Selling this great original relic of the Great Chicago Fire in 1872.

AA partly printed and partly manuscript stock certificate form reissued on January 16, 1872 to replace previous certificates destroyed in the Chicago Fire of 1871. The item comes with a "Pullman's Palace Car Company" stock certificate blank. January 16, 1872. Chicago, Illinois. Expected wear including even toning, with scattered minor closed tears and/or chipped edges. Isolated discoloration from old glue affecting a few manuscript words in the appended docket section found at the left of the reissue. Else very good. The larger item, being the stock certificate blank, measures 13.5" x 6.125".

The Great Chicago Fire of October 8-10, 1871 consumed over 2,000 acres of the city of Chicago, resulting in the loss of an estimated 17,000 mostly wooden houses and buildings. This stockholder of Pullman's Palace Car Company stock could very well have been one of the more than 100,000 Chicagoans left homeless by the conflagration, which in addition to destroying residences, also burned up important financial documents like these stock certificates.

The lot consists of:

1. A partly printed and partly manuscript stock certificate from the Pullman's Palace Car Company, officially reissued on January 16, 1872 to replace nine of the stockholder's existing stock certificates destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire. The stocks, which are itemized by dates of issue, certificate numbers, and share tallies, had been purchased by stockholder Henry J. Wallingford between May 1868 and September 1871, and ranged in amounts from 2 shares to 20 shares, for a total of 82 shares. The appended docket section found at the left of the reissue corresponds to Stock Certificate No. 541, issued on October 30, 1869 in the amount of 10 shares of stock purchased by Henry J. Wallingford.

In part:

"Chicago. Jany 16th 1872

This certificate was burned in the great fire of Oct 8th + 9th 1871, and by authority of the Board of Directors - (See minutes of their meeting Dec 26/71) a new certificate (No 2042) has this day been issued to Henry J. Wallingford for 92 shares of Stock to replace this and the following certificates, burned at the same time…"

2. A "Pullman's Palace Car Company" stock certificate blank with attached docket section and blank reverse.

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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.