FHW's 125th auction is online with exceptional antique stocks and bonds

Jörg Benecke has scheduled FHW's 125th sale for 2 March 2024. With his team he brought together 2000 lots of scripophily and related documents. The event, a live auction held at FHW's home base Wolfenbüttel, offers historic and beautiful antique stocks and bonds from all continents. 

A highlight in FHW's auction is L(ot)962, a 1858 share in the Eisenhütten-AG Blücher, an early steel company from Dortmund. Germany's Ruhr area counted almost 300 coal mines by the 1850s. Coal was exported or processed in coking ovens into coke, used in blast furnaces, producing iron and steel. This 200 Thaler share depicts Generalfeldmarschall Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher who won several battles against Napoleon’s troops. He joined Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo, his army playing a decisive role in the final victory. The vignette shows von Blücher wearing the Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross awarded only twice in history. This rare and spectacular lithoprint by H. Kaufmann from Münster starts at €2,800. 

The Eisenhütten-AG Blücher certificate is part of the Deutschland bis 1945 chapter that includes about 650 lots. Some of the other historic items here are:

• Deutsche Bank, Berlin, 200 Thaler share, 1881, extremely rare and a top object in any international finance collection 
• Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG, 1000 shares certificate, from the Reichsbank archives
• LLoyd-Werft Aktiengesellschaft, builder of boats, 10000 Mark share 1923, underprint of a sailboat and a hand emerging from the water rescuing a canoe.
• Münchener Trambahn-Actien-Gesellschaft, 400 Mark share, 1882, rare founder's share 

Part of the 200 lots in the Deutschland ab 1945 chapter, is this BASF specimen 1000 shares certificate. BASF as we know it today was reorganized in 1952 and became the largest producer of chemicals in the world. In the 1960s and 1970s BASF succesfully sold computer tape and other storage devices. At the end of the 1970s the company marketed Hitachi's mainframe computers and soon thereafter launched their own line of business microcomputers like the BASF 7120 model. The certificate dates from 1967 and shows the Ludwigshafen production site.  L1457 starts at €500. 

A surprise is the sale of a complete collection of stocks and bonds related to Israel. About 130 certificates, spanning two centuries, are initially offered as one lot at €20,000, L24. In case of no bids, buyers have the opportunity to bid on the individual lots. 

This certificate from The Arab Cigarettes and Tombac Company Ltd is part of the Israel collection. The company was founded in Nazareth, which is the largest Arab city in Israel today. The company traded in cigarettes and tombac, a unwashed natural tobacco leaf used with the waterpipe. This unissued share of 1 Palestine pound with text in English and Arabic might be available from €240. 

Over 350 lots are comprised in the USA chapter. Among the many interesting items are: 

• L1743 Florida Land Rock Phosphate Company, Western Bank Note engraving, 1894, unique vignette of phosphate miners in forest 
• L1835 New Orleans, Opelousas and Great Westeren Rail Road Company, stock certificate, 1855, large train vignette, signed by Benjamin Franklin Flanders, Governor of Louisiana and mayor of New Orleans, who formed the 'Friends of Universal Suffrage' 
• L1680 Central New England Railway Company, preferred stock, 1906, large Poughkeepsie Bridge vignette 
• L1652 Apperson Bros. Automobile Company 

Steel engraving is the trademark of the American Bank Note Company. With no sales recorded during the past ten years in the coxrail.com database, this stock from the Tennesee based Morristown and Cumberland Gap Railroad can find a new home from €500 onwards. L1824 

The auction catalog counts over 200 pages. You'll find several more chapters in it, including two with items offered at half of their previous start price. So, lots to discover there. Here are the details :

• Location : The event takes place at the company headquarters in Wolfenbüttel.
• Date : 2 March, 2024
• Further info, see here; PDF catalog see there; live bidding is possible through https://connect.invaluable.com/dwa/  

L277: Sociedad del Teatro Chapi de Villena, 25 pesetas share from 1915, vignette of the Spanish composer Ruperto Chapi, lovely Art Nouveau design, €150 

F.L.

