AIA's forthcoming numismatic auction to feature rare American railways

Spread over three sessions, Archives International Auctions 56th Sale features over 1000 lots of  banknotes, coins, security printing ephemera, historic documents and autographs. About 400 lots of U.S., Chinese & worldwide scripophily are included. 

The auction features part two of the Stephen Beck Collection of CSX predecessor companies. Included are dozens of rare and stunning stocks and bonds.

The Florida Southern Railroad Company, Main Line 6% Gold Bond of  $1000, 1892, specimen

The FSR, formerly known as the Florida Southern Railway, was developed by railway and hotel entrepreneur Henry Bradley Plant. Part of the Stephen Beck Collection, lot 696 in the sale, and extremely rare

This AIA sale further contains great securities from the American Bank Note Archives. A rich mix of international stocks and bonds represent countries like Bolivia, Canada, China, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Israel, Mexico, Russia, United Kingdom et cetera.

This Banco de Colombia specimen bond dates from the early 1900s. Its vignette shows the Landing of Columbus, a painting from the American John Vanderlyn. The work, showing Columbus and his crew claiming land on San Salvador Island (Bahamas), can be admired in the central rotunda of the United States Capital in Washington, D.C. Lot 212 in the sale, a finding from the ABN archives.

Here are the sale's details, so you can discover much more for yourself :

• Location : River Edge, New Jersey
• Date : Nov 21, 2019
• Further info : see here, AIA's online catalogue with full color images, here, and PDF version there 

F.L.

Swedish Society of Historical Securities celebrates in Stockholm !

The members of the Svenska Föreningen för Historiska Värdepapper proudly announced the 40th Anniversary of their favorite society. A pioneer when it comes to scripophily, SFHV, founded in 1979, celebrates with an exciting weekend in Stockholm at the end of this month.

Östra Centralbanans Jernvägsaktiebolag

This 100 kronor share from the Eastern Central Line Railway Co., Linköping was issued in 1900. The design includes a map showing the line from Linköping to Vimmerby.

The two-day festivities are inaugurated on Friday evening, November 29, 2019, with an exhibition of Swedish certificates. Guest speakers will talk on the subject of collecting old bonds and shares. On Saturday, 20 November, the society will organize an anniversary auction, concluded with a dinner. Place to be : Jernkontoret, Kungsträdgårdsgatan 10, Stockholm. 

Aktiebolaget Svenska Kullagerfabriken was founded in 1907 by Sven Gustaf Wingqvist, a Swedish engineer and inventor of the famous SKF ball bearing and roller bearing. This 5 shares SKF certificate from 1918 has Wingqvist's facsimile signature in its lower right corner.

For this occasion, SFHV will publish a catalog of Swedish shares (about 8,000 of them) and, around the end of the year, also a 400-page Anniversary book with all articles published in its quarterly magazine during these 40 years, totalling some 125 articles.

More information available on : http://www.historiskavardepapper.com/

Jubilee Auction catalog, see here .

F.L. 

Antwerp meets scripophily !

The city of Antwerp will shortly become a mecca for scripophily. Collecting antique and vintage stock certificates, aka scripophily, took off in the 1970s. People from all over the world are fascinated by the beauty and historic importance of these artefacts. The broad public has now a chance to discover this exciting part of numismatics at Mario Boone's upcoming international auction & bourse weekend.

One of the sale's top historic items is this 1826 share from the Compagnie des Mines de Fer de St. Étienne. The company mined coal and iron, and operated the first modern iron works in France. In fact, the first French railway was constructed to connect the St. Étienne works with the Loire. Representing a milestone in the industrial history of France, this share, issued to its founder, mining engineer Louis Georges Gabriel de Gallois, is also one of the earliest shares with an engraving of blast furnaces. Lot 432 in the auction, is expected to realize at least €3,000.

In comparison to coins, banknotes and stamps, antique stocks and bonds are much less available on the collector's market. The Boone auction house has been a specialist in scripophily for over four decades and is now holding its 63rd sale on the 9th of November in Antwerp. More than 1400 lots will be hammered.

Etablissements Pieper à Liège & Nessonvaux , 100 Francs bearer share, 1898

As you can tell from this share's design - click image to enlarge - this Belgian company manufactured handguns and rifles, such as the Bayard 1908 pistol and, under license, the Bergmann–Bayard pistol. The company, established by the German Henry Pieper, also built small cars from 1899 to 1903. Already in 1900 Pieper introduced - today unimaginable for many - a pure electric model, and a hybrid petrol-electric car. The Pieper factory was later taken over by Imperia. This share is signed by Nicolas Pieper and its wonderful design was made by painter Emile Berchmans. Lot 293, starts at €400.

The sale catalogue, available online and as an offline PDF document, includes color images and background stories of the certificates to be sold. For easy retrieval purposes, search indexes help the collector on his quest for about 100 countries and an equal number of special interest themes, security printers, engravers and artists.

Auction lot 199 comprises a share in the Conservera Marroqui SA, Tétouan, a company that sold canned fish. The gorgious design, showing a city gate at the the sea shore, includes the Star of David. After the Reconquista and the Spanish Inquisition many Sephardi Jews migrated from Spain and settled in the Mediterranean port of Tétouan, Morocco. This company was incorporated in 1947. After the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, hostilities from the Arab population towards Moroccan Jewish communities broke out. Fear that Morocco's imminent independence from France would lead to further persecution led to large-scale emigration. By 1950, there were very few Jews left in Tétouan.

I learned from the catalog's autographs index that several certificates were signed by or issued to historic figures : e.g. Emile & Isaac Pereire, Frits Philips, William H. Vanderbilt, Henry Wells, etc. The certificate below bears the signature of David D. Buick.

Issued in 1911, this Buick Oil Company share is signed by Scottish-born American D(avid) D(unbar) Buick.

His famous Buick Motor Company was established in 1902. Six years later he sold it to General Motors. 100 years later, the eight production generation of the Buick LeSabre was still a best steller. Lot 1403 in the sale, bids accepted from €200 

The day after the sale, Mario Boone organizes his regular scripophily bourse internationally attended by dealers and visitors.

Auction details

• Location : Antwerp Crowne Plaza Hotel, Belgium
• Date : auction 9 November 2019, bourse 10 November 2019
• Further info : online catalogue here, and PDF version there 

F.L.