Captain Kidd GOLD Treasure SCAM stock certificate 1846!

This is an amazing example of a stock for the recovery of Captain Kidd’s treasure. We’ve never seen anything like it.
It reads, “William S. Pierson & Co., have obtained from Abraham G. Thompson, Esq., the entire right and privilege of operating, for One Year from the First of May Last, on the wreck of a vessel supposed to be sunk at the foot of Dunderbergh Mountain, in the Hudson River, and believe said vessel to contain the
Treasures of the celebrated Pirate, Captain Kidd
-Have also obtained the privilege of digging on the Land of said Thompson, for buried Treasures, and are entitled to Two-Thirds of the property, of every kind, obtained in said operations. They propose to divide said interests into One Thousand Shares…”
This was a SCAM. The issuers salted the Hudson River, north of New York City at the foot of (the real) Dunderbergh Mountain, with gold. They excitedly brought the booty up within view of onlookers. They sold the stock and absconded with the proceeds. It resulted in a huge trial a few years later as widely reported in the city papers. An enthralled researcher has only recently outlined the complete story.
“Progress came too late to please the original investors. On 1 May, 1846, Pierson’s two-year lease expired, shares in Sargent & Co. became worthless, and Thompson transferred salvage rights …Still believing that Pierson had located the wreck of Kidd’s ship…Gracie took his former partners to court…he filed suit in the Court of Chancery…he too believed that he had been cheated…gathered evidence confirming much of the information the year-old Peekskill Republican article concerning the dumping of the cannon and obtained new evidence that the gold and silver raised from the wreck had been purchased in Manhattan, colored with acids…”
Unissued, 1846, excellent condition, light blue paper. NO fully issued examples of this stock are known.
The certificate has very slight indentations on the back from the letterpress.
**We have specialized in fine ephemera since 1979. All items are guaranteed genuine.
**WE BUY OLD STOCKS & BONDS and related financial documents.
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