Beautifully engraved specimen certificate from the Lancaster Colony Corporation dated 1978. 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 between two globes. This item is over 24 years old.
Certificate Vignette In 1961, several small glass and related housewares manufacturing companies combined to form Lancaster Colony Corporation. Two years later, the Board of Directors initiated a strategy to reward shareholders through annual dividend increases. Lancaster Colony has paid consecutive quarterly dividends since 1963. Lancaster Colony went public in 1969. That year also saw the company enter the specialty foods business with the purchase of the T. Marzetti Company. In 1972, Lancaster Colony posted sales in excess of $100 million and acquired Candle-lite, a small candle business, to complement its other housewares operations. The years that followed were characterized by internally-generated growth and periodic acquisitions related to the existing housewares, specialty foods and automotive businesses. Since the late 1980s, Specialty Foods, and the Glassware and Candles portion of the Housewares businesses have been the company's primary growth vehicles. Numerous acquisitions and strong internal growth continue to expand the sales and product offering in the Specialty Foods business. The Glassware and Candle segment has grown primarily from internally generated growth in the candle business. The company exceeded $1 billion in annual sales for the first time in fiscal 1998. Today, Lancaster Colony is positioned as a diversified marketer and manufacturer in three distinct product groups: Specialty Foods, the largest and fastest growing division; Glassware and Candles; and Automotive. These groups operate autonomously, allowing each to focus on their specific customer base and market opportunities.