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 :

• Location : Antwerp, Belgium
• Dates
• 6 May 2023, Boone's 70th live and internet auction
• 7 May 2023, bourse of historic bonds and shares
• 8 & 9 May 2023, online auction sessions
• Further info : 
• online catalog & bidding, see here on the auctioneer's new website, 
• or via the Invaluable platform (large images), see there 

F.L.

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Scripophily magazine uncovers the stories of historic and artistic securities

Scripophily magazine brings you into the world of antique stocks and bonds. Buckle up! Compelling stories, business plot twists and memorable personalities won't let you go during your reading journey. You'll find out about today's discoveries. Reports from the auction markets will keep you up-to-date. So, if you are serious about this matter, then this is the magazine you are looking for.

Scripophily was first published in 1982 under the name The Bond & Share Society Journal. On the occasion of the magazine's 100th edition, editor Max Hensley testified :

"The magazine appears on high quality paper, articles are longer and brought with more images in full color. Every issue was produced .. without paying a penny for content".

That's right, all content is created voluntarily by enthousiastic people from the hobby, three times a year.

Issue 108 brings over 50 pages of scripophily news, in depth articles, pictures of collector friends, auction reports and more than 100 high quality images of stunning, historic or rare stocks and bonds. Here is a summary on the topics brought in the latest issue :

• Swiss railway scripophily on Youtube 
• Newsletter about Belgian scripophily 
• Herzog Collection on the IBSS website 
• Mexican scripophily sources 
• New book on US railways by Terry Cox 
• New book on the Wogau Empire (Russia) by Erik Meyer 
• Playwright Neil Simon 
• The shipyard from Gdansk 
• Saved at the last minute, a story on share adventures
• Donating collections, do's and don'ts 
• "A L'Innoviation" inferno (Belgium) 
• Borki train disaster (Ukraine) 
• Cattle ranching in the US 
• Barcelona Traction, Light and Power Co 
• Survival rates on US Mining scripophily 

Is this a free magazine? No. Good stuff is never for free. But a 1-year subscription full of excitement only costs £20 or $32 or €25. The magazine is published by the International Bond and Share Society, the leading international organization for collectors, dealers and auctioneers in this field. More info : https://scripophily.org/membership/join/ 

F.L.

Related links

• What is Scripophily, a quick introduction  
• What is a share, what is a stock certificate ? 
• Scripophily Journals available to the public from the International Bond & Share Society

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Digest of scripophily readings XIV

New online scripophily articles and references, September 2014

The oldest Siemens share is an American one !

Dr. Roland Schmidt tells us a remarkable story about the two Siemens brothers Friedrich  and Werner and their achievements in gas and electrical lighting. Check out his latest post "Oldest Siemens Share Certificate".

American Security Printers Guide
The American Society of Check Collectors (ASCC) is non-profit organization of collectors of checks and other financial documents like drafts, bills of exchange, promissory notes et cetera. See some nice examples here. Interesting for us, the ASCC maintains a Security Printers Guide. You can download a PDF version here. In this list of more than 70 pages, check the 'Type' column for the letter "s" in order to find the names of printers of stock and bond certificates.

Shares for Children
A lot of kids are fascinated by the heroes on the big screen created by DREAMWORKS, Disney and Pixar. At the age of ten, my favorite pastime was playing with MATCHBOX cars. Nonvaleurs News's online issue of last August brings a special about "Children" shares. See here, for the English and there for the German edition. 

The History of Derivatives

The Museum of American Finance organizes a college level class titled The History of Derivatives (17th Century - present). See here for the outline of the program. The Museum offers several 45-60 minute classroom programs, by request only, taught in the education center by museum educators and industry professionals. Standard classes cost $250 and advanced classes cost $500. Classes can accommodate up to 40 people and include museum admission. An overview of other classes can be found here. A good idea for a school trip in New York !

Ten reasons to join IBSS

Scripophily Magazine

The International Bond and Share Society (IBSS) recently announced their last issue of Scripophily magazine on their Facebook page, see here.  I'll come back to this later. In the mean time, in addition to the online sources above, the second last April 2014 No.94 issue of Scripophily magazine contains the following stories :

• World Top One Hundred, the 100 highest prices since IBSS was founded in 1978
• Catalogue of Shares, by the Serbian Numismatics Society
• Stamp Taxes on Nevada Stock Certificates, an online publication (link in the magazine).
• Rare Comstock certificates, about the Wells Fargo Mining Co.
• Cox's Corner : The funny thing about valuing collectibles
• The Ducktown Desert and the Case of Tennessee Copper
• Country Survey : the Netherlands Indies
• Belgian Economic Activities in Romania before the Great War
• other periodical topics : society matters, news, bourse reviews, auction reviews, events calendar, member classifieds, book reviews, interviews and lots of pictures of collector friends and scripophily.

