Benckiser N.V.
Amsterdam, 1997, rare specimen from the printing firm de Bussy Ellerman Harms bv te Amsterdam, measuring. ca. 17 x 19 cm; price € 50 each
---------- Bewijs van 100 gewone aandelen aan toonder (certificate of 100 bearer shares), brown border.
---------- Bewijs van 100.000 gewone aandelen aan toonder (certificate of 100.000 ordinary bearer shares), red border.
Johann A. Benckiser founded a business in Germany in 1823. Its main products were industrial chemicals. Benckiser went public on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange in 1997. But already in 1999 the company merged with Britain's Reckitt & Colman to form Reckitt Benckiser Plc, listed on the London Stock Exchange and one of the FTSE 100 largest companies with ca. 25.000 employees world wide. They carry famous brands in chemistry, household and cleaning products, pharmacy and body care, such as Airwick, Durex condoms, Vanish, Calgon, Dettol, Lysol, Durex, Cillit Bang, Air Wick, Strepsils, Clearasil, Glassex.

USA

Chas, Pfizer & Co., Inc.,
Delaware, , certificate of 100 shares, blue, 1950-th, price 23 Euro
Vignette: 2 men sitting on each side of an entrance with the name Pfizer above it.
The firm, now called Pfizer ("since 1849") has recently become famous by their production of the VIAGRA-pill. Anno 2015 their largest cash cow is Lyrica (against epilepsy.)
Pfizer took over the famous French perfume company Coty.
In November 2015 Pfizer has announced that it strives to take over Allergan (seated in Ireland and famous for its cash cow Botox (anti wrinkles) for - possibly - over $ 120 billion ( = $ 120 miljard) and then move its head quarters to Ireland. This may lead to large tax advantages. Right now Pfizer is the second largest pharmacy co. in the world, after Johnson and Johnson. After the merger, the new Pfizer would become the largest pharmacy co. in the world.

Foremost-McKesson, Inc.
Incorporated unde Maryland law; Certificate of 100 shares, 1967, olive-green border, with 15 by 6 cm. engraving of the God Mercury (Gr.: Hermes), the messenger of the Gods and God of the trade, flying in orbit around the globe. condition VF+: unfolded, hole cancelled, price 50 €.
Some history (source: Bob Kerstein):
The company was the result of a merger, in 1967, of the nation wide dairy distributor Foresmost and McKesson & Robbins. In 1984 the name was changed into McKesson Corporation. After the merger Foremost-McKesson became the largest U.S. distributor of drugs, alcoholic beverages and chemicals, the largest supplier of  milk-based products and it became also the largest producer of processed water in the western half of the U.S. Throughout the 1980s they divested most of their peripheral businesses and began the process of  refocussing on its core healthcare supply management businesses. Today McKesson Corporation is the world's leading supply management and health care information technology company, with roots in health related products going back as far as 1833.

Pfizer Inc.

Certificate of 100 shares, Delaware, USA, 1972,
with engraving of the Roman god Mercury, (Gr. Hermes, NL, Mercurius) flying high; ca. 20,5 x 30,5 cm; condition VF, several folds and some wrinkles in the upper corners. Price € 50.
Pfizer is not only well know for it's Viagra erection pills, but als for being the first to produce an effective vaccin against the Covid-1 corona virusin november 2020.

Rexall Drug Comp., 1959, with overprint in red "Rexall Drug  & Chemical", vignette: 2 angelic figures bordering a mortar and pestle, blue border, text in red: "The name of this corporation has been changed to Rexall Drug and Chemical Company", price 25 Euro (I have seen it for sale for 50 - 70 US $ !)

Rexall Drug and Chemical Comp., vignette: 2 male allegorical , almost nude figures, bordering a Rexall Logo and a pestle and mortar,
---------- 1966, 100 shares, blue border, overprint in red: "this certificate represents shares of common stock", 25 Euro
----------1962, < 100 shares,  brown border, no red overprint, some faint stains, 16 Euro

Schering Corp., certificate for 100 shares, rood, 1969, no folds (EF), vignette: allegorical man and woman sitting , with chemical glassware and with Caduceus (Hermes staff, symbol of healing power), 23 Euro.

Drugs

The word drug is nowadays used in English both in the sense of a medicine (sold in a pharmacy or drugstore) as in the sense of a narcotic drug that is usually addictive. In The Netherlands the English word "drug" or "drugs" is reseved for the latter interpretation. For medicine we use the word "medicijn". Patients with much pain will be treated with addictive drugs for a short period of time (for example after surgery) or a prolonged time when the painful illness cannot be cured and / or is terminal.

Around 1900 this situation was quite different:
The famous psychiatrist Freud, for example, used narcotic drugs and thought nothing wrong of that.
Bayer Co. sold heroin as a non-addictive substitute for morphine and also for treatment of children with a cough. Coca wine made people feel happy: Pope Leo XIII used to carry a bottle of coca wine with him always; one glass to be taken after every meal (children half a glass). Opium was considered good treatment for asthma; and in order to "smooth the voice" actors, singers, teachers and preachers should take cocaine tablets ("au menthol"). Cocaine drops were advised against tooth ache: it did not only relieve the pain, but also made the children happy. And the new-borns would sleep so much better with Stickny and Poors drops that contained a bit of opium and 46% alcohol: five day olds 5 drops, 2 weeks old 8 drops, five years old 25 drops and adults 1 teaspoonful; SWEET DREAMS !
Those were the days ! See here the - sometimes colourful and suggestive - advertisements of these pleasant narcotic medicines !

De handelsreiziger van de Nederlandse cocaine fabriek Conny Braam

In her book De Handelsreiziger van de Nederlandse Cocaïnefabriek (The Commercial Traveler of the Duch Cocaïne Factory) writer Connie Braam depicts vividly the role that narcotics played in the trenches, battle fiields and hospitals during the first world war. Only when drugged the soldiers would leave their "safe" but miserable trenches to run out and dye in enemy fire. The wounded would be treated with drugs against the pain and shell shock. The Dutch company grew the coca in Dutch East Indies, processed it in The Netherlands and sold it profitably to both fighting parties as The Netherlands remained neutral during WW I. After the war many addicted soldiers would often coninue their narcotics consumption, and again the Dutch Cocaïne Factory managed to make a nice profit out of their misery.

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