In 1968, the Pennsylvania Railroad merged with its rival New York Central Railroad and the railroad eventually went by the name of Penn Central Transportation Company, or "Penn Central" for short. The former competitors’ networks integrated poorly with each other, and the railroad filed for bankruptcy within two years. Bankruptcy continued and on April 1, 1976, the railroad gave up its railroad assets, along with the assets of several other failing northeastern railroads, to a new railroad named Consolidated Rail Corporation, or Conrail for short.
PRE-MERGER STOCK CERTIFICATE
(NOT INCLUDED)
Before the computer and desktop printers came along clerks and agents depended on rubber stamps to economize their efforts. Rather than hand-write the same information on documents time and again, all day long, clerical staff resorted to prepared messages and notes engraved in rubber, affixed to a wooden applicator. When used, the rubber is first applied to a stamp pad that has been saturated with ink, then the stamp is applied to the document. The design or message on the rubber stamp is affixed onto the document.
The PENN CENTRAL TRANSPORTATION CO. was created in 1968 by merging the PENNSYLVANIA and NEW YORK CENTRAL RAILROADS, the nation's 2 largest trunklines, extending from the Atlantic to Chicago and St. Louis.
The legal merger (formally, an acquisition of the NYC by the PRR) concluded on February 1, 1968. The Pennsylvania Railroad, the nominal survivor of the merger, changed its name to PENNSYLVANIA NEW YORK CENTRAL TRANSPORTATION CO., and soon began using "Penn Central" as a trade name. That trade name became official a couple months later, on May 8, 1968.
This auction is for a pre-1968 merger Pennsylvania Railroad clerical rubber stamp whose use denoted reference to the Pennsylvania Railroad's original name of the merged company before the name PENN CENTRAL was officially adopted as the merged company's name.
The name "PENNSYLVANIA NEW YORK CENTRAL TRANSPORTATION CO." makes this stamp very unique. It is not Pennsylvania, not New York Central and not Penn Central as the stock certificate indicates with the addition on the stock certificate noting, "The name of this company has been changed to PENN CENTRAL".
The stamp measures about 2 3/4 " wide, 3" tall, and 1" thick. It was made by American Krengel Rubber Stamp Co., NYC., which is still doing business.
Condition: This rubber stamp pre-dates the merger of the Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Central Railroad in 1968, making it at least 55 years old. It is in very good condition for its age, still fully functional.
If you collect RAILROAD STUFF, PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD EQUIPMENT OR LITERATURE you might want to place me in your "FAVORITES" list for the next few months to keep track of these auctions. I have just begun to list similar sets from a collector's hoard dating from the 1920's. I will be listing new lots weekly in the coming months.
Due to the quantity available, the item pictured may not be the actual item you will receive, but similar. See Pics
