Wednesday, May 24, 2023

HSK presents American scripophily, bonds and shares from Northern Germany and the H-W Schmidt collection of German banking securities

Hanseatisches SammlerKontor für Historische Wertpapiere (HSK) plans its next auction of stocks and bonds on June 3, 2023 at its headquarters in Wolfenbüttel. Over 1200 lots are described in full in a 200 pages counting auction catalogue. All lots can be checked out online as well.



This 1000 mark share from the Landbank, Berlin, featuring a Jugendstil design, was printed in 1897 by the Reichsdruckerei. Only a handfull of these certificates are known. This one is part of the H-W Schmidt collection. L(ot) 762 in the auction starts at €800. 


The Hans-Werner Schmidt Collection of German banking securities forms a major section in this auction. This collection consists of lots 677 through 816 and has been assembled over several decades. A few examples:
  • Rarely seen is the bold industrial artwork of the 10000 mark share in the Ostbayerische Industrie- und Handelsbank AG, Furth i.W., 1923, L778.
  • L751, Herzogl. Sächs. Landrentenbank in Coburg, 100 mark bond, issued in 1911.
  • One of the most spectacular typographical designs in scripophily is the multicolor share certificate from the Preussische Boden Credit Actienbank, Berlin, 1873. L783



The 1873 founder share of the Stadttheater-Gesellschaft zu Hamburg is the top highlight in HSK's auction. The new stone building of the Hamburg State Opera was inaugurated in 1827. In 1873 the building was renovated in Gründerzeit style, as illustrated in the large underprint of the certificate. Gustav Mahler was the company's musical director from 1891 to 1897. In World War II Hamburg was an easy to find target and the opera house was destroyed by fire-bombing. Rebuilt in the early 1950s by Bauhaus architect Gerhard Weber, the Staatsoper reopened in 1955 with Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. L515 starts at €10,000. 


About 900 lots of German scripophily are presented in several sections:
  • L315-446 Bremen and Niedersachsen, for example L348 Deutsche Petroleum-Bohr-Gesellschaft, 1881, illustrated with an oil field vignette 
  • L447-519 Hamburg, e.g. L515 Stadttheater-Gesellschaft zu Hamburg, image see above 
  • Lot range 520 through 645 consists of a collection of Hamburg related zero numbered specimen certificates from the Deutsche Mark period. 
  • L646-676 Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, such as L650, two shares in the Flensburg-Ekensunder Dampfschiffs-Gesellschaft, based in the very north of Germany.
  • L677-818 H-W Schmidt collection of German banking securities, see above
  • L817-1046 Germany before 1945, including L817 a 1852 share from the Aachen-Mastrichter Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft, bilingual in German and Dutch, two coat of arms 'Gott mit uns' and 'Je Maintiendrai', elaborate floral design.
  • L1047-1239 Germany from 1945 onwards, e.g. L1110 Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft, Köln, 1997, illustrated with a world map vignette



Polish Auschwitz survivor Jack Tramiel - who later formed Atari Corporation - founded in 1954 the Commodore Portable Typewriter Company. In 1955 the company was reincorporated in Canada as Commodore Business Machines, Inc., and went public on the NYSE under the name Commodore International Limited in 1962. Already in the early 1970s the company produced electronic programmable calculators. Reorganized in 1976, CIL moved its financiel headquarters to the Bahamas. Launched in 1977 the Commodore PET personal computer helped to bring personal computers to widespread use. L63 starts at €100. 


The American section counts 200 lots including several certificates signed by or issued to Thomas A. Edison, L79, L196, L197 and L78.  A Pan American Airways Corporation stock certificate from 1945, L155,  is issued to Sherman M. Fairchild who also signed it on reverse.  
Some other examples:
  • L106 is a bond from The Huntingdon and Broad Top Mountain Rail Road and Coal Company, large railway bridge vignettte, issued in 1862.
  • A lovely banking vault vignette adorns a Lowry Banking Company stock certificate, Georgia, 1894. L120
  • L26 The American Quick-Transit Steamship Company, 1882, Boston, Mass., depicts a large ocean steamer.



The European section in HSK's 42nd auction includes objects such as this 1904 share from the Société Anonyme du Théatre-Concert du Moulin-Rouge. Located in the Boulevard de Clichy, Paris, this cabaret became a world famous attraction with its can-can danse. Bids start at €200 for L292.


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

F.L.


