Summary

Kodak Archive
Series 7 - 'Shares and Shareholders'

A share certificate book containing 250 share certificates numbered 1 to 250 for 'Kodak (Australasia) Limited' issued and transferred from 1911 to 1915. These are the first shares transferred under the new company name which until 1911 was 'Australian Kodak Limited', a company created through the merger of the American 'Eastman Kodak Company' and Australian 'Baker & Rouse' in 1908. Names inscribed in the book as holders of shares include Directors of 'Kodak (Australasia) Limited' Thomas Baker and John Joseph Rouse, their family members including Baker's wife Alice Baker and her relatives Eleanor Shaw and Alfred Shaw (also an employee), employees and various other investors.

The book shows the movement of ownership of the company's 150,000 shares (valued at £1 each) over time through the transfer of certificates. Share certificates 1 to 73 have been torn out leaving behind the stub. Cancelled share certificates from 'Kodak (Australasia) Limited' and 'Australian Kodak Limited' have been adhered back into the share book. These certificates are split into either smaller shares or transferred to new holders and adhered to the stub of the newly created certificate. Pages 74 to 248 are blank. Page 249 has been torn out and taken as a printers copy. Certificate 250 has been torn out and sent to the stock exchange.

This document belongs to the 'Shares and Shareholders' series which consists of share registers, share certificates, correspondence and shareholder lists, ranging in dates from 1908 to 1998. It is part of the Kodak Heritage Collection of products, promotional materials, photographs and working life artefacts collected from Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd in 2005, when the Melbourne manufacturing plant at Coburg closed down.

Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd manufactured and distributed a wide range of photographic products to Australasia, such as film, paper, chemicals, cameras and miscellaneous equipment. Its client base included amateur and professional photographers, as well as specialist medical and graphic art professionals who used photography, x-ray and other imaging techniques.

Physical Description

Book with predominantly maroon patterned cardboard cover and forest green leatherette binding. In the middle of the cover's inside is a handwritten number '3' enclosed by a circle, and in the lower right corner is a printers red and white circular 29-point star sticker with a number handwritten in the centre. The first and last few salmon paper pages are discoloured to a brownish hue. Pages are perforated between stub and certifcate and certificate numbers 1 to 73 have been removed with inscribed stubs remaining. Certificate numbers 74 to 248 are blank. Page 249 has been removed and taken as a printers copy, whilst the final certificate 250 was removed and sent to the stock exchange. Many share certificates from Kodak (Australasia) Limited and earlier Australian Kodak Limited have been adhered back into the share book. Inscriptions below are of the newer Kodak (Australasia) Limited certificates. Certificates and stubs are printed in navy blue ink and certificate numbers stamped in black ink (as part of the original creation of the ledger). Cancelled certificates are also embossed with a stamp and hole-punched vertically 4 to 6 and horizontally 0 to 2 times with the word 'CANCELLED'. Handwritten text is in black ink. Additions include circa 25 receipts for certificates adhered to stubs, 1 receipt for registered post, 3 stamps and 1 letter adhered to stub 33.

More Information

  • Collection Names

    Kodak Heritage Collection, Kodak Archive Collection

  • Collecting Areas

    Images & Image Making, Working Life & Trades

  • Acquisition Information

    Donation from Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd, Ms. Kate Metcalf - Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd, 2005

  • Acknowledgement

    Courtesy of Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd.

  • User

    Kodak (Australasia) Limited, Abbotsford, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1911 - 1915
    While the entries are dated 16/03/1911 - 26/01/1915, there are share certificates dated between 1908 and 1910 adhered into the book from earlier share certificate books. Certificate 73 is stamped with a 1916 date, but the certificate was never completely filled out and is stamped 'CANCELLED'.

  • Signed By

    Mr Thomas Baker - Austral Plate Company, Abbotsford, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1911 - 1915
    At the start of 1911 Baker owned 42,570 shares. Transfers of certificates to and from other holders in this book leave Baker with 31,420 at the beginning of 1915. 10,000 of the transferred shares Baker gave equally to his wife Alice & sister-in-law Eleanor Mary Shaw. Signature on every certificate as the 'Director' and additional initials 'TB' on every stub.

  • Signed By

    Mr John J. Rouse - Baker & Rouse Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia, Australia, 1914
    At the start of 1911 Rouse owned 12,775 shares. A single transfer of 50 shares to Mr F.L. South (Brisbane Branch Manager) in 1914 left Rouse with 12,725 at the beginning of 1915.

  • Signed By

    Mr Alfred C. Shaw - Australian Kodak Limited, Abbotsford, Abbotsford, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1912
    At the start of 1911 Shaw owned 700 shares. A single transfer of 100 shares in 1912 left Shaw with 600 at the beginning of 1915. Initials 'ACS' on some of the stubs and signature on all certificates as the 'Secretary'.

  • Signed By

    Miss Eleanor M. Shaw, Abbotsford, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1911 - 1915
    At the start of 1911 Shaw owned 5,825 shares. Transfers of certificates to and from other holders in this book leave Shaw with 10,625 at the beginning of 1915, 5000 of which were transferred by her brother-in-law Thomas Baker to Shaw.

