Original Meteor Crater Exploration & Mining Company Stock Certificate. ...

Description

Original Meteor Crater Exploration & Mining Company Stock Certificate

One of the most fascinating of all characters in meteorite history was surely Daniel Moreau Barringer. Truly ahead of his time, Barringer surmised that an astounding geological feature in northern Arizona known as Coon Butte was, in fact, the result of an extraterrestrial object rather than various theories being espoused by geologists at the time who oddly must have chosen to ignore the nickel-iron fragments lying around the rim of the crater. Barringer even formed the Meteor Crater Exploration & Mining Company to drill into the floor of the impact site with the goal of finding and unearthing the expected enormous mass that would be below it. While modern science proved there was no monster meteorite underneath the crater floor, the visionary Barringer was correct that a meteorite had, indeed, formed it. An extremely rare piece of mining history, this stock certificate represents a share of Common Stock in the Meteor Crater Exploration & Mining Company issued to an investor named Woodworth on 15 July 1928. Certificate C248 was signed by Brandon Barringer, son of legendary Daniel Barringer, the first person to prove the existence of an impact crater on Earth, as Treasurer and Quincy A. Shaw as President. The certificate was registered with the Integrity Trust Company on 3 August 1928. Note "Vice President" was crossed out under Shaw's name, leaving "President" as his title on the stock certificate. In excellent condition, this document features an attractive orange border around the printed information and exhibits a pair of round punch holes, which could have facilitated the filing of the paper in a binder. The printing and signatures are all in superb condition in this example of investment in the famous Meteor Crater, which is still owned today by the same Barringer family who operates the museum/tourist center, attracting some 200,000 annual visitors managed by Meteor Crater Enterprises.
Measurements: 11.12 x 7.5 inches

Provenance: The Geoff Notkin Collection

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