 |
 |
 |
|
Any remnants of the San Francisco Stock and Exchange Board prior to 1906 are exceedingly rare. In April, 1906 a 7.9 earthquake hit San Francisco and the subsequent fire lasted for days and destroyed over 80% of the city, including the Exchange.
Thomas T. Atkinson became a member of the San Francisco Stock and Exchange Board in 1876. He bought his seat from A.W. Whitney for $26,000. He would eventual sell his seat to Edgar Lyon (E.L.) Atkinson. who is listed on the business card. We believe he was most likely his brother or son.
"Thomas T. Atkinson, was described as a "young Englishman" of medium stature, with light hair and mustache, florid complexion and blue eyes, rather stout, and of a very pleasant disposition. When Mr. Atkinson entered the Board room, fresh from the barber's chair, he became the center of attraction. On one occasion, after a recent visit to the barber's he appeared among us handsomely decorated, with his fine mustache waxed at the ends and protruding some distance from either cheek.
Mr. A.F. Coffin became quite jealous of the handsome broker, and borrowing a pair of scissors from Sammy Dixon, attempted to clip off one of the end of Atkinson's mustache. Unfortunately, his victim advanced his head unknowingly towards the scissors, and the clip took off the entire end of the mustache, without the possessor being aware of the loss. The smiles his brother members caused him to feel, to see if everything was all right, and on ascertaining his loss, the air became blue with exclamations of rage and otherwise. Our friend Atkinson again became a victim of the fun-loving brokers...." History of the San Francisco Stock and Exchange Board by Chairman Jos. L. King ~1910
The Stock and Exchange Board pre-dates the San Francisco Stock Exchange, which was founded in 1882, by 20 years. It was founded by forty members in 1862 after the discovery of the Comstock Lode in Nevada to trade in gold and silver.
The San Francisco Stock and Exchange Board rivaled the NYSE in volume by the 1870s and the area would become known as "Wall Street West". Their specialization in mining would prove problematic as the Comstock Lode began its decline and the neighboring San Francisco Stock and Bond Exchange delt with a wider range of securities and commodities. In 1927 they sold the name San Francisco Stock Exchange to the SF Stock and Bond Exchange and they would become the San Francisco Mining Exchange. The Exchange closed for good in 1967 after poor volume and an investigation into fraud by the SEC.
This ultra rare business card is presented in a gorgeous high quality acrylic display that weights almost 13 oz. Magnetically held together, the display is easy to open if want to inspect your item. Perfect for a desktop or bookshelf display.
1870s San Francisco Stock Broker Card
- Age: 1870s
- Bigger than modern business card: 4.75" x 2.75"
- Display measures: 6" x 4"
- Weight; almost 13 oz
- Condition: Excellent; Ticket as pictured
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
