Description:

John D. Rockefeller & Henry M. Flagler Signed Standard Oil Trust Stock Certificate

A "Standard Oil Trust" stock certificate signed by two of its company co-founders, John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) and Henry M. Flagler (1830-1913). The partly printed and partly handwritten brown stock certificate, number A993, is dated July 20, 1887 and granted 100 $100 shares to R.J. Kimball. Rockefeller has signed as "J D Rockefeller" in his role as President at lower right, and Flagler has signed as "H M Flagler" in his role as Secretary at lower left. The shares were transferred to J.F. Freeman and G.H. Lincoln on December 24, 1889 in the transfer section verso. The certificate is affixed to the record-keeping portion at left, and bears the usual co-signatures, stamps, and clerical markings. Expected light folds, a little griminess to the edges, and a few pin holes along the left edge of the receipt portion, else near fine. 16.25" x 8." Accompanied by biographies of Rockefeller and Flagler.

John D. Rockefeller and Henry M. Flagler were two of the principal co-founders of the Standard Oil Company, established in Cleveland, Ohio in 1870. The two industrialists practiced horizontal and vertical integration to neutralize any competition in the industry, allowing them to create the largest oil refining monopoly in the United States. In 1887, the year this stock certificate was issued, the hegemony of the Standard Oil Company was tangentially threatened by the passage of the Interstate Commerce Act. This legislation created a regulatory body tasked with breaking up railroad monopolies.

The stock holder "R.J. Kimball" probably referred to Robert Jackson Kimball (1836-1903), the founder of the banking and investment concern R.J. Kimball & Company. Kimball earned a coveted seat on the New York Stock Exchange in 1869 and was heavily invested in infrastructure, like telegraph and railroad companies. $10,000 in 1887 money is the equivalent of over $285,000 in 2021 currency!

Kimball's stocks were transferred to two individuals, J.F. Freeman and G.H. Lincoln. These were almost certainly Joel Francis Freeman (1836-1910), the first treasurer of Standard Oil, who was active in company affairs between 1876 and his retirement in 1891; and George H. Lincoln (died 1894), who served as case oil broker for Standard Oil.

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:

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

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house world-wide 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 that proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with a signature required option, 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. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

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. 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.

August 25, 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