A few weeks ago an oddly ornate creature caught my eye on a railroad bond I had recently purchased. A little online research turned up similar illustrations -- it was a griffin. And thumbing through my scripophily collection, now with a search image, all manner of mythical and mystical creatures began to appear in other corners and crannies. Typically, these illustrations were used by bank note companies to adorn the frames and flank the main vignettes on securities. They appear almost exclusively on bonds, though on rare occasions on stock certificates. Nearly all were engraved in the 1880s and ’90s, at the peak of the Art Nouveau period, when fanciful ornamentation was found in art and architecture everywhere. This being the season of eerie beasties, it seemed like an appropriate occasion to share some of these discoveries…
Griffins seem to be the most widely depicted mythical animals, no doubt due to their attributes of strength, courage, and leadership. With a combination of the head and wings of an eagle (the king of birds) and the body of a lion (the king of beasts) they were considered the king of all creatures and were thought to guard priceless treasures -- such as the investments of bondholders. American Bank Note Co. engraved a particularly nice pair of griffins that were used as bookends on a number of its bonds and sometimes individually. This small griffin by Western Bank Note guards the bond number in repose.
Winged lions also seemed a popular choice among bank note engravers, sharing the regal nature of the griffin, though not the beak. St. Mark used the winged lion as his emblem, so financiers may have chosen to add it to their certificates to invoke a biblical reference ("God favors those who invest here"). Western Bank Note and Homer Lee Bank Note both engraved winged lions as ornaments. Security Bank Note engraved a similar creature, though it appears to also have scales or feathers.
Chimeras shared many of the same characteristics as griffins – wings and a lion’s head – but bodies that ended in serpent’s tails. With heads nearly identical to SBN’s lion, a pair of chimeras by ABNC sport barely visible serpentine bodies below. A more stylized chimera by Homer Lee Bank Note shows a spiral tail curling over its wing. More pronounced are the snaking tails of these chimeras by International Bank Note. Then there’s this little monster by International Bank Note that doesn’t quite look like a lion, but might be a small dragon.
Sphinxes also show a presence on several certificates. Like Greek sphinxes, these appeared as women (Egyptian sphinxes were male). Sometimes viewed as sacred, sphinxes were also temple guardians –- hence, symbolic protectors of wealth. These three were all engraved by American Bank Note Co. I don’t see any snakes in her hair, but there’s definitely a semblance of Medusa on this bond by ABNC, protected by a pair of eagle heads.
This wizened old man, a Norse god perhaps, keeps watch like a face on an edifice at four points on a bond produced by the New York Bank Note Co. Although printed in orange ink, this fellow bears a close resemblance to the Green Man, a nature spirit who symbolized rebirth and growth. He appears on a bond produced by International Bank Note. This creature, designed by New York Bank Note, is hard to classify. With the head of a lion, wings, a fish-like tail, and…some distinctly female attributes, she doesn’t fit the mold of any particular mythic animal I’m aware of. But you have to credit the engraver for his creativity.
Lastly, my personal favorites from an 1894 Kansas City Northwestern Railroad bond produced by International Bank Note. These two whimsical creatures appear on the back, in an area generally unnoticed except when the bond is folded up. The designer of this pair certainly had a sense of humor and who knows – maybe his inspiration came on Halloween.
Ghoulishly brilliant work! Absolutely love this thread. Certainly agree with the green man idea, too. So many generous scans. Thanks for sharing these!
The short answer is yes. I've seen stocks and bonds sell at auction in the hundreds even thousands of dollars. Most high end items have some historical significance or the autograph of a well-known individual -- say Cornelius Vanderbilt. Then there are the common certificates that can be bought for a buck or two. The more elaborate designs, particularly railroads, tend to be the most highly valued by collectors. The bonds in this article probably retail individually in the $20-$30 range. But I think the real question you are asking is "are they worth collecting because I can get more than what I paid for them when I sell?" To that I can only answer "who knows?" Buy interesting pieces that other collectors find attractive and the answer is probably yes. It's no different than collecting coins, paper money, art, fossils, wine, etc. However, it's important to draw a line between collecting and investing. Most collectors who've been at it a while understand that the real value of their hobby comes from what they learn and share. I've learned a great deal about history, geography, and art just from my various collecting pursuits. The monetary value of what I collect is almost an afterthought, although the years have taught me to recognize a good deal from a bad one. With investing, you should work rationally, from your head. With collecting, you engage your heart.
It's Halloween again! Time to reanimate this zombie thread with some fresh creatures. Here's another pair of winged lions ... A couple more chimeras ... And the Headless Hunkman! (Really an unfinished progress proof.)
You don't often find sea monsters amongst the work of BEP engravers, but someone at the Bureau created this one around 1896 for use on a maritime license. It seemed like a suitable addition to this thread. https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1715325
Notice the Teutonic dragon on the reverse, puffing his smoke and zealously guarding his treasure. My all time favourite German note.
