1960–1979 Oil Bond 7-pc Collection

Decorate the Office Like a Real Oil Man

Back in the 1960s & ’70s, you would have most likely been using oil from Shell, Pennzoil or another brand to keep that old station wagon running. At the time, you or your parents were probably more worried about hitting the road than wondering about what the oil companies were up to. Turns out that in addition to producing and distributing oil, those companies were also creating intricate works of art in the form of these highly detailed bonds! This collection brings together seven different oil bonds issued between 1960 and 1979 that you’re sure to enjoy.

The oil bonds available in this offer are not only historical documents, but also interesting collector’s items. Fans of scripophily – the study and collection of stock and bond certificates – are sure to have an (oil) field day with these beauties! The companies included are Pennzoil, Phillips, Mobil, Sun, Gulf and two different Shell Oil bonds. Each comes in a different color: purple, orange, yellow, green, pink, brown or blue; and features a central attractive vignette on the top.

To put the value of owning and collecting these bonds in perspective, think back to the events taking place at the time these bonds were issued. The Vietnam War was on the news every night and the Arab-Israeli Wars were at one of their most violent incarnations. Add to this mix a campaign of “oil shock” employed by Middle East oil-producing nations, who instituted an oil embargo on countries they felt were supporting Israel to the detriment of Arabs. How bad was the sticker shock? In less than six months the price of oil rose by nearly 400% after the embargo started in October 1973.

Prior to the 1973 Oil Crisis, an oligopoly of seven private companies collectively known as the “Seven Sisters” – some or parts of which are represented by the bonds available in this offer – controlled around 85% of the world’s petroleum reserves. Following the second Oil Crisis in 1979, dominance of the oil industry began shifting to government-owned companies and the 13-nation intergovernmental OPEC cartel. Today, less than 7% of the world’s known oil reserves exist in countries that allow private companies to operate without government interference.

Here's your chance to channel your inner oil tycoon. Decorate your home or office with these notes and you’ll soon be feeling like T. Boone Pickens, John D. Rockefeller, J. Paul Getty or one of the Koch Brothers – only you won’t have to fret about wearing Milk-Bone® underwear while battling your way to the top of the dog-eat-dog world of Big Oil. You can just click one of these seven-piece sets to your cart and avoid the drama of smoke-filled board rooms populated by J.R. Ewing types bent on stabbing you in the back. So, what do you say? Are you ready to become an oil man?