General Baking Co. - General Host Corporation - Specimen Stock Certificate

Specimen Stock printed by American Bank Note Company, New York. Available in Purple or Blue. Please specify color.

General Host Corp., previously known as General Baking Company, was a food and food-related enterprise based in New York. It also owned Frank's Nursery & Crafts until the company declared bankruptcy in 2004. The origins of General Host date back to June 1911, when the General Baking Co. was established in New York through the merger of 21 baking firms from 12 states, including the Brunner, Collins, and Ontario Baking Companies. The newly formed entity operated with a limited presence, maintaining no more than two facilities in each city where it was located. From the outset, the company was publicly traded, launching with a stock offering valued at $20 million on the New York Stock Exchange, alongside a $5 million bond issuance. William B. Ward, who previously managed the Ward Baking Company's factory in the Bronx, led the new organization. At its inception, General Baking Co. held a 20 percent share of the American bread market. Shortly after its establishment, the company made its first acquisition, purchasing the Louisville-based Grocers' Baking Company and its subsidiary, Grocer's Biscuit Company. By 1912, Frank R. Shepherd served as vice president, while William H. Collins, the former manager of Collins Baking Company, held the position of president, with Lewis J. Kolb acting as the chairman of the board.