Description:

Fargo William

American Express Company stock certificate No. 1743 granted “Morgan Gardner of Utica [New York]” twelve $500 shares of company stock on February 26, 1865. Document bottom signed by Company Vice President John Butterfield (1801-1869) as “John Butterfield Vice”, Company Secretary William G. Fargo (1818-1881) as “Wm. G. Fargo”, and Company Treasurer Alex Holland as “Alex Holland”. The stock certificate was printed on cream paper with a braided black border. Its “Safety & Dispatch” vignette at top center depicts a guard dog flanked by scenes of a busy harbor yard and crowned by a bald eagle. Twice blue stamped. The document was partly filled out verso, and “signed and delivered in the presence of Morgan Gardner” and a relative “C.A. Gardner”. In near fine condition with expected paper folds and isolated toning recto and verso, measuring 12.25” x 8.375”.

The American Express Company was consolidated in 1850 by Henry Wells, William G. Fargo, and John W. Butterfield, three leaders of the flourishing express mail industry. Express mail companies provided credit and transport services to travelers beginning in the early nineteenth century, and later affiliated with banks, railroads, steamship companies, and others to become major financial institutions.

Morgan Gardner was a New York businessman who collaborated with T.N. Parmalee, Webster Wagner, and G.N. Gates to design, build, and operate the country’s first railroad sleeping cars in the late 1850s. This successful partnership probably explained Gardner’s ability to buy $6,000 of company stocks during wartime.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

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

Shipping

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. ***PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SHIPMENT TO BE SENT TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN THE ONE YOU HAVE ON FILE WITH INVALUABLE, YOU WILL NEED TO INFORM US OF THIS AS SOON AS PAYMENT IS SUBMITTED FOR YOUR WINNINGS*** Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

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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