM era, and a series of more than 300 lots from other countries.

One of the auction's highlights is this gorgeous share from the Société des Fermes Réunies du Kurhaus et de la Banque de Nauheim Hesse Électorale. It was the Frenchman Jacques Roland Viali who founded the casino and the accompanying health resort. In addition to the roulette hall, there was also a reading room, a concert hall and a dance hall. Spa guests strolled in the adjoining parc around the large pond and boats were purchased to provided more entertainment. Within a year after its opening, 1 Jan 1854,  Nauheim received city rights, and soon new avenues were constructed. Few companies would change a town's history so quickly. This 1854 share, with Viali signature, is part of the Deutschland Top 20 chapter and starts at €2,600. L(ot) 626 in the auction

Traditionally FHW is know for its strong emphasis on German scripophily. On top of that, several collections are now going under the hammer. The Hans-Werner Schmidt collection of Oberfranken (Upper Franconia) features 338 certificates in 146 lots from all themes, including brewery shares, such as L162, a rare share from the Erste Bamberger Export-Bierbrauerei Frankenbrau. 

Collectors of DM securities will be pleased to find a large section in the catalog counting almost 400 lots of securities from the Deutsche Mark era. However, this SchmidtBank KGaA 1000 shares certificate, is part of the Hans-Werner Schmidt Oberfranken collection, L225. Bidding starts at €500. 

The USA forms the largest non-German chapter in the sale with about 200 lots such as:

• L1350, Barkley-Grow Aircraft Corp, stock certificate, 1936, airplane vignette, €240 
• L1419, Massachusetts Fish Co, specimen share, 1907, crowded harbour scene, €100 
• L1461, Petaluma and Sebastopol Railroad, stock certificate, 1889, rare, €600 

The Sebago and Long-Pond Steam-Navigation Company built its Fawn steamboat in 1847. It had a shallow hull to navigate Maine's winding Songo River, with passengers asked to shift sides as ballast to keep both paddlewheels in the water around sharp curves. This 1848 share features three vignettes, two paddlewheel steamers and a church, and a green company seal. L1483, €400 

There is a lot more to discover in the sale, so here are the details :

• Date : 7 October, 2023
• Location : Wolfenbüttel 
• Further info, see here; PDF catalog see there; live bidding is possible through https://connect.invaluable.com/dwa/  

F.L.

IBSS surprises members with full publications of Drumm & Henseler scripophily catalogues

The International Bond & Share Society is an association of people interested in scripophily. The society was founded in 1978 as a non-profit organization with the aim to promote, encourage and develop all aspects of scripophily. 

With members all over the world, the society publishes its flagship publication Scripophily three times a year.

Over a timespan of several months a small group of members cooperated in obtaining the copyrights of the pioneering Drumm & Henseler catalogs, digitizing those works, and making them available to its members as downloadable publications.  

The following catalogues can now be found on the IBSS site :

Italian Railways, by Drumm, Henseler, Witula

Ottoman Empire and Turkey, by Drumm, Henseler, Glasemann

Russian City Bonds, by Drumm, Henseler

Russian Railway Bonds, by Drumm, Henseler

You can find the publications here, but you must be logged in as a member to access this information. Still not a member ? Then this will help you out. 

F.L.