PS : Did you like this post ? Thank you for sharing it on you favorite social media channel !

Predecessor FC Bayern München to be sold at HWPH auction

Historisches Wertpapierhaus AG (HWPH) has scheduled its next double-session sale for 9 and 11 September 2023. Specialist Matthias Schmitt and his team brought together some 1,900 lots of scripophily and related documents for this occasion. Included is an ultra rare and stunning share certificate from FC Bayern München's predecessor, Munich's gymnastics club MTV.

One of the most iconic football clubs FC Bayern doesn't need an introduction. With an average of 75,000 attendees its Allianz Arena mostly runs at 100 per cent capacity level. The club originates from the Männer-Turn-Verein München (Men's Gymnastics Club Munich) when 11 members of the football division left the club and founded Fußball-Club Bayern München in 1900. This share certificate dates from 1886 and is one of only two known. L(ot) 591 in the auction starts at €2,800. 

The first part of the sale is a public auction at Zorneding, Germany, followed two days later by an online auction. Both parts offer historic and beautiful antique stocks and bonds from all continents. 

specimen share certificate from 1953 in the Rheinisch-Westfälische Eisen- und Stahlwerke, L566

To give an idea, here's very small selection of what will go on the block:

• L139, La Hispano Suiza Fábrica de Automóviles, share from 1905, great design by the Spanish painter Ramon Casas
• L592, Boston American League Base-Ball Club, stock certificate, 1911, issued to and signed by centre fielder Jim R. McAleer
• L594, Flamingo Films, Inc., stock certificate, 1933, issued to and signed by actor comedian Buster Keaton 
• L793, Akcionarsky Pivovar na Smichove, 1939, splendid share certificate of this brewery from Prague
• L1737, Republic of El Salvado, $1000 bond,1923 

L27 is a 10 shares certificate from the Toyo Automobile Company, issued in 1912 and a rare example of how Japanese artists became influenced by the Art Nouveau movement. Bidding starts at €400.

You can find more of these fascinating stocks and bonds in HWPH's auction catalogs. Here are the details of this event:

• Dates
•  9 September 2023, Zorneding, Germany, public auction
• 11 September 2023, online auction
• Further info and catalogs, see here on HWPH's site, as well as there on the Invaluable platform . 

F.L.

FHW's 120th auction of historic stocks and bonds presents the Stratmann collection of German film companies

Freunde Historischer Wertpapiere (FHW) has scheduled its 120th sale for October 9, 2021. This time the auctioneer selected more than 1400 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 200 lots from other countries worldwide.

The German chapter presents over 600 lots from the pre-DM period covering all regions and branches. A dedicated Deutschland Top 20 section, lot range 983-1002, bundles the high-end items. Some examples from the German chapter  :

• The Megola Motoren Aktiengesellschaft was an early motorcycle manufacturer. Its boldly designed 10000 Mark share dates from 1923,  L(ot) 961
• L988 is a rare share from the Farge-Vegesacker Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft. Its railway line from Vegesack-Grohn to Blumenthal-Farge was opened in 1888. 
• L1097 presents a loan from the city of Duisburg for the construction of a concert and theater building. Printed by M. Mendelssohn, its large vignette shows the "Tonhalle", destroyed by Allied bombing in 1942.

