Description:

Civil War Telegrapher Buys Stock in Burglar Alarm Company in St. Louis

This engraved stock certificate for the Holmes Electric Protective Company of Missouri conveys five shares of capital stock for $100 each to telegraph superintendent Charles A. Tinker (1838-1917) of Brooklyn, New York. During the Civil War, Tinker was a telegrapher in the War Department, where he frequently came into contact with President Abraham Lincoln. They had known each other in Illinois, where Tinker had worked as a telegrapher for two railroads.

[STOCK.] Holmes Electric Protective Company of Missouri, Printed Document, 5 Shares of Capital Stock Issued to Charles A. Tinker, December 8, 1887. 1 p., 14.75" x 8.75". Includes embossed gold paper seal and is reattached with glue to original record on left; very good. On verso, Tinker signed the redemption on April 5, 1889.

In 1857, Edwin Holmes (1820-1901) purchased an 1853 patent for an electric burglar alarm and established a company to install and operate electric burglar alarm systems in Boston. Two years later, Holmes moved to New York, where the Holmes Burglar Alarm Company grew and expanded to other cities. In 1882, he reorganized the company into the Holmes Electric Protective Company with himself as president and his son Edwin Thomas Holmes (1849-1920) as treasurer. The company even established a private police force to respond to alarms, and its offices in some cities also operated early telephone switchboards.

The Holmes Electric Protective Company of Missouri was established in St. Louis in June 1887. A local newspaper reported, "So valuable is the protection afforded by the Holmes electric system, and so well is it appreciated where it has been tested, that in New York City alone it has a membership of 1,300 subscribers. It is also extensively used in Chicago, Philadelphia and other large cities." Herman F. Kleibacker (1853-1922) served as the Secretary and General Manager and signed this certificate, as did Vice President Albert S. Aloe (1841-1893). The certificate features a lithographed scene of authorities arriving in a bank at night to catch two burglars in the act of trying to open a safe.

Also includes:
• First page of Typed Letter to George E. Spence, June 29, 1908, on engraved letterhead of York Safe & Lock Company of New York with an engraving of the factory in York, Pennsylvania. 1 p., 8.375" x 10.625".
George W. Spence was the manager of a bank at 1246 Broadway in Brooklyn in 1907.
Israel Laucks (1827-1918) established the York Safe & Lock Company in York, Pennsylvania, in 1882. His son S. Forry Laucks (1870-1942) became the general manager in 1890 and expanded the company into a world-renowned manufacturer and installer of bank vaults.

• Postcard with photograph of a man in an International Order of Odd Fellows uniform with the notation "Roy Pinkerton" on the verso, ca. 1908-1928. 1 p., 3.5" x 5.5"
The International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a fraternal organization founded in 1819 in Baltimore, Maryland, and evolved from the Order of Odd Fellows founded in England in the eighteenth century. Roy Pinkerton was the Noble Grand of the Ringgold Lodge of the IOOF in Wabash County, Indiana, in the early twentieth century and may be the person pictured here.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.


Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

September 29, 2021 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000