Scripophily Question - Collecting Railroad Bonds

From: "Leslie H Trevena" bercron@optusnet.com.au

1. Are there any Railway Bonds from 1856 that are worth more than the cost of printing.
2. Were $100 and $500 Railway Bonds issued.
3. If a person were to be in possession of such bonds what might there true value be.
4. Are there any Railway Bonds in existence today that would be worth many millions of dollars.

My reason for asking is, I know of a person claiming to have Railway Bonds from 1856, they state they have an enormous $ value today.

On reading information found on the internet, I have grave doubts as to their claim.

—Leslie Howard

Henry E. Huntington

From: KyleKWyatt@gmail.com

In 1900 when Southern Pacific President Collis P Huntington died, his nephew, heir and Southern Pacific Vice President Henry E. Huntington, expected to become SP President. The financiers (read bond holders, I believe) behind the railroad passed over Henry and brought in an outsider as SP President. The ticked off Henry then sold the Huntington interestes in SP to H. E. Harriman, and helped facilitate the sales of Stanford and Crocker interestes to Harriman as well. With majority stock control of SP (and with his power on Wall Street), Harriman took over control from the fianciers' choice in 1901 and sent him packing.

Meanwhile, Henry Huntington took his profits and turned his dabbling in Southern California electric railroading into a major investment – called Pacific Electric.

In such ways is history made.

—Kyle Wyatt

[from the R&LHS Newsgroup.]