Brandywine Sports, Inc. Stock Certificate

Description

Product Details
Nicely engraved antique stock certificate from the Brandywine Raceway Association dating back to the 1970's. This document, which carries the printed signatures of the company President and Secretary, was printed by the American Bank Note Company and measures approximately 12" (w) by 8" (h).
The certificate's vignette features an drawing of a trotter.
Images
You will receive the exact cetificate pictured.
Historical Context
The early '80's saw some hard times for harness racing. Competition from lotteries, , cable TV, and home-videos began to tell, as attendance and betting handles steadily declined. For years had little need for promotion or marketing, but suddenly they were faced with a generation that cared very little about horses, a generation that had found other avenues of entertainment and recreation. Despite efforts to modernize and attract a new audience, major tracks around the country began to close their doors to harness racing: Hollywood Park in , Wolverine Raceway in , Foxboro in .... In 1985 Liberty Bell Park in went out business and became a .
Then in 1989, the unthinkable happened. in , the birthplace of modern harness racing, home of the first mobile starting-gate and racing under the lights, closed due to dwindling business. In the 1960's Roosevelt averaged over 20,000 fans a night, but by 1988 they were averaging barely 4,000. Some of the decline was due to competition from The Meadowlands across the river, and from off-track betting parlors, but the handwriting was on the wall and a transfusion was needed. By 1989 rumors began to re-surface that Brandywine Raceway was also on the verge of closing. In May, the BATTLE OF THE BRANDYWINE was won by AU CROMBIE.
In December of '89, the owners of announced that they would indeed close if the state legislature did not over-ride the Governor's veto and approve slot-machines at the racetrack. The measure was defeated...