Beautifully engraved certificate from the Montgomery Ward & Co. dated 1929. This historic document was printed by the Central Banknote Company and has an ornate border around it with a vignette of anallegorical woman aboth the Spirit of Progress with a stagecoach on the left and a monoplane and train on the right. This item has the signatures of the Company's officers and is over 83 years old.
Certificate Vignette Key dates in the history of Montgomery Ward. 1872: Aaron Montgomery Ward founds the first dry-goods mail-order catalogue business. The company's first catalog lists 163 items on a single sheet. 1875: Company coins the phrase "Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back." 1883: Company's 240-page catalog lists 10,000 items. 1900: Records $8.7 million in sales, but falls behind Sears & Roebuck, which generates $10 million. 1926: First freestanding retail store opens in Plymouth, Ind. 1928: Opens 244 stores. By 1929, it has 531 stores. 1930: Montgomery Ward declines proposal to merge with Sears. 1939: Advertising copywriter Robert L. May develops character and illustrated poem "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" for company executives. 1968: Company merges with Container Corp. of America to form Marcor Inc. 1976: Marcor acquired by Mobil Oil Corp. 1985: Company unveils specialty store strategy and discontinues catalog operations. 1988: Management undertakes successful $3.8 billion leveraged buyout, making Montgomery Ward a privately held company. 1991: Resumes mail-order catalog business. 1994: Montgomery Ward opens first Electric Avenue & More stores, acquires New England retail chain Lechmere. 1997: Company files for Chapter 11 bank-ruptcy. 1999: GE Capital Services purchases Montgomery Ward, brings it out of bankruptcy. Company abandons specialty store design and begins offering moderately priced apparel, electronics and furniture. 2000: Montgomery Ward announces plan to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection - 250 stores in 30 states.