Welcome back to Disney Stuff. As you can see by the title of today’s article, I’m prepared to make a bold statement. What could be considered the “ultimate Disney collectible?” A ticket from Disneyland’s opening day? That would be nice. An original sketch of Mickey, signed by Walt? That’s too much to ask. How about visiting the guys from the old Mouse Surplus shop in Orlando and buying a monorail car for the backyard, or that life size wax figure of Walt for the family room? I like my marriage just the way it is, thank you. No, the ultimate Disney collectible for a guy like me is something I just received this past Christmas from my mother and father.
The phone call came one day and my mom asked, “My friend at work has a son just like you, a Disney nut. What would be a unique gift for her to give him this Christmas?” I thought for a moment and said, “You know what I think is a really great thing to do for a Disney fan, buy them one share of Disney stock. There’s a place on the web that will sell you a real paper stock certificate and frame it up real nice called Oneshare.com.” “Perfect,“ she replied.
Now, it’s all too true that I can be pretty oblivious sometimes. I knew my mom’s friend at work went to Walt Disney World with her son frequently, and I thought nothing of my mom’s question. People are always asking me for Disney related info, bits of trivia or gift ideas. Little did I realize, of course, that she was so cleverly fishing for a gift idea for her own son. I was truly surprised on Christmas Day when I opened up that large flat package in the pile and found my own share of The Walt Disney Company.
It can be said that given all the money that I’ve spent on Disney merchandise, movies, park tickets, hotel rooms and Mickey ice cream bars that I should own a small piece of the Magic Kingdom already. At least a bench with my name on it, or a brick somewhere on Main Street would be nice. I’m sure many of you feel the same way, but it doesn’t work that way. I expect nothing more in return from my well spent money than a little magic and some great memories and Disney has certainly delivered on that investment. That being said though, why shouldn’t I own a small piece of this company that means so much to me and takes up so much drawer space in the file cabinet of my brain? I think I should. I think it’s the ultimate piece of Disney Stuff, part ownership in the whole enchilada.
I only wish I thought of the Oneshare.com idea myself. People are very passionate about certain companies and the products that take over their lives, and becoming a shareholder is certainly the ultimate way to embrace that dedication. When you look at the names of some of the stock certificates available… Disney, Harley Davidson, Apple Computer, Volkswagen…they elicit strong feelings from their devotees. What better way to celebrate your devotion to a company than feeling like you own a stake in them? The site does a nice job of framing and matting the certificate and they can be customized with an engraved message. My parents chose a suitable Walt quote for mine.
A very fitting message indeed. Photo by Chris Barry.
The Walt Disney Company certificates are quite beautiful. As you can see, Mickey, Donald, Dumbo, Bambi, Flower, Thumper, Pooh, Jiminy, Pinocchio, Chip and Dale flank a black and white sketch of Walt. Cinderella and Prince Charming are dancing, Tinker Bell is spreading pixie dust and silhouettes of Cinderella’s castle and Spaceship Earth complete the background. Given the fact that my name is on it and it has a serial number and date, it’s truly a one of a kind piece.
A sample of a Walt Disney Company stock certificate. © Disney.
Oneshare.com has a link that explains that one of the casualties of the modern age is that more and more companies are eliminating these elaborate paper certificates and that in the next year many of them will be gone forever. That would be a shame, but it means it’s a great time to get that special Disney fan in your life a great collectible before they cease to exist.
I realize that one share of Disney doesn’t put me up there with Steve Jobs. I’m sure there are many of you readers out there that are actually stockowners yourselves, most of whom have a lot more than one share. But so what, I own my little piece. I can vote. I can attend the shareholder’s meetings. I can claim to be a stockholder in the world’s greatest entertainment company.
But most importantly, I can proudly display my devotion to the Walt Disney Company. My one share of stock proudly hangs on the wall next to my desk accompanied by my autographed photo of Jim Henson, my Grateful Dead-Bear’s Choice album signed by Jerry Garcia and those great picture frames my kids made for me in school with the puzzle pieces glued all over them that say, “Dad, we love you to pieces!” If that’s not my ultimate piece of Disney Stuff, than I don’t know what is.
You can also spot a 1964 N.Y. World’s Fair plaque, Disney Parks vehicles, Mickey Pez and just the top of the Mission Space G.I. Joe box. Photo By Chris Barry.
Keep your comments coming and I’ll see you next time with more of that great Disney Stuff.
