International Mercantile Marine Co. - Company that Made the Titanic - 1915-20's dated Shipping Stock Certificate - Available in Green, Purple, Olive or Blue - Please Specify Color Desired
Inv# SS1005 Stock
Shipping Stock. Famous 'Titanic' stock. This company owned White Star Lines and the Titanic. Vignette of 'Titanic' type ship with tugboats. Also lady with an anchor. It is interesting to note that the hole cancellation includes JPM & Co. which represents J. Pierpont Morgan & Company. Morgan controlled this very large enterprise and it proved to be one of his poorer investments. Available in Green, Purple, Olive or Blue. Please specify color.
The International Mercantile Marine Company (IMM), initially known as the International Navigation Company, was a shipping trust established in the early 20th century with the aim of monopolizing the maritime trade. Founded by prominent shipping figures—Clement Griscom of the American Line and Red Star Line, Bernard N. Baker of the Atlantic Transport Line, J. Bruce Ismay of the White Star Line, and John Ellerman of the Leyland Line—the trust was heavily financed by J.P. Morgan & Co., under the leadership of financier J.P. Morgan.
IMM also maintained profit-sharing agreements with the German Hamburg-Amerika Line and North German Lloyd Line. The formation of IMM alarmed the British shipping industry, leading to a significant response: the British government subsidized the Cunard Line to build the RMS Lusitania and RMS Mauretania, aiming to compete with IMM's dominance. Since 1902, the International Mercantile Marine Company (IMM) had an agreement with James Pirrie, chairman of Harland & Wolff and a key figure in the management of the White Star Line, to have all of its vessels constructed by Harland & Wolff. This arrangement ensured that IMM's fleet was consistently built by the renowned shipyard.
The IMM also employed a strategy of transferring ships between its various lines. For example, the SS Belgic, initially built for the White Star Line, was later transferred to the Red Star Line and renamed SS Belgenland in 1914. Similarly, the Regina was rebranded as the Westernland. This practice allowed IMM to maintain a daily shipping schedule from the United Kingdom and provided passengers with the flexibility to switch tickets between different vessels within the company’s fleet. After the integration of the Atlantic Transport Line into IMM, Bernard N. Baker retired from his role at the Atlantic Transport Line and was succeeded by Philip Franklin. Franklin later became vice president of IMM. Additionally, Joseph Bruce Ismay, who was president of the White Star Line, replaced Clement Griscom as president of IMM in 1904.
The early 1910s were a critical period for the International Mercantile Marine Company (IMM). The sinking of the Titanic, the fleet's flagship, on April 15, 1912, during its maiden voyage, was a significant turning point. The disaster resulted in considerable financial and human losses and had a profound impact on the trust’s organization. In the aftermath, the American commission of inquiry, led by Senator William Alden Smith, harshly criticized both the principles of IMM and J.P. Morgan, who had been a central figure behind the trust.
Prior to the Titanic tragedy, it had already been planned for J. Bruce Ismay to step down as president of IMM. He was succeeded by Harold Sanderson in 1913. J.P. Morgan passed away on March 31, 1913. Following a receivership in 1915-16, Sanderson was replaced by Philip Franklin, who had served as the receiver during the financial difficulties.
Despite the sinking of the Titanic, the International Mercantile Marine Company (IMM) did not immediately collapse. Although it retained influence with leading American, British, and German shipping companies, IMM struggled with persistent financial issues and failed to dominate the North Atlantic shipping trade as anticipated.
In 1915, the company went into receivership and was placed under the management of Philip Franklin, who successfully navigated it through the crisis. In the late 1920s, Franklin secured government grants for American ships, either built in the U.S. or flying the American flag. In 1926, IMM sold the White Star Line to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company for £7 million, though £2.35 million of this amount remained unpaid when the Royal Mail Group, which was overextended and undercapitalized, collapsed in the early 1930s. By 1930, IMM owned 30 vessels; this number dwindled to 19 by 1933 and to just 11 by 1935.
A stock certificate is issued by businesses, usually companies. A stock is part of the permanent finance of a business. Normally, they are never repaid, and the investor can recover his/her money only by selling to another investor. Most stocks, or also called shares, earn dividends, at the business's discretion, depending on how well it has traded. A stockholder or shareholder is a part-owner of the business that issued the stock certificates.
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