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Scripophily is the study and collection of stocks and Bonds. A specialized field of numismatics, scripophily is an interesting area of collecting due to both the inherent beauty of some historical documents as well as the interesting historical context of each document. Some stock certificates are excellent examples of engraving. Occasionally, an old stock document will be found that still has value as a stock in a successor company. In financial terminology, stock is the capital raised by a corporation, through the issuance and sale of shares. ...
In finance, a bond is a debt security, in which the issuer owes the holders a debt and is obliged to repay the principal and interest (the coupon). ...
Numismatics (ancient Greek: ) is the scientific study of money and its history in all its varied forms. ...
Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. ...
History Scripophily, the collecting of canceled old stocks and bonds, gained recognition as a hobby around 1970. The word "scripophily" was coined by combining words from English and Greek. The word "scrip" represents an ownership right and the word "philos" means to love. Today there are thousands of collectors worldwide (Scripophilists or Scripophiliacs) in search of scarce, rare, and popular stocks and bonds. Collectors who come from a variety of businesses enjoy this as a hobby, although there are many who also consider scripophily a good investment. In fact, over the past several years, the hobby has exploded in popularity. A hobby is a spare-time recreational pursuit. ...
The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...
Many collectors like the historical significance of certificates. Dot com companies and scandals have been particularly popular. Others prefer the beauty of older stocks and bonds that were printed in various colors with fancy artwork and ornate engraving.
Many autograph collectors are found in this field, looking for signed certificates from John D. Rockefeller of Standard Oil Company, Henry Carey of the Franklin Fire Insurance Company, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Atari Corporation, Eddie Rickenbacker as president of Eastern Air Lines, George W. Bush's great-grandfather Samuel Prescott Bush, Broadband.com, Tucker Corporation and many others. 1917 painting by John Singer Sargent. ...
Standard Oil was an oil refining organization founded by John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) and partners beginning in 1863. ...
Henry Carey is the name of either Henry Charles Carey (1793-1879) - an American economist Henry Carey (died 1743) - dramatist and song-writer This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
Ringling Bros. ...
For the concept Atari (当ãŸã‚Š) in the board game of Go, see Atari (go term). ...
Eddie Rickenbacker Edward Vernon (Eddie) Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 27, 1973) was an American fighter pilot who flew in World War I. He was born Edward Rickenbacher in Columbus, Ohio to Swiss immigrants. ...
For the Chinese airline, see China Eastern Airlines. ...
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States and a former governor of Texas. ...
Samuel Prescott Bush (October 4, 1863 Brick Church, New Jersey - February 8, 1948 Columbus, Ohio) was the father of Senator Prescott Bush, grandfather of President George H. W. Bush, and great-grandfather of President George W. Bush. ...
Scripophily as a hobby There are many reasons for the success of this hobby. First of all, stocks & bonds are collectible worldwide, since almost every country has had stocks and/or bonds issued through their government or businesses.
A large part of scripophily is the area of financial history. Over the years there have been millions of companies which needed to raise money for their business. In order to do so, the founders of these companies issued securities. Generally speaking, they either issued an equity security in the form of stock or a debt security in the form of a bond. However, there are many varieties of equity and debt instruments. They can be common stock, preferred stock, warrants, cumulative preferred stocks, bonds, zero coupon bonds, long term bonds (over 400 years) and any combination thereof. Security is a type of transferable interest representing financial value. ...
Common stock, also referred to as common shares, are, as the name implies, the most usual and commonly held form of stock in a corporation. ...
A preferred stock, also known as a preferred share or simply a preferred, is a share of stock carrying additional rights above and beyond those conferred by common stock. ...
For other uses of the term Warrant, see Warrant (disambiguation) A warrant is a security that entitles the holder to buy or sell a certain additional quantity of an underlying security. ...
Zero coupon bonds are bonds which do not pay periodic coupons, or so-called interest payments. ...
Each certificate is a piece of history about a company and its business. Some companies became major successes, while others were acquired and merged with other companies. Some companies and industries were successful until they were replaced by new technologies. The color, paper, signatures, dates, stamps, cancellations, borders, pictures, vignettes, industry, stock broker, name of company, transfer agent, printer, and holder name all add to the uniqueness of the hobby.
