No. B12245, issued for 100 shares to Van Deventer & Patton on Jan. 5th, 1881. Signed by president Jay Gould and secretary Clemson. Punch cancelled signatures. Also stamp cancelled. Green border, black print, and livestock vignette. ABN. 7.75 x 11.25" Pinholes, folds, toning. Jay Gould (1836-1892) is known as one of the "robber barons" of the Gilded Age. His career in railroad and stock speculation began in 1859. Gould & Fisk were also implicit in what is known as Black Friday (1869). Their plan was to buy enough gold to drive the price of gold way up, then forcing wheat farmers to sell their supply which would provide increased freight service for Gould's Eastern railroads. Gould even used President Ulysses S. Grant's brother-in-law, Abel Corbin, to try and influence Grant and his cabinet. When the premium over face value on a gold Double Eagle fell from 62 percent to 35 percent, it caused a panic in the financial markets (Black Friday). While Gould & Fisk made a small amount of money from the deal, Gould eventually lost it with lawsuits and the scandal tarnished his image with the public. After leaving the Erie Railway, Gould turned his eye toward Western railways. He took control of Union Pacific in 1873, and was also involved in the Missouri Pacific Railroad and Western Union, greatly increasing his wealth. He died in 1892 from tuberculosis.Date: 1881Country (if not USA): State: MissouriCity: Provenance: Ken Prag Collection