Name: Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates, Inc. (Became Berkshire Hathaway)
Brand: Ghosts of Wall Street
SKU: 6161
Price: 65.0 USD
Availability: OutOfStock

Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates, Inc. Stock Certificate

In stock
Inventory on the way

Product Details

Certificate Type	Common Stock
Company	Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates, Inc.
Date Issued	April 8, 1930
Canceled	Yes
Printer	American Bank Note Company
Signatures	Hand signed
Notable	NA
Approximate Measurements	11 3/4" (w) by 7 3/4" (h)
Product Images	Show the exact certificate you will receive
Guaranteed Authentic	Yes

Historical Context

Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates was founded in 1889 as Berkshire Cotton Manufacturing Company in Adams, Massachusetts. The first mill built by the company was Berkshire Mill No. 1 in Adams. By 1917 the company was capitalized at $2,500,000 and contained over 260,000 ring and mule spindles and 6,500 looms for the production of cotton textiles, making it one of the largest cotton textile companies in the world. In 1929, Berkshire merged with the Valley Falls Company of Rhode Island, and became known as Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates. Its head was Malcolm Greene Chace of the influential Chace family of New England. Malcolm's descendants (his son Malcolm Jr, and grandson Malcolm III) would run the company until 2007.

In 1930 the company acquired the King Philip Mills in Fall River, Massachusetts. In 1931 the company acquired the Parker Mills of Fall River and Warren, Rhode Island.

Unlike many New England textile companies that failed during the 1920s and 1930s, Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates would survive the Great Depression intact. At its peak in 1948, Berkshire earned $29.5 million and employed 11,000 workers at 11 mills, under the leadership of Malcolm Greene Chace, Jr.

In 1955, Malcolm Jr. put together the merger of Berkshire with Hathaway Manufacturing Co., founded in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1888 by Horatio Hathaway, to form Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

By the 1960s, the Berkshire mill empire had declined to seven plants and 6,000 people, but still annually produced one quarter of a billion yards of material that sold for more than $60 million. The assets, and a sizable amount of cash on the balance sheet, caught the eye of Warren Buffett, an up-and-coming but little-known investor from Omaha, Nebraska.

Buffett, who had founded Buffett Partnership Limited to make investments, started buying stock in Berkshire at $7.60 a share. He eventually paid an average of $14.86 a share, or a total of $14 million, and took control of the company on May 10, 1965.

By then, the company had declined to two mills and 2,300 employees. Buffett used Berkshire Hathaway as his investment vehicle, took the chairman's job in 1970 and acquired dozens of companies.

Textiles & Clothing	Textile Mills
Famous Companies	Fall River
New Bedford	Massachusetts
Rhode Island

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 Information

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.