Choctaw and Memphis Railroad Company – Preferred Stock Certificate, 100 Shares, 1898, framed

RG-2026-164 · This reference is permanently assigned to this work.

ca. 1898 (Dezember 1898, datiert)

Technique: steel engraving
Publisher: American Bank Note Company, Philadelphia (Drucker); Choctaw and Memphis Railroad Company (Aussteller); The Girard Life Insurance, Annuity and Trust Company of Philadelphia (Registrar)
Location: USA – Arkansas/Tennessee (Choctaw-Nation-Territorium bis Memphis, Tennessee)
Dimensions: ca. 44 × 34 cm (gerahmt), Zertifikat ca. 29 × 20 cm. GR
Frame: Goldrahmen (Aluminium/Metall, vergoldet) mit textil-kaschiertem Passepartout (Leinen, graubraun), mit Glas – eingerahmt von Hürlimann-Rahmen, Zug
Condition: good

Price

from CHF 390

About the Work

This 1898 Choctaw and Memphis Railroad Company preferred stock certificate is a prime example of American scripophily at its finest, printed by the prestigious American Bank Note Company of Philadelphia – the same firm that produced U.S. currency and official government documents. The piece combines three original U.S. Internal Revenue Documentary stamps (Series 1898, total $2.50 face value) with an embossed corporate seal, original officer signatures, and the hallmark CANCELLED perforation, all presented in a Swiss gold frame by Hürlimann, Zug. The Choctaw and Memphis Railroad was a key part of the early development of the Choctaw Nation Territory and was absorbed into the Rock Island Line around 1900.

Provenance

This exceptionally well-preserved piece of American financial and railway history comes from a private collection in Zug. The framing sticker on the back (Hürlimann Rahmen, Zug) documents the Swiss collector's provenance. Certificate No. 130 for 100 preferred shares of the Choctaw and Memphis Railroad Company was issued in December 1898 and officially cancelled in January 1900, in the turbulent period when the railway was absorbed into the Rock Island Line. With three original US revenue stamps of the 1898 series (two at $1 and one at 50¢), the Girard Trust registrar's stamp from Philadelphia and the company's embossed seal, this is a complete historical document that unites railway, financial and philatelic history in one piece.

Inscriptions

SHARES $50 EACH | No. 130 | Shares 100 | CHOCTAW AND MEMPHIS RAILROAD COMPANY | PREFERRED STOCK | This Certifies, that [Isaac?] ... is the holder of ONE HUNDRED Shares of the PREFERRED STOCK of the Choctaw and Memphis Railroad Company of the par value of $50 per Share, not subject to any future calls or assessments. Said Shares of Stock are transferable only upon the books of said Company by the Stockholder or his duly constituted Attorney or representative, upon the surrender of this Certificate, and under such regulations as may from time to time be established by the By-Laws of said Company. This Stock will be entitled to receive non-cumulative dividends up to six per cent in every year that the Company may have net earnings applicable to dividends before any dividend shall be declared or paid on the Common Stock. Witness the Corporate Seal of said Company and the signatures of its President and Secretary. Dec 13, 1898 | Countersigned & Registered: The Girard Life Insurance, Annuity and Trust Company of Philadelphia, Registrar | CANCELLED [Lochstanzung + roter Stempel: CANCELLED / JAN 2, 1900 / ... TRUST COMPANY] | AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY, PHILADELPHIA. | $1 U.S. INTERNAL REVENUE DOCUMENTARY ONE DOLLAR [×2] | 50 FIFTY CENTS UNITED STATES INTERNAL REVENUE SERIES OF 1898 DOCUMENTARY [×1]

Shipping & returns

Insured, carefully packed shipping within Switzerland: flat CHF 25. International shipping (EU, USA, Japan and more) on request. Returns accepted within 30 days of receipt if the work is unchanged; return shipping is paid by the buyer.