Thomas Edison Portland Cement Company Stock Certificate (Brown) (1900s - 1920s)

Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) has been described as America's greatest inventor. He held 1,093 U.S. patents in his name, as well as patents in several other countries. Among many creations, Edison developed an iron ore milling process and discovered a market in the sale of waste sand to cement manufacturers. The Edison Portland Cement Company was a venture by Edison that helped improve the cement industry. His company was established in New Village, New Jersey in 1899, and went on to supply the concrete for the construction of Yankee Stadium in 1922. The company only lasted a few years after the construction of the stadium, falling victim to the Great Depression. Offered here is an original stock certificate from the Edison Portland Cement Company dated in the early 1900s.

Throughout history, companies competed to produce the most impressive stock and bond certificates with brilliant colors, intricate designs, and beautiful vignettes. However, with the rise of the internet and online brokerage firms in the 1990s, the need for physical certificates disappeared. One by one, companies quietly discontinued issuance of their paper stocks and bonds. The eventual demise of the stock certificate ends a tradition that extends back at least 400 years, when the Dutch East Indies Company became the first company to issue certificates. Today, the beautiful stock and bond certificates that remain are enduring relics from a bygone era in American financial history.