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Thursday, May 4, 2023

The image tricks your eyes

Since the 1900s Indian security printers developed their own lettering styles and ornaments. Distinguishing themselves from the British design tradition, their work resulted in a unique range of bond and share certificates.

Here is an example from The Ahmedabad New Textile Mills Co. Ltd: a one 4% (Free of Income Tax) Redeemable Cumulative Second Preference Share of Rs.50, issued on 1 March 1947.  



The Ahmedabad New Textile Mills Co. Ltd was established in 1916 by Jivanlal Girdharlal. In 1923 the neighbouring Zaveri Spinning and Weaving Mills was taken over. ANTM produced saris, dhotis, voile and the like. After World War II it had more than 900 looms and provided work to 2,000 employees. 


Have a look at the circular geometric pattern in the upper left corner of the share certificate. In that figure, the middle circle is formed by a black line. 

Can you notice that the first word of the company name, namely 'The', blends in perfectly? The circle's black line changes into the color blue and connects at the same time with the blue outline of the black T character. 




The image tricks your eyes. We still see a full circle. But take away the T-letter, and the circle is broken. Remove the circle and the T is incomplete. Great, isn't it.

F.L.


Saturday, April 29, 2023

Auctioneer Boone celebrates 40th anniversary in Antwerp: oldest stock exchange building houses international scripophily auction and bourse

Mario Boone's 70th scripophily event spans 4 days! On Saturday May 6, a live auction with nearly 800 lots of historic and splendid antique shares and bonds takes place at the "Handelsbeurs" in Antwerp, the oldest stock exchange building in the world.

An international scripophily bourse with free entrance for any visitor is organized at the same location on Sunday May 7. A great opportunity to see antique securities in the center of Antwerp.

On Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 May, roughly 1500 more interesting lots will be sold through the Invaluable platform (live internet auctioning) or via the usual absentee bidding options.



This 1884 share in the Fabrica de Faianças das Caldas da Rainha, a porcelain factory from Portugal, is superbly designed and printed. Against a background of tiles the drawing combines a still life with more than 10 animals. Can you find them? L(ot) 463 starts at €1000. 


Saturday morning kicks off with a section of some 200 lots from Belgium Congo, Ruanda-Urundi and Belgium, including a 1899 Banque Coloniale de Belgique share certificate showing African scenes, L(ot) 6, and L34, a brewery share in the Brasserie de Stanleyville from 1949, both starting at €50. 

Noteworthy in the Belgian chapter are:  L82, Exposition Internationale Coloniale et d'Art Flamand Anvers 1930, a share subscription for the colonial exhibition in 1930, start price €50, and L84, a $500 gold bond from the City of Antwerp. Not to be missed is L97, Compagnie Internationale des Telephones, the oldest Belgian telephone share, 1881, with a large underprint of an early telephone. 



The Société de Zoologie in Antwerp, one of the oldest zoos in Europe, was founded in 1843. Its shareholders could enter the zoo for free on showing their share, hence the folds. Printed in 1843 by Joseph-Ernest Buschmann and designed by his brother and painter Gustave Buschmann. L299, €300 


More Belgian's, and this applies to other countries too, can be found in a mammoth World Highlights section, lot range 193-775. Some examples :
  • The Société Anonyme d'Horticulture et de Botanique de Gand was founded by botanists who started holding botanic exhibitions known as "Gentse Floraliën". Its share from 1835, decorated with flowers, is extremely rare, L294.
  • A top object in any art collection is the 1897 share from the Compagnie Fermière des Eaux Minerales de Genval. It is designed by Art Nouveau architect, painter and designer Paul Cauchie, known for his sgraffito technique. Only three certificates were found in the 1990s, and this is the last one available. L310 starts at €10,000 and can be seen in detail on the auctioneer's brand new website here.
  • The world famous Lotus Bakeries is listed on Euronext Brussels and run by Jan Boone, the grandson of founder Jan Boone sr. This specimen founder share of the Banket- en Peperkoekbakkerij "LOTUS" voorheen "Boone Gebroeders" dates from 1934 and is the only one known to the auctioneer, L318.



Then part of of the French colonies, the Mekong delta with its shallow waters was the perfect place to use "de Lambert hydroglisseurs", aka airboats. This 1920 share from the Société Anonyme des Hydroglisseurs "de Lambert", L228, starts at €200. 


