Wanted   Do you have a passion for antiques and collectibles - and writing?   The Wayback Times invites you to submit freelance articles for use in print and on our new web site.   E-mail your text submissions to The Wayback Times.   Articles published in The Wayback Times since 1995 have covered a wide range of interests, from Golliwoggs to toy VW collecting, and from collecting insulators to hunting old books.   Most authors of our online selection of articles have included their e-mail addresses and they are always delighted to hear from other collectors.

Ad Rates / Articles / Classified Ads / Editorial / Home / Links / Showtime   The Antique Detective   The Antique Detective Collecting vintage stocks and bonds   By Anne Gilbert Have you ever wondered what happens to stock certificates and bonds when the companies fail or simply become obsolete?   While many of these cancelled pieces are destroyed, shredded by banks, others are born again as an exciting collectible known as Scripophily. Its collectors are referred to as Scripophiliacs.   It was in 1980 when George LaBarre, who had been an incurable collector of stamps and coins since the age of nine, first set eyes on a large group of Boston, Hartford and Erie railroad bonds.   "The engraving on these bonds was so beautiful, including superb color, graphics and many rows of coupons all bearing a train vignette, that I was hooked," he once said.   At that time LaBarre, a dealer in collectibles, turned his attention to what he saw as a serious collecting category. Today, he has the largest inventory of collectible stocks and bonds in the world-over six million pieces.   In actuality, collecting began in the 1970s in America and Europe as a hobby. Since then, with prices for important examples on the rise, many collectors see it as an important investment. Still, compared to other antiques, art and collectibles it is undervalued.   To date, the top price recorded is $150,000 for a stock of the Ford Motor Company of Canada signed by Henry Ford.   "Every certificate offers a history of the company, whether they were successful or they failed," says LaBarre. "Technically, the failed ones were just worthless pieces of paper."   He also says certificates with scandal attached are popular with some collectors. The Martha Stewart certificates are a good example. They can be purchased these days for $50 to $150.   The category often overlaps, including autograph collectors. Among the most sought signatures are Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus, Tucker Corporation and Eddie Rickenbacker as president of Eastern Airlines and Andrew Carnegie.   "One of the rarest is a United States Steel $100,000 Bond issued to Andrew Carnegie with his autograph that can sell for $125,000," says LaBarre.   Beautiful graphics of early inventions such as telegraphing (1870s), aviation beginning around 1910 and railroad construction in the 1810s are just a few. These images are known as vignettes.   Many collect by category. History is one of the most popular. Consider that bonds were issued to finance important events, such as those issued by the Confederate States of America for the Civil War. And, a bond issued in 1780 to finance the American Revolution.   LaBarre says "railroad stocks are popular because of their history and engraved and beautifully printed by some of the finest bank note companies. The earliest known decorated American share depicts a horse-drawn wagon and dates from 1792.   "Some collectors will frame a few, but the bulk of their collections are collected in albums."   Collectors usually buy what they personally enjoy. For example, a car collector will probably be interested in automotive stocks such as Pierce Arrow or Packard. A pilot might wish to collect aviation-related stocks and bonds.   Some collectors look for specific art styles, such as Art Deco or Art Nouveau. Especially appealing are those authenticated as being designed by such famed graphic artists as Alphonse Much in the Art Nouveau style.   Others look for those issued by countries who had regime changes, such as Imperial China or Tsarist Russia. Currently, some collectors are spending a couple of dollars for currency with Saddam Hussein portrait.   As in any category of collecting, "condition is all." Also important is the number issued, as well as the age.   Signatures of famous people add to the value, but are often either printed in facsimile or signed by clerks. It was a tradition before the 1950s for them to be legally signed by an officer of the company, such as John. D. Rockefeller, Thomas Edison and J. Pierpont Morgan.     As for fakes and forgeries, LaBarre says "fortunately hardly any forgeries exist. The hobby is still relatively young and prohibitively expensive and difficult to fake engraved stocks and bonds."   What is the Holy Grail in this collecting field? For LaBarre, it would be a certificate owned and signed by Abraham Lincoln of the Illinois Railroad.   "Lincoln was an attorney for that railroad," LaBarre says. "It may never have existed, but if it did, and most were destroyed, just imagine what a single one could be worth."   Photo credits: George H. LaBarre Galleries, Inc. PO Box 746, Hollis, N.H., 03049. Telephone: 603-882-2411; e-mail: collect@glabarre.com; Web site: glabarre.com   Other reference: I.B.S.S.- USA-International Bond and Share Society, 15 Dyatt Place, PO Box 430, Hackensack, N.J., 07602-0430. Dues: $25 a year. Scripophily Guide, International Bond and Share Society, London, U.K.   Anne Gilbert has been self-syndicating her column "The Antique Detective" and special art and antique features since 1983. She has authored nine books on the subject. "The Antique Detective" appears in the Chicago Sun Times, Palm Beach Post, Patriot Ledger and many other newspapers. Over the years, she has appeared on network television and has also been an appraiser for major museums and private individuals.     Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2009 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster