Uncommon unissued specimen stock certificate for AOL Time Warner, one page, 12 x 8, January 30, 2001, serial no. 068902, featuring the pre-printed facsimile signatures of Chairman of the Board Steve Case, CEO Gerald M. Levin, and Treasurer Raymond Murphy. The background of the certificate bears numerous logos of the company’s various brands, such as HBO, CNN, TBS, Time, Cartoon Network, Sports Illustrated, People, Looney Tunes, and more. In fine condition.
In 2001, AOL merged with media giant Time Warner in a $165 billion deal to form AOL Time Warner, heralded as the perfect blend of internet and traditional media. However, the dot-com bubble soon burst, AOL’s value collapsed, and the promised digital synergies failed to appear. Internal conflicts followed, and by 2003, the company dropped “AOL” from its name, reverting to Time Warner—a move that acknowledged the decline of AOL’s influence within the merged corporation.
