Vintage Pan American Sulphur Company Stock Certificate Delaware 1960s Brown

12" x 8" ~

In April of 1947, Pan American Sulphur Company was incorporated to exploit the discovery of the Tehuantepec reserves in Mexico. The original investment and formation made by the Little Mothers Club (a group of Texas oil millionaires including Roland S. Bond, Buddy Fogelson, and Guy I. Warren) were $310,000. They soon found sulphur in the nearby land and acquired those rights also. The Korean War put sulphur in much more demand. Pan Am wanted to sell out and make a profit, but it couldn’t get Freeport Sulphur or Texas Gulf Sulphur to buy. So PASCO was forced to hold their holdings.

Actually, this was probably a good thing for PASCO being turned down on offers to sell. As with their setup and unique monopoly of salt-dome wells peculiar to the Western Hemisphere’s Gulf Coast and the ability that sulphur can be mined there by the very cheap Frasch process (in which super-heated water is pumped into the deposits, melting them, and the sulphur is forced to the surface by compressed air). PASCO’s sulphur field on the Isthmus had many other advantages also; it was close to the surface, with sloping walls which enabled water to escape; a river flowed through the concession for necessary water and there was a Pemex refinery nearby to supply fuel oil, an old railway, and a port 26 miles away. The set-up couldn't be more conducive for a successful operation. I am not sure what happened I know they sold some of their rights in the 1990s and seem to fade from history by the early 2000s but they must have made a huge profit from this.

Imagine hanging this vintage historic collectable on your wall as home decor in any room! Stock certificates are another thing that is limited in supply and once they are gone all into museums and collections they will be hard to get. They are such historic documents with so much history behind them. The first stock certificate was issued in 1606 by the Dutch East India Company. 407 years of history later the Walt Disney Company issued one of the last paper stock certificates from a major corporation in 2013.

My pictures seriously don't do it justice. These had to be done on heavy paper stock, almost like a dollar bill but stiffer and more durable, which makes them stay vibrant and new looking for a long time. The other very unique thing about stock certificates is they have all kinds of interesting signatures and you honestly never know whom you will find. Almost all stocks are signed by the company President and Secretary. Some collectors research the other signatures and historic significance and it adds so much provenance and value to an already valuable item. I have never done this as I can barely read my own signature let alone one from over 100 years ago and with the time it would take to do thousands of certificates my mother and I decided years ago not to bother.
 Continue your journey into the past and find more perfect timeless pieces for yourself or a loved one!   Others also love this amazing vintage collectible.   This collection of vintage collectibles has been hot lately.   Don't forget to check out our  for some neat nostalgia!