The Podeus family from the city of Wismar was active in coal and wood trading, iron works, railway cars, agricultural machinery and shipping services. Before WW I the company diversified into automobiles and trucks which they sold under the Podeus brand name. This 1901 share in the Stahl-Schrauben-Dampfschiff “Herzog Johann Albrecht”, a steamer built by the Neptun Werft in Rostock, is signed by Heinrich Podeus.  L1119 in the auction starts at €1200 

The Dieter Stratmann collection consists of German pre-WWII film certificates brought together over a time span of more than 30 years. Included are tens of rare, some unique, bonds and shares from this fascinating theme. Bidders will first have the opportunity to bid on the entire collection as a whole. It consists of 93 certificates grouped into 72 lots (L492 - L563). Start price is set at €18500. In case no bid is achieved, the auctioneer presents the lots one by one. The sale includes many authentic UFA shares, see image below, and many other interesting movie names, such as : 

• Bavariafilm Aktiengesellschaft München, 1923, L494
• L527 and L528, Rolf Randolf-Film-Aktiengesellschaft, Berlin, 1923, 5000 and 10000 mark shares with facsimile signature of actor, film director, screenwriter and producer Rolf Randolf
• L531-L533, Terra Film Aktiengesellschaft, Berlin

During the Weimar Republic (1918-1933) the German film industry became the largest in Europe. Not less than 250 films were produced every year. The most important company of the era was Universal Film AG (UFA). The company stood for experimentation and new technological developments in film making, set design and lighting. In the early 1920s the company expanded the Babelsberg Studio locations into the largest film studio in Europe. Among UFA's great successes were Fritz Lang's Metropolis and The Blue Angel starring Marlene Dietrich and Emil Jannings. Recently, the Babelsberg Studio co-produced international movies like Flightplan, The Hunger Games and Charlie's Angels. Besides this rare and early 1000 Mark share, unissued but from 1921, the auction features several  more original bonds and shares from the Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft. L539 

Over the past years Deutsche Mark scripophily has shown its popularity in German auctions.  After the example of the Deutschland Top 20, the auctioneer published a DM TOP 20 in its PDF auction catalog, see page 164 (link below). You may want to check the interesting statistics and sell-thru rates from recent auctions for that DM category. The current sale includes about 300 DM lots. Here are a few examples from lot range 1184 through 1442 :

• L1289 and 1290, two 1998 specimen "Sammel-Namensaktien" from Generali Lloyd, security printing by Schleicher and Schuell with the Lion of Venice in underprint
• L1299, Gusstahlwerk Witten AG, 1000 DM share, unissued but 1956, see image
• L1358 is a 50000 DM specimen share from department stores company Kaufhof AG, Köln, 1985

In 1948 West Germany introduced the Deutsche Mark which became one of the world's most stable currencies. The country's economy then rapidly developed. This "Wirtschaftswunder" created a heavy demand for steel. Bidding on this stunning share in the Gusstahlwerk Witten Aktiengesellschaft starts at €120.  L1299 in the sale. 

The American scripophily section comprises 270 lots, the bigger part being railway securities. Some noteworthy collectibles are :

• L72, Chester and Iron Mountain Railroad Company, 1st mortgage gold bond of $1000, great railway vignette and lettering, rare
• L176-209, a number of Pennsylvania Rail Road Company stock certificates, issued around 1900, all printed with very odd denominations, such as L200 which was printed for "SIXTY TWO" shares
• L228 is a share in the Rio Grande and Texas Land Company, dated 1836, printed on parchment and showing a map of the Rio Grande and Rio Nueces area. Both rivers marked the disputed border between Mexico and the Texan Republic.

Coca-Cola Bottling Corporation, Boston, MA, $100 shares preferred stock, 1928, famous logo and bottle, printed by Goes, L91, €1000 start price 

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

• Date : 9 October, 2021
• Location : Wolfenbüttel 
• Further info, see here; PDF catalog see there; live bidding is possible through https://connect.invaluable.com/dwa/  

F.L.

PS : Did you like this post ? Thank you for sharing it on you favorite social media channel !

F.H.W. auctions 1900 lots of historic securities in online event. Scripophily from Germany and Austro-Hungarian Empire substantial.

Freunde Historischer Wertpapiere (FHW) has scheduled its 119th sale for February 20, 2021. This time auctioneer Jörg Benecke and his team selected nearly 1900 lots of historic bonds and share certificates. Major sections have been reserved for scripophily from the USA, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and of course Germany.

