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Offered is an original 1898 South Western Railroad Company of Georgia stock certificate, an exceptional piece of Southern railroad and financial history from the Gilded Age.
This certificate bears the original signature of President B.A. (Benjamin Alfred) Denmark, who served as President of the South Western Railroad in 1898. Denmark was a prominent Georgia businessman and railroad executive, making his autograph especially desirable to railroadiana and scripophily collectors.
The handwritten shareholder's name appears to read "Horace A. Crane." While I cannot guarantee the interpretation, it closely matches the name of Horace A. Crane, a prominent Savannah banker who served as Vice President of the Citizens & Southern Bank and was an influential Georgia businessman and Civil War veteran. (Buyers are encouraged to examine the photos and form their own opinion regarding the handwriting.)
Founded in 1845, the South Western Railroad became one of Georgia's most important railroads, transporting cotton and agricultural products throughout southwest Georgia before becoming part of the Central of Georgia Railway system. By 1898, the railroad was owned largely by prominent investors and business leaders throughout the South.
Historical Appeal
This certificate represents the intersection of two important aspects of Georgia history: the expansion of Southern railroads and the business leaders who financed them.
If the shareholder is indeed Horace A. Crane, the certificate links one of Georgia's notable bankers with one of its most significant nineteenth-century railroads.
Condition: Please review all photographs carefully, as they are part of the description and best represent the certificate’s condition and the handwritten entries. I am not a professional and this comes from my father’s collection of antique stocks and bonds. Given its age, it shows age related toning, foxing, edge wear, a beautiful vignette, cancellation holes, ornate borders, period typography and printed by American Bank Note NY.
A Great Addition For:
*Railroadiana collectors
*Scripophily collectors
*Georgia history enthusiasts
*Central of Georgia Railway collectors
*Banking and financial history collectors
*Civil War-era memorabilia collectors
*Antique paper and ephemera collectors
*Museums, archives, and historical displays
This is an original 1898 stock certificate and a wonderful surviving artifact from the golden age of American railroads.
