Special Collections

The Museum maintains a formidable collection of financial documents, including a number that date back to the 18th century. These include broadsides, early stock certificates and company charter documents. Other holdings include checks dating from the mid-19th century onwards, as well as currency from the colonial era to the present day. Among other notable items are a US Treasury Bond issued to George Washington (with the first known use of the dollar sign), and a $100,000 bond issued to Andrew Carnegie in 1901 when US Steel was formed as one of J.P. Morgan's outstanding corporate deals.

The Museum also collects items relating to the Graham Newman Corporation and its founders, Jerry Newman and Benjamin Graham, author of such notable books as Security Analysis and The Intelligent Investor and mentor to Warren Buffett.

Images of select items from this collection can be viewed below. For additional images, please visit our Flickr page.

ABN Order Form American Bank Note Company order form for Eastern Steamship Corporation bonds, dated January 25, 1912.

Gibbons This steamboat Thistle receipt from J.H. Vanderbilt, brother of Cornelius, is signed by Vanderbilt. It is part of the Museum’s Carver Gibbons Collection.

Graham Newman Letter Letter from Benjamin Graham to Jerry Newman regarding the partners’ business dealings, 1931.

Graham and Newman This 1959 photograph of Benjamin Graham (right) and his business partner Jerry Newman is in the Museum’s Graham-Newman Corporation Collection.