The auction starts with the American scripophily section, over 240 lots, the bigger part being railway securities. 

L(ot) 41 is an uncancelled! stock certificate from The Cincinnati, Portsmouth & Virginia Railroad Company. Henry Fink signed in 1903 this share as President. He was born in Germany and was called the "Dean of Railroad Men", a title he earned for his continuous service in the railroad field. Fink started his career in 1851 as a rodman on the Western Maryland Railroad. Within several railroad companies he climbed up from construction engineer and master of transportation all the way to vice president, general manager, and receiver. Henry Fink wrote several works on transportation subjects.

Here are some other interesting US railway lots : 

• L44, The Cincinnati, Washington & Baltimore Railroad, 5% First Income Mortgage Bond, $1000, 1883, rare 
• The Tyrone and Clearfield Railway Company share from 1867, L221, displays a lovely railway vignette and is signed by John Edgar Thomson best know for his leadership of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Thomson, an entrepreneur but also a reknown civil engineer co-designed what became known as "Horseshoe Curve".
• L29, The Central Pacific Railway Company, $500 4% First Refunding Mortgage Gold Bond, 1899, color print by ABN with portrait of Collis Potter Huntington, rare 

One of the main roles in FHW's event is played by k.u.k. and its successor states (Nachfolgestaaten). The Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867-1918) comprised Austria, Hungary and parts of todays Italy, Serbia, Croatia, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland and Ukrain. It was the second-largest country in Europe after the Russian Empire at over 620,000 km2. The "kaiserlich und königlich" refers to "imperial (Austria)" and "royal (Hungary)".  The sale features over 300 k.u.k. lots including this lovely fire engine share.

L507 is a 100 Forint share from the Tarnóczy Tűzoltószer- És Gépgyár Részvenytársasag, in English: Tarnóczy Fire engine and Machine Company. Issued in Budapest, 1891, it shows the company's factory, hand-operated fire engines, lathes, a blacksmith and a firefighter with firehose. 

The lion's share of new offerings can be found in two major sections of the auction: Germany before, and, after 1945. The former counts 272 lots, the latter - the "DM" part - features 495 lots. As good as all regions and economic themes are represented. I checked out the catalog reference index on 'breweries and malthouses' and found tens of entries ! 

The economy of West Germany developed rapidly after World War II. This "Wirtschaftswunder" created a heavy demand for steel. German post-WWII securities are often artistically designed. Modern German steel scripophily counts perhaps the most stunning examples. Check FHW's catalog for L1816 Stahlwerke Peine-Salzgitter, L1542 Dortmund-Hörder Hüttenunion and L1641 Hüttenwerke Phoenix. This 1000 DM specimen share in the Rheinisch-Westfälische Eisen- und Stahlwerke AG dates from 1953, L1764 in the sale. Click image to enlarge

Top German item in the sale is L1223, a founders share from 1838 in the Gesellschaft für Spinnerei & Weberei in Ettlingen, the first public limited company in the German cotton industry. The share shows the detailed floor plan of the factory and its usage of hydropower from the Alb, a tributary of the Upper Rhine. The company is known today as ETTLIN AG and still manufactures fabric and technical textiles. 

You want to inspect the "50%" lot range 688-1126. Here, unsold lots from previous sales are offered again at 50% of the original start price. Included are also bonds and shares from the Dr. Werner P. Schmidt Automobile and China Collection.  

From the Dr. Werner P. Schmidt Automobile Collection, L881 consists of two Volvo shares from the 1930s. Volvo was founded in 1927 as a subsidiary of the ball bearing manufacturer SKF. The share shown here bears the facsimile signature of SKF founder Sven Wingqvist. 

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

• Date : 20 February, 2020
• Further info, see here; PDF catalog see there; live bidding is possible through https://connect.invaluable.com/dwa/ 

F.L.

PS : Did you like this post ? Thank you for sharing it on you favorite social media channel !