SFO exhibits aviation scripophily

The San Fransisco International Airport (SFO) Museum will be home to more than 40 stock certificates  between September 2011 and March 2012.

Pan American World Airways, Inc.

1959, 100 Shares of $1

facsimile signature of Juan T. Trippe

the most common share certificate in scripophily ?

Financing Pan Am

The Financing Pan Am exhibition presents over 40 different stock certificates from Pan American World Airways.  The SFO Museum is located in the international airport of San Francisco which counts almost 40 million passengers per year. Practical information about the exhibition, see here .

Aviation Corporation of the Americas
holding company of Pan Am
100 Shares without nominal or par value, 1930
facsimile signature of Cornelius V. Whitney
printed by Quayle & Son, New York

The certificates were donated to the SFO Museum by Jon E. Krupnick in 2010. Although I am not sure, I believe, he was also the author of the book Pan American's Pacific Pioneers: the Rest of the Story.

F.L.

Related links :

• Pan Am exhibition at the San Fransisco Airport Museum
• Pan Am Historical Foundation

NB: If the San Fransisco International Airport is on your schedule, do let us know how you experienced the exhibition.

The double-headed eagle of the Third Rome

The internet technology company Google has one of the most famous and recognizable logos. In scripophily, this title is taken by the double-headed eagle of the Russian Tsar. During the 19th century, until the Russian Revolution in 1917, millions of securities have been issued to finance the Russian state, its railways, Russian companies and Russian cities. They were distributed all over Europe and the rest of the world. But have you paid any attention yet to the imperial eagle that has been printed on so many certificates? Have you noticed how many shields that eagle bears ?  Ever heard of the Third Rome ?

Collage of bonds from the Russian Empire.
Image sources provided by Mr. and Mrs. A. Kamyshin

Nine coats of arms represent 500 years of history
When looking carefully, you can distinguish 9 coats of arms on the eagle. However, in most cases, these shields are printed so tiny that few details can be revealed.

Russian Kopek coin 1917
click to enlarge and distinguish the 9 shields

The center shield on the eagle's chest is the one with the arms of Moscow. Then, in clockwise order starting from the heads, we see the arms of Astrakhan, Siberia, Georgia, Finland, Kiev-Vladimir-Novgorod, Taurica, Poland and Kazan. As you will read further, you'll see that this double-headed eagle represents about 500 years of Russian imperial history. To be honest, I was unaware of the rich past of Russia and while reading about it I found myself consuming one story after another. I can only recommend you to do the same.

2e Russ. 5% Inner. Anleihe mit praemien-verloos.

1866, Bond for 100 Roubles

Double-click for details

At the end of the post, I'll highlight some more remarkable appearances of the Russian eagle, but to start with, here is a brief overview the shields and the history that is represented by them, given again in their clockwise order.

Book : Polish Securities

  

• Title : Polskie Papiery Wartościowe - Polish Securities
• Authors : Lesław A. Paga, Leszek Kałkowski
• ID: ISBN 83-900695-8-X, published by Rosikon Press, 1995 (2nd edition) 
• Languages : Polish, English
• Number of pages : 200
• Images : color, almost on every page, large format images
• Indexes : no indexes, certificates are discussed in chronological chapters

This large format book gives an overview of Polish certificates grouped in chronological manner.

Chapters

• Securities issued in partitioned Poland before 1918
• Securities issued in the Second Polish Republic before 1924
• Securities issued in the Second Polish Republic after currency reform
• Securities issued in Poland after 1945

An interesting book on Polish stocks and bonds.

F.L.

NB:

Did anyone compile an index of the many companies mentioned in this book ?

I would be happy to add the index to this post.