Drawbaugh Telephone & Telegraph Company - New York 1895

Beautiful certificate from the Drawbaugh Telephone & Telegraph Company issued in 1895. This historic document was printed by Franklin Banknote Company and has an ornate border around it with a vignette of the company's founder, Daniel Drawbaugh. This item has the hand signatures of the Company's President, John R. Bartlett and Secretary and is over 112 years old.


Certificate Vignette

Daniel Drawbaugh, from rural Pennsylvania, with little formal schooling, almost won a legal battle with Bell in 1884 but was defeated by a four to three vote in the Supreme Court. The claim by this "Edison of the Cumberland Valley" was the most exciting (and futile) litigation over telephone patents.

Altogether, the Bell Company was involved in 587 lawsuits, of which five went to the Supreme Court; Bell won every case. A convincing argument was that no competitor claimed originality until 17 months after Bell's patent. Also, at the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition, eminent electrical scientists, especially Lord Kelvin, the world's foremost authority, had declared it to be "new." Professors, scientists, and researchers defended Bell, pointing to his lifelong study of the ear and his books and lectures on speech mechanics.