F.L.

P.S. I'm also on Twitter

Book : Acciones Españolas

double-click image to enlarge
image source by Boone Shares

• Title : Acciones Españolas, la historia gráfica de los títulos Españoles; in English : Spanish share certificates, the graphical history of the Spanish securities
• Authors : Jorge Ibáñez
• ID : ISBN 84-95241-18-8, published by Bancoval, S.A. Grupo Dexia, 2001
• Languages : Spanish and English
• Number of pages : 197
• Images : more than 150 large color images 
• Indexes : no index

This luxury publication introduces us into, arguably, the most decorative theme in scripophily one can think of : Spain. More than 150 large color images are used to illustrate the following topics, both in Spanish and English :

• Sociedades por acciones y modernización económica en España (1700-2000); Stock companies and economic modernisation in Spain (1700-2000)
• Las primeras compañias; The first companies (18th century)
• La Españia de ultramar; Spain overseas (including some Philippines and Cuban certificates)
• La deuda pública; Public debt
• Los bancos; The banks
• El seguro y el mar; Insurance and the sea
• Aparece el tren; The arrival of the train
• El último tranvía; the last streetcar
• El automóvil; the automobile
• Las minas; Mines
• La electricidad; Electricity
• Con pan y vino; With bread and wine 
• El Modernismo Catalán; Catalonian Art Nouveau
• Madrid, Madrid, Madrid
• Los Españoles se divierten; Spaniards have fun

Most sections are briefly covered but the following ones are illustrated with a more extensive set of certificates including several rare pieces : 18th century companies, railroads and tramways and Catalonian art (including 3 certificates designed by J. Camins).

The companies included were active in the field of : trading companies, insurances, mining, banking, railway and tramways, public debt, public transport, electric power and lighting, food & wine, bull fighting, and more. 

A nice introduction into antique stocks and bonds from Spain. 

F.L.

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales home to Welsh-interest share certificates

Amgueddfa Cymru, the National Museum Wales, is today a Welsh Government sponsored body. Founded by royal charter in 1907, it consists of nine museums including the National Museum Cardiff, St Fagans National History Museum and the Big Pit National Coal Museum. Earlier this year, the Museum announced on its blog, see here, that it had received 16 very interesting share certificates, including a share certificate from the Royal Copper Mines of Cobre company founded in 1835.

Royal Copper Mines of Cobre
"We hereby certify that the holder is entitled to five shares of forty pounds each, 
in the Royal Copper Mines of the township of Cobre in the Islands of Cuba"
By permission of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

The Museum has been actively collecting certificates since the mid 1980s and holds by  far the largest and wide-ranging Welsh-interest share certificate collection held by any public museum, library or archive. The collection covers coal mining, metal mining (copper, gold, lead, silver, zinc), slate quarrying, metal smelting and processing, roads and bridges, canals, railways, shipping, public transport, public utilities (e.g. gas) and leisure (such as sporting and social clubs, cinemas). Currently more than 850 share certificates and related documents are preserved in the archives, says Mark Etheridge, Curator for the Industry & Transport Collections.

Pontypridd Gas Light and Coke Company
Share of 10 Pounds, 1852
By permission of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

The Welsh share certificates are used for temporary exhibitions whenever certificates are relevant to the subject matter of the exhibition. Two years ago, certificates from Welsh copper mining and copper smelting companies were displayed when an exhibition on the Welsh copper industry was mounted at the National Waterfront Museum at Swansea.

Paper objects deteriorate if exposed to high light levels or if displayed for long periods, clarifies Robert Protheroe Jones, Principal Curator Industry. For conservation reasons no paper objects, including certificates are displayed for long periods. That explains why certificates are not permanently on display.

Pontypridd Gas Light and Coke Company
detail from the certificate shown above
By permission of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

The Welsh-interest certificate collection is held in the first place for study and reference. The Museum's certificates have also been utilised by authors of industrial history books. The collection is stored at the Museum's Collections Centre near Cardiff. The Museum is always pleased to provide access to the collection prior by appointment Mondays to Fridays.

From my question whether there were any certificates in Welsh - I haven't seen any yet - I learned that despite Wales being a bilingual country, Welsh was rarely used on certificates because English was dominant in commerce. More, shares in Welsh companies were usually promoted to potential investors in all parts of the UK. But the Museum has one bilingual certificate of "Cymdeithas Telynau Cymru (The Welsh Harp Society) Ltd", dated 1964.