In the Australasia, Asia and Africa sections I spotted these items:
  • Bank of Australia, Sydney, 1833, early share printed on vellum, L193
  • L205 is a nominative share from the Société Provinciale Privilégiee du Fokien - Hoa-Hu, China, 1902, company set up by diplomat Paul Claudel, Chinese landscape.
  • Opium shares are rarely seen. L226 is a nominative share from the Société Fermière de l'Opium au Tonkin, issued in Hanoi, 1887.
Lot range 271 through 279 comes from a diamond collection and includes scarce items such as a 1889 share from The Borneo Diamond Exploration Syndicate. 



This 100 soles share in the Compañia Explotadora de Perlas de Sechura, Lima, 1902, is part of a collection of 214 bonds and shares from Peru, L676. 


The European chapter is the largest one with over 300 lots, L280-L595. This blog format doesn't lend itself for enumerating all lots. Here are some of many astonishing historic securities:
  • L375 and L376 are two Eiffel companies: Société de Constructions de Levallois-Perret and the Société de la Tour Eiffel both showing the Eiffel tower.
  • Christiana Bye og dens Oplands Korn-Selskab, freely translated as Christiania Town and its Upland Grain Company: extremely early Norwegian share, dated 1810, from the time when Denmark ruled Christiania, today Oslo, L451
  • A Swiss watch collection, L563 through L574, includes names like LeCoultre, Tissot and Longines.



L338, Compagnie Générale Maritime, 1856, signed by politician and financier Emile Pereire, gorgious design by painter and engraver Melchior Péronard, €3000 


Over 50 lots of securities and related documents are featured in the 16th-18th century section, including:
  • A 1679! bond from the city of Enghien, Haunaut province, in need for financial resources under French occupation, 4 wax seals, L596
  • On Aug 27, 1701, Philip V, King of Spain and Louis XIV signed a treaty granting France the exclusive privilege to supply the Spanish colonies in the Americas with African slaves. This right was called the "Asiento". Issued in 1703 for 3000 Livres this share in the Compagnie Royale de l'Assiente, is an important evidence of imperialistic slave-trading practises in the 18th century and extremely rare, L607.



Rio de Janeiro Tramway Light and Power Company Limited, 1 share, text in English, French and German, 1909, facsimile signature of electrical engineer and entrepreneur Frederik Stark Pearson, L664, €200


The Latin America chapter, lots 657 through 677, include several remarkable collection lots. Each of these will be offered as a single group, and only when no bids are made, each collection will split and offered into single item lots in the online sessions on the following Monday & Tuesday:
  • L658 collection of Brasilian government bonds
  • L659 collection of Brasilian state bonds
  • L660 collection of Brasilian railroad certificates
  • L661 collection of Brasilian port/shipping certificates
  • L662 collection of Brasilian Industrial securities
  • L670 collection of Mexican scripophily
  • L676 collection of bonds and shares from Peru 
More Latin Americ scripophily, as is the case for other themes, will be auctioned on the two online sessions on 8 & 9 May 2023.



L682, New Jersey Southern Rail Road Company, $1000 bond, 1873 signed by railway tycoon Jay Gould, extremely rare, €12000


The American section of the Saturday highlights is divided in three chapters : Jay Gould , railroads, and various themes. To name a few:
  • The 50 cents bond, 1841, from the Ocmulgee and Flint River Rail Road Company is not only small in size and value, but rare as well. L689
  • L763 is stock certificate from The Kansas City Distilling Company, a whisky maker, view of the distillery, 1889
  • The World's Columbian Exposition was held in Chicago in 1893. It's share shows a lovely vignette of an allegorical woman and an underprint of the exposition site. L765
A tip for American railway collectors, you should check out Coxrail on this auction, see here



Société Hydro-Electrique de la Réunion, founder's share, 1928, map of Réunion in underprint and border with a pattern of volcanos, likely the Piton de la Fournaise, L927, €50 


The online sessions of this event are scheduled the days after the bourse on Sunday. These offer another 1500 lots of scripophily (or a bit less when the Latin American collections are hammered on the preceding Saturday - see above). Use the catalog's indexes or the search functions on the auctioneer's new website to find what you need.

The weekend of 6 & 7 May is a chance to see some great antique securities. The venue is the Handelsbeurs Antwerpen. 

Here are the auction details :
F.L.


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Friday, March 17, 2023

Something for everyone: HWPH puts 4486 lots on the auction block!

Historisches Wertpapierhaus AG has scheduled his next triple-session auction for 27, 28 and 29 March 2023. This time Matthias Schmitt and his team brought together over 4400 lots of scripophily and related documents from all continents. 

