Lot 201

Great Chicago Fire - Pullman's Palace Car Co. Stock Cert Officially Reissued To Replace Originals Destroyed "in the great fire of Oct 8th 1871"

Previous image preload Next image preload

Great Chicago Fire - Pullman's Palace Car Co. Stock Cert Officially Reissued To Replace Originals Destroyed "in the great fire of Oct 8th 1871"

Estimate: $100 - $160

Starting Bid: $50

(0 Bids)

by University Archives
July 28, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Live Auction
88 Danbury Road
Suite 2A
Wilton, CT, US 06897

19th C. Chicago
Chicago, IL, January 16, 1872
Great Chicago Fire - Pullman's Palace Car Co. Stock Cert Officially Reissued To Replace Originals Destroyed "in the great fire of Oct 8th 1871"
PPDS

A partly printed and partly manuscript stock certificate form reissued on January 16, 1872 to replace previous certificates destroyed in the Chicago Fire of 1871. The item comes with a "Pullman's Palace Car Company" stock certificate blank. January 16, 1872. Chicago, Illinois. Expected wear including even toning, with scattered minor closed tears and/or chipped edges. Isolated discoloration from old glue affecting a few manuscript words in the appended docket section found at the left of the reissue. Else very good. The larger item, being the stock certificate blank, measures 13.5" x 6.125".

The Great Chicago Fire of October 8-10, 1871 consumed over 2,000 acres of the city of Chicago, resulting in the loss of an estimated 17,000 mostly wooden houses and buildings. This stockholder of Pullman's Palace Car Company stock could very well have been one of the more than 100,000 Chicagoans left homeless by the conflagration, which in addition to destroying residences, also burned up important financial documents like these stock certificates.

The lot consists of:

1. A partly printed and partly manuscript stock certificate from the Pullman's Palace Car Company, officially reissued on January 16, 1872 to replace nine of the stockholder's existing stock certificates destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire. The stocks, which are itemized by dates of issue, certificate numbers, and share tallies, had been purchased by stockholder Henry J. Wallingford between May 1868 and September 1871, and ranged in amounts from 2 shares to 20 shares, for a total of 82 shares. The appended docket section found at the left of the reissue corresponds to Stock Certificate No. 541, issued on October 30, 1869 in the amount of 10 shares of stock purchased by Henry J. Wallingford.

In part:

"Chicago. Jany 16th 1872

This certificate was burned in the great fire of Oct 8th + 9th 1871, and by authority of the Board of Directors - (See minutes of their meeting Dec 26/71) a new certificate (No 2042) has this day been issued to Henry J. Wallingford for 92 shares of Stock to replace this and the following certificates, burned at the same time…"

2. A "Pullman's Palace Car Company" stock certificate blank with attached docket section and blank reverse.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

  • Dimensions: larger: 13.5" x 6.125"
  • Medium: PPDS

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house world-wide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses that proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with a signature required option, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third-Party Shipping Option: If a third-party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third-party. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third-party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third-party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third-party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000