I want to thank Robert Protheroe Jones, Principal Curator Industry, and Mark Etheridge, Curator for the Industry & Transport Collections, for their enthusiastic feedback about the Welsh scripophily collection.

F.L.

Related links

• Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales 
• the Museum's blog  and Twitter account 

Scrollwork at left

The common use of the term 'scrollwork' in scripophily

In auction catalogues that are written in English, you probably have noticed lot descriptions containing a phrase like 'scrollwork at left'. Such an expression will refer to a whole of ornamental design elements at the left side of a share or bond certificate. The term is an English term and you will often find such design elements on English shares and bonds. An example of scrollwork is printed at the left on the share shown below, hence the expression 'scrollwork at left'. Is there also something like 'scrollwork at right'? Ofcourse, scrollwork can be seen on all possible positions on a certificate. 

The Para Electric Railways and Lighting Company, Limited

Certificate for 5% first debenture stock, 1968

Printed by W.H. Rickinson & Son

left image: detail of the 'scrollwork at left' 
double-click to enlarge images

Origins of the term 'scrollwork'

Scrollwork is an ornamental design element resembling a spiral. The name is derived from the word scroll which is a roll of paper, parchment or papyrus. The edge view of a scroll forms a spiral. 

The term scrollwork is derived from the word scroll, which is a roll of paper. 
The edge view of the paper forms a spiral.
detail from the certificate below

Nouvelle Compagnie de la Ligne Internationale d'Italie
par le Simplon (Chemins de Fer et Navigation)
Bond for 525 Francs, 1868
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Digest of scripophily readings VI

New online scripophily articles and references, September 2012

AHM brings our mining past back alive

Archivo Historico Minero is an online project, in Spanish. The site contains a large image database related to coal mining in Spain, but also gold and iron mines, marble quarries and lots of other mining sites and related events from all over the world. Numerous photographs are provided by many contributors. You can find here the main link to this project. Also, interesting for scripophily collectors, there is a section Acciones mineras with lots of images of mining stocks and bond certificates. You can find it there. A great initiative and anyone can help contributing images and related stories.

Telephone and telegraph histories from South America

In a series of books, published in the 1920s, Victor M. Berthold of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, discusses South America's telephone and telegraphy history featuring several early telecom companies :

• History of the telephone and telegraph in Brazil, 1851-1921
• History of the telephone and telegraph in Chile, 1851-1922
• History of the telephone and telegraph in Colombia, 1865-1921
• History of the telephone and telegraph in the Argentine republic, 1857-1921
• History of the telephone and telegraph in Uruguay, 1886-1925

And guess what.. at least two of these books are available online! You can find the Argentine part here and the Brazilian part there. On the left, you'll find a link for downloading a PDF version.

Does anybody know if the other parts have been put online as well ?

Why Wall Street, why Bulls and why Bears ?

CNBC has put online some short videos about the history of Wall Street. Find the answers on the following questions in these minute videos :

• Do you know why Wall Street is called Wall Street?
• Why are optimists called Bulls? 
• Why are pessimists called Bears?




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der aktiensammler
In addition to the articles above, the latest August 2012 No.4/12 issue of der aktiensammler magazine, contains the following stories (in German) :

• McDonald's : Fast food at its best
• Die älteste Siemens-Aktie: Ein US-Papier aus dem Jahr 1883, in English: The oldest Siemens share (The Siemens' Regenerative Gas Lamp Company)
• Die Rentenmark - der Sanierer der Hyperinflation, English: The Rentenmark - remedy for hyperinflation (part 10 in a series on the evolution of money)
• Dampflok-Tradition: Nordhausen-Wernigeroder Eisenbahn AG, or in English: the Nordhausen-Wernigeroder Railway Company
• Zwischen Wupper und Ruhr: Bergische Kleinbahnen AG, freely translated: Between the Wupper and the Ruhr (river) runs the Berg Light Railway Company
• Trabrennbahn Hamburg-Bahrenfeld: Getrabt wird bald woanders, about the Hamburg-Bahrenfeld harness racing track
• Friedrich Eberts Zwangsanleihe: Verjährte Massenpapiere, English: Friedrich Ebert's Forced Loan - piles of expired bonds
• Die Ebay-Spekulationswelle flacht deutlich ab, in English: Speculation wave on Ebay is clearly weakening
• other periodical topics : Auction Reviews, Book Reviews, Collector's Portrait, Events Calendar, Classifieds

F.L.