One thing is for sure, you need some time to go through all the offerings. So I suggest you use keywords in the online search functions. HWPH's site has a dedicated page to select Regions, Countries, Eras and Industries, see here. I tried out the country Japan and found over 40 related lots. 



This unissued Kyoto bond was part of the city's 1909 5% External Loan of 45,000,000 francs. It shows the facsimile signature of mayor Saigo Kikujiro (1861-1928). He was a member of the Satsuma army, a group of dissident samurai that revolted against the imperial government in the Seinan War of 1877. Then, he was shot in the right leg which was partially amputated. Later, as mayor of Kyoto, he organized large infrastructure projects such as the excavation of the Second Lake Biwa Canal, the development of the city's water supply resources, and the expansion of Kyoto's roads and tramway network. With the Mitsui Bank, Saigo Kikujiro procured this 45 million francs foreign loan to finance these projects.  L(ot) 1895  


On the same page you can select for certain industries such as Fine China (Porcelain): you'll be surprised how many hits you get on this theme.  

Oh yes, you can combine 'industries' with 'countries'. I tried USA + Railways, and there it is, over 200 lots in that combination, including the following rare bond printed by the National Bank Note Company. 



The Yumuri Rail and Tramway Company was incorporated in 1907 in the state of New York to construct a railway across the east end of Cuba connecting the northwest and southeast coasts. The Republic of Cuba was founded in 1902. The country's first decade was tumultuous and created a difficult climate for foreign investors. It is unclear what happened to the Cuban operations of this company. It went bankrupt in 1914. Click to enlarge image. L2996 


HWPH also brings its event to the online public through Invaluable.com. There, you'll find a separate section for each auction session. Click through to see the items. From there continue and select "Sort by: Price High to Low" to find the top items within each session. 



One of the top items from the first session is this 500 thaler Prussian Courant share in the Pommersche-Ritterschaftliche Privat-Bank from Stettin.  Today known as Szczecin, Poland, Stettin was then the capital of the Prussian Provence of Pomerania.  The fine print was produced by the Berlin-based lithographic workshop of H. Hindersin. Click the image below to see the rich details on the word "Actie" (share). L796 in the auction.



There is a lot more to discover in HWPH's auction catalogs. Here are the details of this online event:
  • Dates: 27, 28 and 29 March, each day starting at 11 AM German time 
  • Location: this is an online event
  • Further info and catalogs, see here on HWPH. Live bidding is possible through Invaluable.com, see there.

F.L.

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Thursday, March 2, 2023

Scripophily Puzzle No. 7 - solution

What have The Washington Post, Berkshire Hathaway and 20th Century Fox in common? 

Answer: Scripophily Puzzle No. 7 ? 
Hm, yes ... but no, we are looking for the solution of that puzzle.

To help you solve the puzzle, see here, I provided three visual cues. These were images from three different stock and bond certificates. Each one relates to our mystery person.

And the correct answer for the puzzle was ... (drumm roll in the background) ... Katharine Graham.

The first cue showed a 100 shares certificate from The Washington Post Company, issued in 1971. At that time Katharine Meyer Graham was the President of her family's newspaper business. 




Her father, financier Eugene Meyer was Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board from 1930 to 1933. After leaving the Federal Reserve he bought the Washington Post newspaper at a bankruptcy auction in 1933 and became its "publisher". In the US a newspaper publisher is the owner of small newspaper company, or the chief executive of a major newspaper. Eugene Meyer was both. 
 
When president Harry Truman named Meyer to be the first president of the World Bank in 1946, Meyer transferred control of the Post to his daughter and her husband Phil Graham, the new publisher. After his father-in-law passed away in 1959 Phil Graham became the company's new president and chairman of the board.

So much for some background info about the newspaper. Enters our starring role, Katharine Meyer Graham.



Katharine Graham, publisher of The Washington Post, guest at a meeting of the Dutch Newspaper Press (NDP) in 1975
attribution: Unknown / Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons, URL see here  


In 1938, after graduation, Katharine Meyer covered labor news and a wide range of other topics at the San Francisco News. One year later she returned to Washington to work for her father's newspaper. Katharine married Philip Graham in 1940. After serving the army during World War II he took over the position of The Washington Post's publisher from her father.

When her husband died in 1963, she took control of the newspaper as its new president and publisher. Back then, a woman was not supposed to be able to run a tough business like a newspaper company, but she persisted.



