American Brands Inc stock certificate 1970s

Great collectible tobacco stock with a fantastic vignette of an American Indian chief in full headdress. Issued and cancelled. Dated 1970's.

The American Tobacco Company was founded in 1890. In the late 1960s, with health concerns seen as posing an increasing threat to the tobacco business, management decided to diversify into other fields and changed the corporate name to American Brands, Inc. Brown & Williamson acquired the tobacco division in 1994.

American Brands, Inc. was the holding company name for the American Tobacco Company, founded by J.B. Duke in 1890, which was later broken up by antitrust laws in 1911. The restructured company changed its name to American Brands, Inc. in 1969 to reflect a strategic diversification beyond tobacco into various sectors including spirits (Jim Beam), home and security (Master Lock, Moen), and golf (Titleist). In 1994, American Brands sold its tobacco division and, in 1997, renamed itself Fortune Brands, Inc. to formally mark its exit from the tobacco industry.