Central Pennsylvania Oil Company stock certificate 1919 (Reading Pennsylvania)

Rare PA filling station collectible. Fantastic double vignette of of a capitol building and a dog. Issued and not cancelled. Vertical folds from mailing. Splits top and bottom outside of border. Rough right edge outside of border. Dated 1919. Measures approximately 12.5 x 9 inches.   Only one we have seen of this version.

The Central Pennsylvania Oil Company was incorporated in 1919 and was headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania. The firm marketed its gasoline under the brand name CENPOCO. Lucius C. (Bud) Sweely owned and operated the Central Pennsylvania Oil Company for over 47 years.

As late as 1924 newspaper advertisements proclaimed its virtues. “For good service in a gas engine, good gasoline and oil are necessary,” noted one in the Reading Times, adding:

“Lubricating oil developed and placed on the market by the Central Pennsylvania Oil Company, Third and Walnut streets, this city, are such as to ensure the maximum of power with a minimum of expense, and couple high effectiveness with a low percentage of carbon deposit, making frequent cleaning of cylinders unnecessary.”

However, by 1930 the company and its stations reportedly have disappeared, probably a casualty of the Great Depression. It will be 1946 before the Central Pennsylvania Oil Company Pennsylvania charter is officially repealed by Delaware.

Business Expansion:
By 1921, the company expanded by establishing several "filling stations" in the Reading, Lebanon, and Harrisburg areas.

Stock Sales:
The company actively solicited investors through newspaper advertisements (such as in the Harrisburg Telegraph and Reading Times), selling stock with a $25 par value.

Historical Context:
In this era of early American motoring, CENPOCO competed for market share against other booming petroleum and gas businesses that rapidly emerged across the state.

Product descriptions and images
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