Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;gsalexan, post: 2258989, member: 24274&quot;]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.</p><p><br /></p><p>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…</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]448328[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in