NATIONAL TEA COMPANY

(CHICAGO, ILLINOIS)

STOCK CERTIFICATE,

100-SHARES,

1929 (GREAT DEPRESSION)

ISSUED ON OCTOBER 1, 1929
ONLY 23-DAYS BEFORE THE
WALL STREET STOCK MARKET
CRASH (i.e. "BLACK THURSDAY").

PLEASE NOTE:  We love acquiring decades' old bank drafts, billheads, correspondence, stock certificates and other paper memorabilia - - as they afford us an opportunity to look back in time and experience some of what was occurring long ago.  You might enjoy acquiring this item for your own collection!

TYPE OF SCRIPOPHILY, EXONUMIA, NOTAPHILY꞉  Stock certificate for the every-growing, giant, National Tea Company (a major grocery store chain prior to The Great Depression).
COMPANY NAME꞉  The National Tea Company.
ADDRESS꞉  1000 Crosby Street (per the 1923 Chicago Directory).
CITY, COUNTY & STATE꞉  Chicago (Cook) Illinois.
CERTIFICATE PRINTED BY꞉  American Bank Note Company.
DATE ON FORM & YEARS OLD꞉  October 1, 1929 (94-years old).
STOCK HOLDER'S NAME꞉  Thyra Lilleso.
CITY, COUNTY & STATE꞉  Believed to have resided in the Chicago, Illinois area.
SHARES PURCHASED꞉  100 shares of Common Stock.
VALUE OF GOODS꞉  No par value of the Common Stock.
TYPE OF DOCUMENT꞉  Stock certificate for Common Stock.
CERTIFICATE NUMBER:  CC3020.
GENERAL COLOR(S)꞉  Off-white paper with black, gold, red and blue inks.
MEASUREMENTS꞉  7½” x 11½”.
EMBOSSING꞉  Yes.  Corporate seal is embossed over the printed seal.
TAXATION/REVENUE/OTHER STAMPS꞉  Yes.  Has a $4 United States Internal Revenue Documentary Tax Stamp affixed.  This tax stamp was rubber stamp canceled by the Federal National Bank of Chicago on November 29, 1933.
WATERMARKS ON PAPER꞉  None.
SECURITY PAPER꞉  Yes.  The paper is “peppered” with small, very faint yellow, red and blue “dots.”
FOLDS꞉  Appears to be two vertical (up and down) and no horizontal (left to right).
CORNERS꞉  Great condition.
CANCELED?꞉  Punch canceled when paid to void the certificate.  Punch canceled “CANCELLED 11º27º33 FNBº2º1.”
HOLES, TEARS, DAMAGE꞉  Punch canceled.  Two pin holes, top center where the document was attached to another document.  Prior to the widespread use of office “staplers” and paperclips, documents were “pinned” to one another with sewing pins.
ADDITIONAL NOTES꞉  Based on our research, this particular stock certificate appears to have been issued to a family member of the President / Vice-President of the National Tea Company.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL TEA COMPANY:  The National Tea Company (informally known as National) was a Midwestern United States grocery chain that operated during the 20th century.

Founded in 1899 with a single store in Chicago by Danish immigrant George S. Rasmussen along with his brother Thorvald (incorporating in Illinois in 1902), the retailer spread to about 160 stores by 1920, and annual sales approached $13 million. By the end of the 1920s, National Tea had over 600 locations in the Chicago area alone and another 1,000 stores nationwide. Sales grew to about $90 million a year.  Many of their stores were closed or sold during The Great Depression, but National Tea remained among the 10 largest grocery chains in the United States for most of the 20th century.   

By 1929, the company operated roughly 1,600 stores after many acquisitions of smaller chains.  Things languished during the 1930s with George S. Rasmussen dying in 1936.  During the three years following George's death, the company lost money.

In the book All About Tea (The Tea and Coffee Trade Journal Company, 1935) it was reported the company also operated 55 wagon routes in seven states.  The wagon routes were operated by the India Tea Company, a subsidiary corporation.

In 1955, when annual sales topped $600 million and the company had nearly 20,000 employees nationwide.  At that time, The National Tea Company was purchased by George Weston Ltd., a large Canadian grocery retailer (later renamed Loblaw Companies).  Most National stores were in the Mississippi Valley, including in Louisiana.  During the 1950s, it acquired about 500 new stores by buying up smaller chains.

Eventually, National, renamed National Supermarkets, was pared down to operations in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Louisiana. It was a major chain in the St. Louis, Indianapolis and New Orleans areas. Later, in 1976, Loblaw sold off some of its stores (63 locations) to The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, better known as A&P.

A LITTLE ABOUT THYRA LILLESO:  It appears that Thyra Lilleso may have been “family” and related to the National Tea Company's top executives.  We know from Page 1334 of the United States Board of Tax Appeals Reports (not filed within statutory period) that Docket No. 100,223 listed Robert V. Rasmussen, Individually and as Executor of the Estate of George Rasmussen, Transferee of Thyra Lilleso.

There is no mention of Thyra Lilleso in the 1923 Polk's Chicago Directory, nor in the 1912-1913 Chicago White Page and Yellow Pages Directory, nor in the Classified Telephone Directory City of Chicago "The Red Book" July 1914.

ABOUT THE COMPANY'S TRADEMARKS / REGISTRATIONS:  In 1927, the Index of Patents Issued From The United States Patent Office, 1926, reported The National Tea Company of Chicago, Illinois registered dozens and dozens and dozens of "Registrants of Labels" such as: National's Best Raisined Kisses For Assorted Kisses (31,167), National Brand Net Weight 4 Ounces Tea (31,169), National Brand Highest Grade Full Strength Red Color Strawberry Shade For Strawberry Coloring (31,222) and dozens more!

SHIPPING COST꞉  Your shipping cost is calculated when checking out.  To keep your shipping cost as low as possible, it's based on “DIM” (i.e. weight, package size and final destination).  This item ships by United States First Class Mail or eBay International Delivery.  Orders typically ship within one business day of your payment being received.

This item will be mailed in a large envelope, box, cardboard tube or cardboard “sandwich” to minimize folding in transit.  We DO NOT take historical documents and refold them to save on postage costs.