Chris Craft Industries - Delaware

Beautifully engraved Specimen certificate from Chris Craft Industries. This historic document was printed by the Jefferies Banknote Company and has an ornate border around it with a vignette of two women on both sides of a world globe. This item has the printed signatures of the Company’s Chairman, Herbert Siegel and Secretary, Barry S. Greene.






Certificate Vignette



Prior to the acquisition by Fox Television Stations, Inc and Chris-Craft Industries, Inc. on July 25, 2001, Chris-Craft Industries principal activities were divided into two divisions: TELEVISION a group of seven television stations forming part of the Group's BHC Communications Inc., where broadcasting is conducted on 68 channels. There are major national networks ABC, NBC ,CBS, Fox Broadcasting Company United Paramount Network and the WB Network for brocasting television stations which provide few hours of broadcasting. And INDUSTRIAL manufactures and distributing of products such as plastic flexible films, recreational products, water soluble hospital laundry bags and other health care products. Industrial division constitutes of Chris-Craft Industrial Products, Inc., wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.

A Journey Through Time: Chris-Craft Legend Spans 130 Years Sarasota, FL, February, 2004 – From a simple hunting boat constructed in 1874, Chris-Craft founder Chris Smith built a company—and a legend. His vision set the course for a boat-building empire that would become the largest on earth. Travel through time with us as we take a nostalgic look at Chris-Craft’s history.

1874: The Smith brothers, Chris and Henry, build their first wooden boat. (1876: Custer’s Last Stand at Little Big Horn.)

1884: Smith Brothers Boat Builders open their first mass-production facility in Algonac, MI.

1890: Smith Brothers Boat Builders introduce their first steam-powered boats ranging from 25 to 40 feet.

1901: Company changes its name to Chris Smith & Company Boat Builders and Boat Livery. (1903: Wright Brothers first flight at Kitty Hawk, NC.)

1910: The Smith-Ryan Boat Company is formed, focusing on building fast, economicallypriced runabout boats for mass market distribution. Products debut at New York and Chicago Boat Shows. (1912: Titanic hits iceberg and sinks in Atlantic Ocean.)

1914-1919: Chris Smith Boats win six consecutive Gold Cup racing awards. (1914: Panama Canal opens, joining the Atlantic and the Pacific)

1922: Chris Smith & Sons Boat Company is formed in Algonac.

1924: Chris-Craft becomes a standardized brand name.

1927: Chris-Craft recognized as world’s largest builder of mahogany constructed power boats. Jay Smith, Chris’s son, is appointed President and General Manager, a position he would hold for the next 31 years before his retirement.

1935: Feeling the effects of the Depression, sales weaken tremendously. The line is narrowed, and the company goes back to the basics of building runabouts.

1939: Chris-Craft begins building patrol boats, utility launches, and rescue vessels for the United States Navy and Army (12,000 military vessels by 1945).

1950: Chris-Craft offers 139 different recreational power boat models.

1955: Chris-Craft manufacturers its first fiberglass boat. (1956: Elvis Presley gains in popularity with hit song Hound Dog.)

1960: The Smith Family sells the company to Shields & Company and National Automotive Fibers, Inc.

1962: Company renamed Chris-Craft Industries, Inc. (1969: Neil Armstrong is the first man to walk on the moon)

1971: Chris-Craft builds their last mahogany boat— a 57-foot Constellation™, which completes the transition to fiberglass products.

1980: Chris-Craft boat manufacturing operations are sold to George Dale Murray.

1982: Murray buys Viking Boat Company, renaming it Chris-Craft Sportdecks™.

1989: Outboard Marine Corporation purchases Chris-Craft Boats.

1999: Chris-Craft brand celebrates 125th Anniversary.

2000: OMC files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Chris- Craft operations are put on hold.

2001: Chris-Craft was sold to London investment group, Stellican. Operations resumed and new owners revealed plans for the future with the introduction of three new Heritage models and a 43-foot Roamer Yacht.

2002: Chris-Craft unveils plans for two cuddy models on the Launch hulls and larger models up to 60 feet.

2004: Chris-Craft launches the Roamer 40 at the Miami International Boat Show. Chris-Craft celebrates its 130th Anniversary.

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About Specimen Certificates

Specimen Certificates are actual certificates that have never been issued. They were usually kept by the printers in their permanent archives as their only example of a particular certificate. Sometimes you will see a hand stamp on the certificate that says "Do not remove from file".

Specimens were also used to show prospective clients different types of certificate designs that were available. Specimen certificates are usually much scarcer than issued certificates. In fact, many times they are the only way to get a certificate for a particular company because the issued certificates were redeemed and destroyed. In a few instances, Specimen certificates were made for a company but were never used because a different design was chosen by the company.

These certificates are normally stamped "Specimen" or they have small holes spelling the word specimen. Most of the time they don't have a serial number, or they have a serial number of 00000. This is an exciting sector of the hobby that has grown in popularity over the past several years.