IBSS - Mail bid auction January 2014

The International Bond and Share Society, sets its next (members only) auction date to 24 January 2014. This auctions counts more than 200 lots.

The Bard Cycle Manufacturing Company Limited
Ordinary shares of 1 Pound, 1897
Scrollwork at left, vignette and embossed seal of bard with harp
double-click image to enlarge

• Date : January 24, 2014
• Place : not applicable, this is a mail bid auction only
• Practical info, see here 
• Auction catalogue can be downloaded here, and images of the lots are listed there 

F.L.

Digest of scripophily readings XI

New online scripophily articles and references, June 2013

Herzlich Willkommen in Schweinfurt

Welcome to Schweinfurt! In Bavaria lies the German city of Schweinfurt. The Schweinfurtfuehrer website, English: the Schweinfurt Guide, mentions all the reasons you can think of why you should visit this place : historic buildings and places, museums, recreation and outdoor activities, art.  

But there is more to see on the site: images of numismatic material have been provided by the Schweinfurt Numismatic Society and the city 's Archives. That includes : coins, banknotes and ... yes, beyond any doubt, ... antique stocks and bonds. Here, you'll see several certificates from ball-bearing factories, and did you spot the interest free loan certificate of that bicycle racetrack, with the vignette of an early bike ? There is also a book published about Schweinfurt's scripophily.  Why haven't I visited this place yet ?

Scripophily from East Germany ?
In the former German Democratic Republic, all companies were hold by the GDR government. That is why we do not see any scripophily from this country (1949-1990). Really? Actually no. A very few number of certificates were apparently issued and survived. DGW Information, issue 2013 - 1, published by the Deutsche Geldschein- und Wertpapiersammler e.V. (English: German Banknote and Scripophily Association), tells us more in the article Bankwesen und Wertpapiere in der DDR, see here.
Tip: on the same page you can see a handful of these East German bonds and even a share.

Investment Bubbles in the early UK Bicycle Industry

The 1880s saw several technical improvements by manufacturers of bicycles to improve the safety of their products. Exports of bikes to France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany increased significantly. Spink Insider Magazine, issue 15 Spring 2013, features an article on the early days of the English bicycle industry. Several UK bicycle and early motor car companies are discussed and illustrated with share certificates.  You can read, and download, this nicely written article online here. The author, John Batten, has currently a story on the Sunbeam Motor Company in the latest Scripophily magazine (see below).

Oh, and if you do read this Spink publication, then you probably want to read the Paris Balloon Posts article, not related to scripophily but quite a story.

Scripophily Magazine
In addition to the online sources above, the latest April 2013 No.91 issue of Scripophily magazine, published by the International Bond and Share Society , contains the following stories :

• 'Specophily' finds another darling, otherwise SAGS, about speculation phenomena in scripophily
• Stocks from 1250, a coverage of medieval scripophily in the form tally sticks
• Cox's Corner : Taking the pulse of (one part) of our hobby, concerning prices and estimates
• The Sunbeam Motor Co. Ltd 1899-1919 
• A short story about a curious stock certificate from the "Capital Circuit Traction Company"
• The Inseparable Brothers Dodge & the Dodge Brothers, Inc.
• Art on Italian Government Bonds
• Smaller articles on : Dayton Manufacturing Co., Casa Grande Improvement Co. scam, Grand Trunk Railway Co. of Canada
• other periodical topics : society matters, news, bourse reviews, auction reviews, events calendar, member classifieds, book reviews

F.L.

Digest of scripophily readings VII

New online scripophily articles and references, October 2012

HPax - Hankes market index for German scripophily

Ulrich W. Hanke is no stranger to German collectors of stocks and bonds. In his German blog, Hankes Historische, Hanke follows the news on the German scripophily scene including auction and eBay results but also highlights the more modern securities. You may also want to read about him in this online interview.
As far as I know he is the first one to publish a market index for the German high end scripophily market. The HPax, Historische wertPApiere-indeX (English: historical securities index), is calculated twice a year and is based on the ten most expensive items sold by auction by the HWPH and FHW auction houses. See the chart here.
It is a matter of time when others may conceive similar indexes for other regions, e.g. Asia, or market segments, such as American gold mining certificates. A great idea!

Banking history of Northern England

In 1894 E. Wilson & Company publishes the book A History of Banks, Bankers and Banking in Northumberland, Durham, and North Yorkshire. It is written by Maberly Phillips. As the subtitle indicates, this worthy volume illustrates the commercial development of the north of England from 1755 to 1894 with numerous portraits, facsimiles of notes, signatures, documents, et cetera.

Chapters:

• Banking in London
• Banking in Scotland
• Incidents prior to Provincial Banking
• Provincial Banking (8 chapters spanning the period 1755 - 1894 )
• Coining and clipping, tontines and lotteries.
• Bank Reviews
• Index

Interesting for us: in 300 pages hundreds of banks are reviewed.  Furthermore, the book is illustrated with close to a hundred images of early coins, clipped coins, forged assignates, banknotes, document signatures, portraits, engravings ..  When did we stop making books like that? A must read for anyone interested in English banking history and early and counterfeit money. Yes, there is an online version. You can see it here , the PDF-link is at the left.

Scripophily Magazine
In addition to the articles above, the brand new August 2012 No.89 issue of Scripophily magazine, published by the International Bond and Share Society, contains the following stories :

• The Oldest Mining Scripophily
• Speculations Roll On (Mexico, Westphalia, Brazil)
• The Nineteenth Century UK Bicycle/Infant Motor Industry Investment 'Bubbles'
• Strasburg Retrospective
• Joseph R De La Mar - The "American Monte Cristo" (US mining & gold mining)
• The Texas Pacific Land Trust and the Saga of Certificate No.390 (railways, land property, oil)
• The Central of Georgia (US railroad and shipping)
• Self-Referential Scripophily: Mary Ann Gold and Silver Mining Co., Nevada Territory
• other periodical topics : News, Bourse Reviews, Book Reviews, Auction Reviews, Events calendar, Member Classifieds, Update Membership Directory Supplement, Club Auction  

Tip 1 : This issue has been put online as free download, see here. If you are still not a member, time to check out the magazine by yourself !

Tip 2 : Also this issue includes a 2-For-1 admission coupon for the Checks and Balances exhibition, see here,  at the Museum of American Finance, open through November 2012.

F.L.

Signed the Guest book yet ?