Product Details

Beautifully engraved antique stock certificate from the Armstrong Rubber Company dating back to the 1960's. This document, which features printed signatures of the company President and Secretary, was printed by the American Bank Note Company and measures approximately 12" (w) by 8" (h).

The vignette on this piece shows a male figure working a rubber hose, rubber trees, a storage tank and industrial equipment.

Images

You will receive the exact certificate pictured.

Historical Context

George F. Armstrong founded the Armstrong Rubber Company in West Haven in 1912. Unlike companies such as Goodyear, Firestone, and Uniroyal, Armstrong focused his attention on the replacement tire market, taking advantage of Americans’ propensity for holding on to their cars for long periods.

Over the next 50 years, Armstrong Rubber benefited from America’s growing fascination with the automobile. In particular, the economic prosperity of the post-World War II era set Americans on the roads in record numbers. Driving on newly constructed highways and flush with spendable income, the demand for automobile tires skyrocketed. Between 1960 and 1969, annual US tire production grew from 119 million to over 200 million.

In 1983, the firm bought out Gates Rubber Company's share of Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based Copolymer Rubber & Chemical Corp., gaining full ownership of the synthetic rubber producer. Armstrong Rubber in 1985 acquired Blackstone Corporation, a maker of original equipment heat exchange components, and in 1986 made its biggest move, purchasing Dayco Corporation's hose and belt operations for $184 million.

By 1987, tires represented only about 35 percent of Armstrong Rubber's sales, tied with hose and belts. Heat exchange product sales generated about 20 percent of revenues, and synthetic rubber brought in about 10 percent.

At the end of 1986, management decided to shed its tire-related name. On February 18, 1987, shareholders voted to adopt the restructuring plan that renamed the company Armtek, with four distinct operating units.

Armtek, buoyed by its famous "Grip the Road" advertisements, was one of the largest independent tire producers in the United States until 1989, when they sold of their tire division to the Pirelli Tire Company.

Only a few days after Armtek sold the tire business, a firm (Mark-IV) with little connection to the automotive industry took a 14% piece of the company and began a hostile takeover of Armtek. Three months later Mark IV completed its takeover.