1902 Copper Glance Mining Company Stock Certificate - Bisbee, AZ
DESCRIPTION
This is an original stock certificate issued by the Copper Glance Mining Company, incorporated under the laws of the Territory of Arizona. The certificate is richly engraved in black and gray with elaborate ornamental borders, classical female figures in the corners, and a detailed mining vignette illustrating underground labor and mineral extraction. The capital stock is prominently stated, and the document is authenticated with original officer signatures and an embossed seal. The verso is printed in green and contains the formal transfer and power-of-attorney language, along with structured security patterns and a blind-embossed seal impression, confirming its use as a negotiable financial instrument.
Historical Context
This certificate was issued by the Copper Glance Mining Company during the late nineteenth century, a period when the Arizona Territory was rapidly emerging as one of the most important copper-producing regions in the United States. “Copper glance,” also known as chalcocite, was a highly desirable copper ore due to its rich metal content, and discoveries of such ores fueled intense speculation, corporate formation, and outside investment. Mining companies were frequently organized in Eastern and Midwestern financial centers to raise capital for claims and operations located in the Southwest, often long before consistent production was proven.
This certificate reflects the broader boom-and-bust cycle of Western mining finance, in which promoters relied on engraved stock certificates as both legal instruments and persuasive tools to attract investors. The elaborate design, allegorical imagery, and formal language conveyed legitimacy and optimism at a time when territorial infrastructure, transportation, and legal systems were still developing. Many such companies existed primarily to consolidate claims and secure funding, with success dependent on ore quality, transportation access, and fluctuating metal prices.
As a surviving artifact, this certificate documents the speculative character of American mineral development during the Gilded Age, when copper became increasingly vital for electrical wiring, industrial machinery, and urban expansion. Whether or not the Copper Glance Mining Company achieved lasting profitability, the certificate endures as tangible evidence of Arizona’s transformation from frontier territory to industrial resource center and of the financial mechanisms that underwrote that transformation.
CONDITION
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