A lot of companies either were never successful or went bankrupt, so that their certificates became worthless pieces of paper until the hobby of scripophily began. The mining boom in the 1850s, railroad construction in the 1830s, the oil boom in the 1870s, telegraphy (1850s), the automobile industry beginning around 1900, aviation (around 1910), electric power and banks in the 1930s, the airline wars and mergers in the 1970s, cellular telephones (1980s), long distance telephone service in the 1990s, and most recently the Dot-com era all resulted in historically significant certificates being generated and issued. The El Chino Mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine This article is about mineral extraction. ...
// Events and Trends Technology Production of steel revolutionised by invention of the Bessemer process Benjamin Silliman fractionates petroleum by distillation for the first time First transatlantic telegraph cable laid First safety elevator installed by Elisha Otis Science Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species, putting forward the theory of evolution...
This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ...
Events and Trends Electromagnetic induction discovered by Michael Faraday Dutch-speaking farmers known as Voortrekkers emigrate northwards from the Cape Colony Croquet invented in Ireland Railroad construction begins in earnest in the United States Egba refugees fleeing the Yoruba civil wars found the city of Abeokuta in south-west Nigeria...
// Events and Trends Technology The invention of the telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell. ...
It has been suggested that Electrical telegraph be merged into this article or section. ...
Automakers are companies that produce automobiles. ...
1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday. ...
Aviation or Air transport refers to the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ...
1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...
The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1971 to 1980, inclusive. ...
MacGyver - 1980s hero The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ...
The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ...
The Dot-com bubble (or dot-com speculative bubble) refers to the approximately four years of time (1997–2001) in which stock markets in Western nations had their value increase rapidly and most significantly in the technology and new Internet sector. ...
With the existence of the Internet, more and more stocks and bonds are issued electronically, meaning fewer paper certificates are issued as a percentage of actual stock issued. However, the Internet has also played a major role in creating awareness of the hobby as can be seen at Scripophily.com.
Scripophily guidelines There are many factors that determine value of a certificate. These include condition, age, historical significance, signatures, rarity, demand for the item, aesthetics, type of company, original face value, bankers associated with issuance, transfer stamps, cancellation markings, issued or unissued, printers, and type of engraving process.
Condition - The grading scale that could be used in stocks and bonds is shown below. Generally speaking, however, the grading is not used in the hobby as strictly as it is in coins and stamps. Most people acquire certificates for the artwork and history.
- Uncirculated - Looks like new, no abnormal markings or folds, no staples, clean signature and no stains
- Extremely Fine - Slight traces of wear
- Very Fine - Minor traces of wear
- Fine - Creased with clear signs of use and wear
- Fair- Strong signs of use and wear
- Poor- Some damage with heavy signs of wear and staining
Age - Usually the older the more valuable, but not always.
Historical significance - What product did the company produce? Was it the first car, airplane, cotton gin, etc. Was the company successful? Was it a fraud? In what era (i.e. during a war, depression, revolution) was the item issued?
Signatures - Did anyone famous or infamous sign the certificate?
Certificate Owner's Name - Was the certificate issued to anyone famous or to a famous company?
Rarity - How many of the certificates were issued? How many survived over the years? Is the certificate a low number?
Demand for Item - How many people are trying to collect the same certificate?
Aesthetics - How does the certificate look? What is in the vignette? What color of ink was used? Does it have fancy borders or writing on it?
Type of company - What type of company was it issued for? Does the industry still exist? Has the industry changed a lot over the years?
Original Face Value - How much was the stock or bond issued for? Usually, the larger the original face value, the more collectible it is.
Bankers associated with Issuance - Who worked on the fund raising efforts? Was it someone famous or a famous bank? Is the bank still in existence?
Transfer Stamps - Does the certificate have tax stamps on it - imprinted or attached? Are the stamps valuable or unusual?
Cancellation Markings - Are the cancellation markings interesting to the item? Do they detract or add to its history and looks?
Issued or Unissued - Was the item issued or unissued? Was the certificate a printer's prototype usually stamped with the word "specimen"? Usually, issued certificates are more valuable and desirable.
Printers - Who printed the certificate? Was it a famous printer?
Type of Engraving Process - How was the certificate made? By hand? By wood engraving? Steel engraving? Lithograph? Preprinted form?
Paper - Was the paper use in the printing high quality or low quality? Has it held up over time? Does it have a watermark to prevent counterfeiting?
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