Offered here is an attractive 1971 Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. common stock certificate issued for 100 shares to Albert M. Friedman.
The certificate was issued November 26, 1971, and is numbered H414255. It was produced by the American Bank Note Company and features a large classical allegorical vignette with electrical and industrial imagery and a New York skyline in the background.
Of particular interest, the reverse bears a genuine manuscript endorsement reading “Albert M Friedman.” This is not merely a printed shareholder name—the registered owner personally signed the certificate when the shares were transferred.
Research indicates that the shareholder may be Albert M. Friedman, founder and longtime chairman of Friedman Properties, the prominent Chicago real-estate developer closely associated with the redevelopment and preservation of Chicago's River North district.
Friedman entered the real-estate business around 1970, following the death of his father, making the 1971 date of this certificate especially interesting if the attribution is correct—it would date from the very beginning of his professional career. Friedman later became associated with a major portfolio of Chicago properties and preservation projects including Tree Studios, Medinah Temple, the Reid Murdoch Center, and Court House Place, and served on the Commission on Chicago Landmarks.
The attribution has not been formally authenticated, but the name, chronology, and characteristics of the manuscript signature are consistent with known records for Chicago developer Albert M. Friedman.
The reverse also carries transfer and signature-guarantee markings from Stern, Frank, Meyer & Fox, Incorporated, with September 1976 processing stamps.
Vintage cancelled stock certificate with expected handling, transfer stamps, punch cancellations and light age-related wear. Please examine the photographs closely for exact condition.
An appealing piece for collectors of:
Consolidated Edison • New York City history • utility and electric-company stocks • American Bank Note engraving • Chicago real estate • River North history • historical autographs • scripophily
Research note: The Albert M. Friedman attribution is presented as a researched possibility rather than a guaranteed identification. The manuscript endorsement itself is unquestionably present on the certificate.