Bloomingdale Bros. Inc. (Bloomingdale's Department Stores)

Beautifully engraved SPECIMEN certificate from the Bloomingdale Bros. Inc. This historic document was printed by the Security-Columbian Banknote Company and has an ornate border around it with a vignette of an allegorical woman leaning on a globe. This item has the printed signatures of the Company’s President and Secretary. This is the first time we have seen this certificate.


Certificate Vignette



Bloomingdale's operates about 25 stores in 10 states, mostly in California and New York. The company's flagship store at 59th and Lexington is a Manhattan institution and tourist attraction in its own right. Founded in 1872 by brothers Lyman and Joseph Bloomingdale, the store rode the popularity of the hoop skirt to sales success and practically invented the department store concept at the beginning of the 20th century. Bloomingdale's joined the Federated corporate family in 1930. Federated is opening new Bloomingdale's locations in New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, and Nevada in 2002.