{"product_id":"pine-creek-railway-company-first-mortgage-bond-from-1885-signed-by-william-vanderbilt","title":"Pine Creek Railway Company First Mortgage Bond from 1885 signed by William Vanderbilt","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is an original bond from the Pine Creek Railway Company, dated 1885, signed by William Vanderbilt on the front and transferred to Cornelius Vanderbilt (shown on back).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrinted in burnt orange and black. Three vignettes animate the face: at left, a seated male farmer resting beside agricultural implements; at right, an allegorical female figure of Justice holding a sword and scales; and centered along the bottom, a small oval portrait of a steam locomotive. Printed by the American Bank Note Company.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOffered as a collectible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1885, north-central Pennsylvania's timber-rich valleys were threaded by competing rail lines racing to tap the lumber and coal flowing out of the Pine Creek Gorge region. The Pine Creek Railway Company was formerly incorporated as the Jersey Shore, Pine Creek and Buffalo Railway Company, a name that telegraphed its ambitions: connect the lumber towns of the Lycoming County backcountry all the way to the Buffalo trunk lines. What makes this bond exceptional is what appears on the reverse. The transfer register traces ownership from the original holder, C. L. Rossiter, through \u003cstrong\u003eWilliam H. Vanderbilt\u003c\/strong\u003e and then \u003cstrong\u003eCornelius Vanderbilt\u003c\/strong\u003e — two generations of the family that controlled more American railroad mileage than any other. William H. Vanderbilt had inherited the New York Central system from his father, Commodore \u003cstrong\u003eCornelius Vanderbilt\u003c\/strong\u003e, and by 1885 was reputedly the wealthiest private individual in the United States, with a fortune exceeding $200 million. The bond's three guarantors tell the full story of the regional power structure: the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad Company, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company, and the Corning, Cowanesque and Antrim Railway Company. The guarantor signatures on the back include that of \u003cstrong\u003eG. de B. Keim\u003c\/strong\u003e, President of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, one of the anthracite coal region's dominant carriers. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGilded Age railroad bonds guaranteed by Vanderbilt-controlled lines are among the most historically grounded documents collectors encounter in scripophily. The American Bank Note Company's engraving work and the fully documented Vanderbilt transfer history make this a particularly compelling piece of Pennsylvania railroad and financial history.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ticker History","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52808816328991,"sku":"RR-PCR-BI-ORA-0000-001","price":99.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0836\/8757\/1743\/files\/pine-creek-railway-company-bond-188-front-1.jpg?v=1787616281","url":"https:\/\/shop.tickerhistory.com\/products\/pine-creek-railway-company-first-mortgage-bond-from-1885-signed-by-william-vanderbilt","provider":"Ticker History","version":"1.0","type":"link"}