Universal Pictures Company, Inc.
Universal Pictures Company, Inc.
- In stock
- Inventory on the way
Product Details
Company | Universal Pictures Company, Inc. |
Certificate Type | Common Stock |
Date Issued | Specimen, circa mid 1900's |
Canceled | Yes |
Printer | Hamilton Bank Note Company |
Signatures | Machine printed |
Notable | NA |
Approximate Measurements |
12" (w) by 8" (h) |
Product Images | Show the exact certificate you will receive |
Guaranteed Authentic | Yes |
Historical Context
Lankershim Township presented Laemmle with a solid gold key to open the gate of Universal City on March 15, 1915. For this grand opening Laemmle invited thousands of guests to Universal City. It marked the emergence of Hollywood as America's premier center of filmmaking. It was also the beginning of an industry that would have an incredible and overwhelming impact on the world. The first of Universal's films were silent and were made popular largely through the talent of one of Hollywood's all-time great actors, Lon Chaney. The dollars Chaney brought in at the box office were instrumental in putting Universal on its feet. He was the most popular figure of the Silent Era and is most acclaimed for The Hunchback of Notre Dame. A reproduction of the great Notre Dame Cathedral was built on the Universal lot, along with sets depicting wild west towns and street scenes that had an illusion of being anywhere in the world. For the first 50 years Universal hardly ever shot film outside of its own 230-acre lot. In November of 1946 Universal merged with International Pictures to become Universal-International, with Universal Pictures Company remaining as the parent organization. Decca Records acquired 28 percent of Universal-International in 1950 for $3.8 million. Within two years Decca had won controlling interest of the film company. In 1961 MCA bought up Decca, which by that time held about 90 percent control of Universal-International. The following year, under MCA, Universal-International reverted to its old name of International. The studio had by this time expanded its back lot to more than 400 acres. By the middle of the 1970s MCA had turned the back lot into one of America's largest tourist attractions. More than 4 million people a year were coming to the hotel, restaurants, amphitheater, sets, and sound stages where movies were being made. During this time Universal was also producing blockbuster movies, including Airport, Earthquake, Jaws, National Lampoon's Animal House, and Coal Miner's Daughter. The success of these films provided the money for Universal to speculate with the Hollywood theme park and other markets. In 1990 Universal began operation of the Universal Studios Florida theme park in Orlando. By 1994 Seagram's diversification into entertainment had already begun with the purchase of a 15-percent stake in Time Warner Inc. In 1995 Bronfman persuaded his father, Edgar Bronfman Sr., and his uncle, Charles Bronfman, to sell Seagram's 25-percent stake in DuPont Co. for $8.8 billion to finance Seagram's acquisition of an 80-percent stake in Universal (then called MCA Inc.) from Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. In June 2000, Seagram was sold to French water utility and media company Vivendi, which owned StudioCanal; the conglomerate then became known as Vivendi Universal. Afterward, Universal Pictures acquired the United States distribution rights of several of StudioCanal's films, such as David Lynch's Mulholland Drive (2001) and Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) which became the second-highest-grossing French language film in the United States since 1980. Universal Pictures and StudioCanal also co-produced several films, such as Love Actually (2003) a $40 a million-budgeted film that eventually grossed $246 million worldwide. In late 2000, the New York Film Academy was permitted to use the Universal Studios backlot for student film projects in an unofficial partnership. Burdened with debt, in 2004 Vivendi Universal sold 80% of Vivendi Universal Entertainment (including the studio and theme parks) to General Electric (GE), parent of NBC. The resulting media super-conglomerate was renamed NBCUniversal, while Universal Studios Inc. remained the name of the production subsidiary. After that deal, GE owned 80% of NBC Universal; Vivendi held the remaining 20%, with an option to sell its share in 2006. In late 2005, Viacom's Paramount Pictures acquired DreamWorks SKG after acquisition talks between GE and DreamWorks stalled. Universal's long-time chairperson, Stacey Snider, left the company in early 2006 to head up DreamWorks. Snider was replaced by then-Vice Chairman Marc Shmuger and Focus Features head David Linde. On October 5, 2009, Marc Shmuger and David Linde were ousted, and their co-chairperson jobs were consolidated under former president of worldwide marketing and distribution Adam Fogelson becoming the single chairperson. Donna Langley was also upped to co-chairperson. In 2009, Stephanie Sperber founded Universal Partnerships & Licensing within Universal to license consumer products for Universal. GE purchased Vivendi's share in NBCUniversal in 2011. GE sold 51% of the company to cable provider Comcast in 2011. Comcast merged the former GE subsidiary with its own cable-television programming assets, creating the current NBCUniversal. Following Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval, the Comcast-GE deal was closed on January 29, 2011. In March 2013, Comcast bought the remaining 49% of NBCUniversal for $16.7 billion. |
Additional Information
Certificates carry no value on any of today's financial indexes and no transfer of ownership is implied. All items offered are collectible in nature only. So, you can frame them, but you can't cash them in!
All of our pieces are original - we do not sell reproductions. If you ever find out that one of our pieces is not authentic, you may return it for a full refund of the purchase price and any associated shipping charges.
FAQ
Are the certificates offered on your site genuine or reproductions?
All of the certificates you see on our site are genuine pieces, we do not sell any reproductions.Are the certificates you sell negotiable on any of today's stock markets or indexes?
No. All of the pieces we sell are either canceled or obsolete and have collectible value only.
Are the images presented in your product listings of the exact piece I will receive?
It depends. We try to present images of the exact piece you will receive whenever possible. However, when we are offering quantities of a piece, this is impossible. Within every product page we detail whether or not you will be receiving the exact certificate listed, or if the image is a representative example of the one you will receive.
How will you ship my order and how much do you charge?
We ship all orders via the United States Postal Service. Most domestic orders are shipped via Ground Advantage. USPS International, Priority and Express Mail, UPS and DHL services are also available, and costs are calculated during checkout. Current charges may be reviewed here.
Can I return my purchase?
Absolutely. You may return any merchandise, for any reason, within 30 days of the purchase date for a full refund of the purchase price.
We guarantee all of our pieces to be authentic. If you ever determine that a piece is not authentic, it may be returned for a full refund of the purchase price as well as any associated shipping charges.
Shipping
If your order exceeds $35, and the shipping address is within the United States, shipping via USPS Ground Advantage is FREE!
We make every effort to ship out all orders within 24 hours of receipt.
We ship the majority of orders via the USPS, with domestic orders using the Ground Advantage service.
Shipping is calculated during checkout. Upgraded services such as Priority and Express Mail, as well as UPS and DHL options, are also available.
As soon as your order is shipped you will receive your tracking information via email.
OVERSEAS ORDERS PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DECLARE FULL ORDER VALUE ON ALL SHIPMENTS. CUSTOMER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL VAT/CUSTOMS CHARGES.
Returns
Our goal is to make sure every item you receive is exactly what you had in mind. If you not happy with your purchase, we’ll help you get it sorted in a timely and professional manner.
You can return anything we offer for an exchange, refund or store credit within 30 days of delivery. Return shipping costs may apply, and the item must be in its original condition and packaging.
Any shipping charges collected on the original order are not eligible for a refund.