Authentic 1916 Stock Certificate – The Penton Publishing Company, incorporated in Ohio. This 11 shares certificate was issued to John A. Penton, most likely the founder of the company, on January 4, 1916. Certificate is in good condition but is faded and shows signs of wear consistent with age. The certificate is double sided and measures about 13″ by 8″. Certificate sold will be similar but not identical to one depicted in the image. A great historical item.
John Penton started publishing trade magazines in 1887 and formed a number of publishing companies. He formed the Penton Publishing Company in 1904. This company eventually merged with the Industrial Publishing Company to form a company called Penton. By the 1920s, Penton was a large business magazine publisher including printing “Time” for several years. Between 1938 and 1945, Penton helped the United States Census establish the Standard Industrial Classification system, a digital coding system for publishing industries.
