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Auction: 319 - Bonds and Share Certificates of the Americas
Lot: 3192

Standard Oil Trust, $100 shares, New York 188[3], #732, signed by John D. Rockefeller as President and H.M.Flagler as Secretary, vignette of State capitol, ornate border, green and black, printed by Franklin Bank Note Co., stamped cancelled, VF and a lovely clear signature apart from some light embossing.

In an effort to bypass certain governmental pressures concerning the alleged mopolistic powers of the Standard Oil Company, Standard Oil Trust was conceived and controlled by nine trustees. As general statutes at the time limited ownership in other firms in other staes, Rockefeller and Flagler devised a plan to take care of these legalities. Acquisitions and ventures were channeled through trustees, whose affiliation and loyalty to Rockefeller and Standard Oil were not readily obvious. This new arrangement enabled Rockefeller to form alliances and set up new concerns in other states while retaining complete control of all various interests. It brought new meaning to the word "Trust," and made Rockefeller and Flagler the most powerful individuals in the industry and the richest men in the world.

Sold for
$750