Sheet of Uncut Snohomish Valley Railway Company 1906 $25 Gold Bond + Interest Notes
Snohomish: (Snohomish Valley Railway Company), (1906). First Printing. Loose Sheet. A single lithographed sheet of 30 uncut $25 gold bond-plus-interest notes published in 1906, stamped with serial number 2210, with redemption dates ranging from 1906-1920. Sheet measures 10.25 x 14.5 inches. Printed signature of Edgar Wright, Treasurer. Slight remnant of oxidization at three top margin spots where the notes were evidently stapled at one point. Else, fresh and bright. Near Fine. Item #6548 A handsome example of period lithography highlighting the burgeoning infrastructure in Western Washington and the charm of scripophily. Sheet is now housed in removable, clear archival sleeve with an acid-free backing.
Efforts to create the railroad were abandoned after the Great Northern announced it would build a line eastward from Everett through Snohomish, thus obviating the homegrown need to get goods and produce to market. That said, a con man named Charley Meeker passed himself off as a financier, and continued to sell bonds in the capital centers of Europe, including Antwerp, Paris, London, Berlin. Knowing full well he was selling bonds in a ghost company, he jilted investors, who continued to send inquiries to Snohomish until at least 1937.
Price: $40.00