Katharine Graham was the first woman to head a Fortune 500 company. She was the first to serve as a director of the Associated Press, the news service owned by member newspapers, and of the American Newspaper Publishers Association. Her facsimile signature appears on stock certificates from The Washington Post.  


Mrs Graham made historic decisions about the publication of the Pentagon Papers in 1971, a top secret government account of the war in Vietnam, and the Watergate scandal, which led to Richard Nixon's resignation from the presidency in 1974 under the threat of impeachment. 

In both cases, she hold out against massive pressure from the White House and other government agencies not to publish, at the risk of criminal charges for violating espionage laws and opposition to licenses for the company's broadcasting properties.

Together with Benjamin C. Bradlee, The Post's editor, Katharine Graham took the company to the top in American journalism. During her leadership, the company's revenue grew about twentyfold. The Washington Post got listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1971 and became a diversified media corporation.



What did The Washington Post disclose about the Vietnam War? The Pentagon Papers revealed that the U.S. had secretly enlarged its military operations in the Vietnam War, without informing the mainstream media. 


The first visual cue of this puzzle - a Washington Post share with Katharine Graham's signature - already contained sufficient information to take a good guess.  

However, I wanted to make you doubt yourself by providing two more visual cues, diversions, including one with a detail of another famous signature. 



The facsimile signature shown in the second image provided is the one from famous investor Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., a multinational conglomerate holding company. 

Warren Buffett started buying large portions of Washington Post stocks in the 1970s. He became a close friend and financial advisor to Katharine Graham. For 37 years Buffett was a member of the board of the newspaper till 2011. At that time Berkshire Hathaway owned 21% of the common stock in The Post.




The last visual cue for this puzzle is a $5,000 bond certificate from Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. 20th Century Fox released in 2017 The Post, a political thriller about The Washington Post and the publication of the Pentagon Papers. It stars Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham. 

Trivia: Katharine Meyer Graham and Meryl Streep both attended Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, though at different times.

The movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, also shows a similar looking stock certificate from The Washington Post. Check out The Post's trailer at imdb.com see here. Scroll forward there to 1m 32sec to see Meryl Streep presenting the Washington Post's new stock certificate. 



The Washington Post's company seal, shown at the bottom of the share, mentions 1947 as its date of (re)incorporation. Near the upper left and right corner of the image, and outside the seal, you can distinguish two small round marks. You can find these dots elsewhere on the certificate too and also on many other American stock certificates. Called "planchettes" they are mixed into the paper pulp during the manufacturing process of the security paper and glow under ultraviolet light. 


Is The Washington Post still owned by the Graham family? In Oct 2013, the Graham family sold the newspaper to Nash Holdings, owned by Jeff Bezos, for $250 million.

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

FHW auctions the Gottfried Schultz collection of worldwide automobile securities

Freunde Historischer Wertpapiere (FHW) has scheduled its 123rd sale for March 4, 2023. This time the auctioneer selected nearly 2000 lots of historic bonds and share certificates. 

FHW reserved major sections for scripophily from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Germany, the German DM era, and the USA. Over 400 lots from previous auctions are grouped in a "50% from previous callout" section. On top of that about 900 lots of automobile related securities will attract the attention of collectors worldwide. 



In 1928 Harry J. Wolfington signed this stock certificate from Alex. Wolfington's Son, Inc., as President. At the age of 14 he joined the carriage body business founded in 1876 by his father Alexander. Seeing business opportunities with the rise of the automobile, he turned to the production of bodies for luxurious buses and carbodies for Stutz, Pierce-Arrow and Duesenberg. The latter's convertible 1929 Phaeton Royale is legendary. L(ot) 725 starts at €750 and is part of the Schultz automobile collection. 


The bulky Automobile section includes nearly 900 lots of antique securities from lesser known companies but also resounding names appear on the block such as : L923 Duesenberg Automobile and Motors, L1059 Hansa-Lloyd Werke, L1116 Hispano Suiza, L1329 Rolls-Royce and L1491 Automobiles Delahaye.  Food for specialists!



No doubt two top pieces in FHW's Automobile section are a 1908 share from the Établissements De Dion-Bouton, L957, signed by Georges Bouton, as well as a 1919 bond from the same company with facsimile signature of Albert De Dion, L958. In 1900 De Dion-Bouton was the largest automobile manufacturer in the world. Its cars and engines were all being made by hand; the assembly line had not yet been introduced. 