  • Signed By

    Mrs Alice Baker - Baker & Rouse Pty Ltd, Abbotsford, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1911 - 1915
    At the start of 1911 Baker owned 5,100 shares. 5000 shares were transferred to her by her husband Thomas Baker with left her with 10,100 at the beginning of 1915.

  • Signed By

    Mr Frank L. South - Kodak (Australasia) Ltd, Australia, 1914
    Recipient of 200 transferred shares.

  • Signed By

    Mr John Sutherland - Kodak (Australasia) Pty. Ltd., Abbotsford, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1911 - 1915
    In 1913 Sutherland transferred his only 100 shares leaving him with zero shares at the beginning of 1915. Additional witness signatures for some transfers and on some certificates as 'Secretary'.

  • Inscriptions

    Inside front cover, middle, handwritten, grey lead pencil: '3' Inside front cover, lower right, printed white on red background & handwritten black ink: 'ATLAS PRESS / PRINTERS / No. G6845 / STATIONERS / MELBOURNE' Stub 38, middle, printed navy blue, stamped purple ink, stamped & handwritten black ink: 'Kodak (Australasia) Limited. / JUL 22 1913 / H. A. Beauchamp / Wellington / No 24 Transf. from T. Baker / Certificate No. 38 / Twenty five (25) Shares / Numbered from 50576 to 50600. / T. B / .....' Final Stub, middle, handwritten, grey lead pencil & black ink, date stamped purple ink: '249 / Printers Copy / JJ / Sent to Secretary / Stock Exchange / Melbourne / 21/3/1911' Every certificate, front vertical left, printed, navy blue ink: [inscription inside rectangle surrounded by ca. 200 miniature windmill sails] 'Kodak (Australasia) Limited.' Every certificate, hole-punched: 'CANCELLED'. Every certificate, front, top right, embossed: [inner circle] 'AUSTRAL KODAK' [between inner and outer circle] 'KODAK (AUSTRALASIA) LIMITED / ABBOTSFORD. / MELBOURNE 1908.'. Certificate 45, front middle, printed navy blue ink, stamped & handwritten black ink: 'Certificate No. 45 10 Shares / KODAK (Australasia) LIMITED / Incorporated under "The Companies Act, 1890." / CAPITAL: £150,000 IN 150,000 SHARES OF £1 EACH. / Share Certificate / This is to Certify that Eric Keast Burke / of Sydney is the holder of Ten (10) / Shares numbered 56301 to 56310 in Kodak (Australasia) Limited, subject / to the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the said Company which Shares are fully paid up. / Given under the Common Seal of the Company this Seventeenth / day of February One thousand nine hundred and fourteen / Thomas Baker Director. Alfred C Shaw Secretary. / Registered Office and Works: Southampton Crescent, Abbotsford, Melbourne. / Branches at Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Townsville, Broken Hill and New Zealand. / Allied Companies at / Rochester, New York, London, Paris, Lyons, Nice, Berlin, Brussels, Vienna, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Milan.' Certificate 64, back middle, printed navy blue ink, hand written black ink: 'TRANSFER / I, Eric Keast Burke of Sydney / (hereinafter called the Transferror) for valuable consideration received from Walter / Ernest Burke of Sydney / (hereinafter called the Transferee) do hereby transfer to the transferee the 10 Share / [or Shares] numbered 56301 to 53310 standing in my name in the books of / Kodak (Australasia) Limited to hold unto the Transferee, his executors, administrators, and assigns, / subject to the several conditions upon which I held the same at the time of the execution hereof. And I, the / said Transferee, agree to take said Share [or Shares] subject to the same conditions. / As witness our hands this Nineteenth day of July / One thousand nine hundred and fourteen / Signed by the Transferror in the presence of Claire Heylaud } E. Keast Burke / Signed by the Transferee in the presence of Claire Heylaud } Walter Burke / Atlas Press, Melb.' Receipt for certificates 9 to 11: Middle, printed & handwritten black ink, stamped purple ink: 'Received from KODAK (Australasia) LIMITED scrip for 300 shares / numbered 51001 to 51300 in the name of John May / Certificate Nos. 9. 10 + 11. / JUL 22 1911 John May / [signature]' LETTER 1 - Middle, handwritten, black ink: 'Abbotsford / Apl 6/13 / The Secretary / Kodak. (Aust) Ltd. / Abbotsford. / Dear Sir / will you please transfer enclosed / scrip into my name and hand / new scrip to Mr Thomas Baker. Please / send any cheques for dividends to / me, addressed to Post Office. Maffra / Yours truly / Daisy Davidson LETTER 1 - Lower left, handwritten, black ink: 'Received scrip / in trust. / Thomas. Baker / Apl 11/13.'

  • Classification

    Manufacturing & industry, Photographic products, Business archives

  • Category

    History & Technology

  • Discipline

    Technology

  • Type of item

    Document

  • Overall Dimensions

    387 mm (Width), 34 mm (Depth), 170 mm (Height)

  • Keywords

    Manufacturing, Industry, Business Records, Accounting, Shareholders, Shares