Spink UK sells Branston Railway Museum gems

SPINK's Bonds and Shares Department has put its first sale of 2019 online with a new look and functionality. The auctioneer offers over 500 antique securities including a large collection of scarce bonds and shares belonging to the Branston Railway Museum. The online auction ends at 11 AM GMT on Jan 25, 2019.

Three 500 Francs bonds from the Compagnie Universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez make their entrance at the sale, lots 7-9. The famous Suez Canal Company was founded in 1858 by Ferdinand de Lesseps (1805-94). These bonds from 1885 have the printed signature of the wealthy Prince Auguste Louis Albéric d'Arenberg (1837-1924), then President of the company. Prince d'Arenberg's son Ernest, Lieutenant in France's 32nd Infantry Regiment, was killed on the battle fields of WWI on March 21, 1915. 

The SPINK sale presents over 500 lots of historic and beautiful stocks and bond certificates from all continents representing more than 50 countries. Some examples :

• L(ot) 87 Hiroshima Spinning and Weaving Co, Meiji 15 (1882), rare Japanese scripophily
• L81 Mongolia State Loan, group lot of 7 Mongolian state bonds from the 1950s
• L130 Portuguese Loan 5% £100 Sterling 1823, early state loan from Portugal
• L146 Trans-Alaska-Siberian Railway Company, 1906, the company was authorized by Czar Nicholas II of Russia to build a tunnel from Alaska to Russia

Collectors of Canadian scripophily will be surprised to find a 50 lots counting section, including this £100 bond from 1895 in The Atlantic and Lake Superior Railway Company (with beaver vignette), L421.

The British chapter consists of several sections such as canals, government, railways, etc. One of the early certificates is an amazing River Nene Navigation Join Stock from 1762 with nine wax seals and one lead seal, L312. Other interesting earlies : Itchen Bridge and Roads, 1835, arms of Southampton, wax seal, L354, and Durham County Coal Company from 1838, shield of Durham, L352.

This share in the North of Scotland and Orkney and Shetland Steam Navigation Company (NSOS) represents a milestone in shipping and tourism history. The certificate was issued in 1882 to Alexander Hall Wilson, director of Aberdeen shipbuilder Hall, Russell & Company, Limited. The NSOS introduced Norwegian cruising in 1886. It was a profitable operation from the start. To meet further demand the company ordered a new ship, the St. Sunniva. No surprise, it was built by Hall Russell. The St. Sunniva was the world's first purpose-built cruise ship and was a great success. 
L331 in the auction.

Several rare British government bonds are part of the offerings. L307 is a specimen 5% National War Bond 1918-1928, unseen in issued form. A great vignette of the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben adorns a specimen £50 Treasury Bond from 1925, L311.

This Blackpool and Lytham Railway Company share from 1861 is extremely rare. Embossed company seal with lighthouse in the lower left corner. From the Branston Railway Museum Collection, L173 in the auction.

The auction features the scripophily collection of railways, tramways and canals, assembled by the Branston Railway Museum, L164 to L300. The private museum is being closed and its collections disposed of during the year. Some of the many noteworthy lots in this collection are : L165 Oakham Canal, L170 Belfast and Northern Counties Railway Company and L200 Fleetwood, Preston & West Riding Junction Railway Company.

This Isle of Man Tramways and Electric Power Company share, issued 1900, with the island's triskelion coat of arms, is part of a group lot of four certificates, estimated at £70-£90.

You can find more of these fascinating stocks and bonds in the SPINK online catalogue. Here are the auction details :

• date : 25 Jan 2019, 11:00 AM
• location : online auction
• online catalogue and further info, see here  

F.L.


What is Scripophily ?, a quick introduction