Archives International Auctions - Auction 110 January 20, 2026

Archives International Auctions - Sale 110 68 January 20, 2026 Archives International Auctions www.archivesinternational.com France 323 323 France. Compagnie deColonizationAméricaine, 1820, Issued Bond. France, 1820. Large-format engraved share certificate issued by Compagnie de Colonization Américaine, representing 100 acres of land in the States of Virginia and Kentucky, with a stated value of 1,300 francs. The certificate is printed in French and is issued to a named holder, with extensive printed terms describing the company’s land colonization and settlement program in the United States. The document retains full original attached dividend coupons along both margins, each coupon individually numbered and payable at the company’s office in Paris, with dates printed in the 1830s to 1840s. Ornate engraved border and calligraphic title, with manuscript serial number and signatures at bottom. Condition is Choice Fine to VF condition. An impressive and visually striking example of 19th-century European investment in American land development. Issued bond from an early French private colonization enterprise formed during the Bourbon Restoration, immediately following the Napoleonic Wars. The company was organized to finance and promote French emigration, land acquisition, and agricultural settlement in North America, reflecting renewed transatlantic investment ambitions after France’s loss of formal colonial control. Capital was raised through bonds and shares tied to anticipated land development, settlement revenues, and trade, rather than direct state sponsorship. Like many early 19th-century colonization ventures, the enterprise faced practical and financial obstacles, including over-optimistic projections and logistical difficulties, resulting in a relatively short operational life. Issued bonds are notably scarcer than promotional material or unissued examples, as many were redeemed, cancelled, or discarded following restructuring or failure. This piece stands as a tangible record of early international land speculation and the transition from imperial colonization to privately financed overseas development during the formative period of modern global capital markets. ���������������������� Est. $1000-1500