A major part of the offerings consists of antique bonds and shares from Germany with pre- and post-DM eras each in a dedicated section. Some examples:
  • L1621, a specimen share from the Credit-Bank Nürnberg eGmbH, 1924, large underprint of building, originating from a sample book printed by the Universitätsdruckerei H. Stürtz, Würzburg
  • A 1837 interim share in the Rhein-Weser-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft depicts a train entering a tunnel. Daring for the time! Early and only certificate known. L1682
  • L1722, Basalt-Actien-Gesellschaft aka Basalt-AG extracts basalt, limestone, sandstone, granite and other rock from quarries in Germany and Europe. A large vignette on its DM100 share, 1973, depicts a worker handling basalt chunks.



The world's first passenger airline, Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft (DELAG), was organized in 1909 as a subsidiary of the Zeppelin airship construction company. DELAG's airships made air travel possible first between Germany's cities, later to the Mediterranean and then across the Atlantic with destinations in the US and South America. Its LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin measured over 230 meters long and cruised at 117km/h with a 15,000 kg payload. In 1929 it made a round-the-world flight (including stops) in 21 days, the fastest circumnavigation of the globe at the time. This share was printed by Osterrieth in 1910. L1626 


There is a lot to discover in the sale. Here are the details :



FHW's 123rd auction includes a Austro-Hungarian Empire section, L18 through L209. However, this 1895 share in the Magyar Folyam- és Tengerhajózási Részvény Társasag (Hungarian River and Sea Shipping Joint Stock Company) can be found in the "50% from previous callout" section.  


F.L.


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Friday, January 13, 2023

"Auction Explosion!" says Scripophily magazine

Scripophily is the world’s most comprehensive and insightful publication for passionate collectors and active researchers of antique securities. 

The magazine uncovers the stories and features of historic and artistic securities. It brings tales of famous and forgotten business plot twists and memorable personalities. In addition, reports from the auction markets help you to stay up-to-date.



Scripophily, a three-yearly periodical, printed on high quality paper, is the flagship of The International Bond and Share Society (IBSS). 


Here is an overview on the topics brought in the latest issue :
  • Events Calendar 
  • Michigan Copper Mining Stock Discovered
  • Boone To Celebrate 40 years with International Scripophily Event in Antwerp
  • Earliest known German Stock Hammered Down at 72,000 Euros
  • Bang-Up Scripophily at Bonhams New York
  • National Show Back on Track! (27 & 28 Jan 2023, Crown Plaza-Dulles Airport)
  • Banks in Transition: From Counters to Apps (Swiss Finance Museum new exhibition) 
  • Address on Stock Leads to Present Day 
  • eBay Seller Name Fraudulently Used to Pitch Scam
  • Letter to the Editor 
  • Lingenfelter Collection Donated to the University of California at San Diego 
  • EDHAM wins Wikipedia Award and awards Professor Wanner Prize 
  • $2.4 Million for one Bond (Marchel Duchamp at Christie's)
  • The Winpennys of Manyunk
  • Specialization in Our Hobby
  • Deutsche Bank Part III: Shares in Deutsche Bank as a Mirror of German Currency History
  • W. Y. O. D. and Other Strange Mining Company Names
  • Modernizing Certificates 
  • Agua Suja Mining Co., Ltd - Diamonds in Brazil 
  • Charles Yerkes and the West Chicago Street Railroad



Until 2010 LLoyd Aéreo Boliviano was the principal airline of Bolivia. Founded in 1925, LAB is one of the earliest airlines in the world. This share, issued in 1926 La Paz, sold in HWPH's Sep 2022 auction for €160. 


In its current issue Scripophily reports on exceptional auction activity from recent months. Five-digit amounts are hammered for top historic items, such as:
  • John D. Rockefeller Standard Oil Company founders' stock certificate (Bonhams, $28,000)
  • the oldest known German share certificate from the Embden Asiatic Company which traded with China (FHW, €72,000)
  • Oost-Indische Compagnie aka V.O.C. bond (HWPH, €40,000)
  • the oldest loan of the City of Antwerp from 1558 (Booneshares, €36,000) 
  • Nikola Tesla owned share in the Nikola Tesla Company (Bonhams, $28,000) 
  • and a share owned by Frederick-William III of Prussia (HWPH, €25,000) 
More details and images on these recent scripophily highlights, and many other discoveries, can be found in the 48 pages counting December issue.

Subscribing to IBSS's magazine costs you only £28, $35 or €32. What are you waiting for ?
All the info can be found here .

F.L.


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