‘Stock’ing up on the past

While collecting stamps, currency, pictures of palaces, wars and personalities of historical importance, isn’t something unheard of, Scripophily, the hobby of collecting old and ancient certificates of shares, bonds and debentures is quite rare. It is this rarity that inspired Sayeed Cassim, who has been investing in the stock market for over 35 years now, to take to the practice. 

“Currency notes and stamps are quite vast and are printed by the billion, while stocks are printed by a few 100 to a maximum of 1,000 numbers. It’s very difficult to acquire these documents because once a stock is sold, you need to surrender it to the buyer. My family and I have been collecting these certificates for over five years now,” explains Cassim, who is also currently the only Indian citizen to be part of the International Bond & Share Society.

Among the 400-odd certificates in his possession, are certificates owned by GD Birla, David Yule of the famous Andrew Yule & co., who was at that time billed the richest person in the country, and certificates of the Madras Railway Company and other railway companies from the 1840s and 1850s. The Department of Museums, Government of Tamil Nadu, is showcasing 83 certificates from the collection of the Cassim family at an ongoing exhibition titled Scripophily. 

“Scripophily was coined from the English term ‘scrip’, which represents ownership, and the Greek word ‘philos’ that translates to love,” explains Cassim, adding that eBay is one of his biggest resources for these certificates. 

“All these bonds and stocks speak for themselves and have unique stories to tell. They have details of the owner, company, face value and more. Many companies had been promoted by celebrity industrialists and some certificates bear their signatures,” adds Cassim. 

So, even those who do not know the intricacies of stocks will be attracted to the history and artwork like calligraphy attached to them. For instance, the certificate issued by The Malabar Forest and Rubber Company Limited, bears an image of a tusker printed across it. 

The exhibition includes certificates of The Madras Railway Company, The Bengal Gold & Silver Mining Co, Delhi Cotton Mills Company Limited and Imperial Paper Mills Company. Some of them have also been printed on leather.