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Doble Steam Motors Corp, 1922 [176551]

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Transportation Start Price:10.00 USD Estimated At:150.00 - 250.00 USD
Doble Steam Motors Corp, 1922 [176551]
SOLD
30.00USD+ (7.50) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2024 Mar 10 @ 09:31UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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Incorp. State of Delaware 1909. #875, I/U, for 40 shares common stock @ $10 ea. to R C Cumberland Nov 6, 1922. Signed Abner Doble pres. J.B. Lucas asst. sect. Brn. border/underprint pattern, blk print , "CLASS A COMMON" green underprint. no vignette, Schwabacher-Frey Stationery printer. No pinholes or stains. Tri-fold visible creasing. This is signed by the president and the inventor of the engine. The Doble was considered the finest car of it's time steam or gasoline. It's cost today would be over $250,000. Built to highest standards and capable of reaching speeds 0-60 in 15 seconds and travel a distance of 1500 mile vs it's competitors 20-50 miles. Sought after by movies stars and the wealthy. Jay Leno owns two .
The inventor, Abner Doble built his first steam car while he was in high school. Later, while attending MIT in 1911, he built a condenser that turned vapor into reusable water along w/an electric starter, a feature that extended the range that even Stanley Steamer didn't have. Abner, with assistance from his three brothers, founded the Doble Steam Motors Corporation. But he was a much better engineer than businessman; his outfit built just 36 cars from 1922 to 1931.They say each model cost over $55,000 to develop. At a time when a Model T sold for $260, the Doble cost about $20,000.
Abner could indulge himself because money wasn't initially an issue. Financial troubles, however, eventually dogged the company. The brothers bickered and sued each other. Abner was convicted of and then acquitted on appeal in a stock manipulation scandal. I think he was a lot like Preston Tucker. He sincerely wanted to build a good car, but some of his practices were questionable. Delaware Ken Prag Collection