Product Details

Nicely engraved antique specimen stock certificate from the Crown Cork & Seal Company, Inc. dating back to the 1990's. This document, which contains the printed signatures of the company Chairman of the Board and Secretary, was printed by the American Bank Note Company and measures approximately 12" (w) by 8" (h).

The certificate features a pair of allegorical male figures, flanking hemisperes and the company's Crown logo.

Images

You will receive the exact certificate pictured.

Historical Context

William Painter, an Irish-born American, invented the crown cap for bottled carbonated beverages in 1891, and obtained patents 468,226 and 468,258 for it on February 2, 1892. He founded his own manufacturing business, the Crown Cork and Seal Company, in Baltimore and set out on a campaign to convince bottlers that his cap was the right one to use on their products.

By 1898, he had created a foot-powered crowner device to sell to bottlers and retailers so that they could seal the bottles with his caps quickly and easily. This helped gain acceptance of his bottle caps. By 1906, Crown had opened manufacturing plants in Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

In 1927, after a merger with New Process Cork Company, Crown Cork and Seal Company was established in New York City. Crown Cork International Corporation was established in the subsequent year in order to assist subsidiaries engaged in bottle crown and other cork business outside the United States.

By the 1930s Crown was selling half of the world's supply of bottle caps. Crown entered the tin can business in 1936 with the purchase of the Acme Can Company of Philadelphia, which led to the creation of the Crowntainer, a funnel-shaped beer can, the following year.

To address market changes after World War I and Prohibition, Crown then focused heavily on soft drinks. During World War II, Crown produced war products such as the Kork-N-Seal, the Pour-N-Seal, and the Merit Seal, as well as gas mask canisters. John Connelly took over presidency of the company and moved the headquarters from Baltimore to Philadelphia in the late 1950s.

In 2003, Crown restructured as a public holding company. In 2005 and 2006 Crown exited the plastics industry with the sale of its Global Plastic Closure and its cosmetics packaging businesses.