Now he's gone and done it. In an effort to raise money to repair and resupply his pirate ship, the Dread Cap'n Bartholomew Roberts has issued a series of twenty denominations of share stamps, climbing from one share to one billion shares. The total number of shares needed to use one stamp of each denomination is one and two thirds billion (1,666,666,668) shares.
The departure time for the 13th voyage is still weeks away, but interest cycles wildly. To be honest, shares prices have been crashing in just the last few days. The Cap'n has chosen his First Mate but many question the choice and shares prices have dropped again by half just overnight. Other important crew positions are yet to be announced, but budgetary restraints urged by the new First Mate have led to a lowering of incentive pay offerings for crew. Op-Ed pages in the New Pirate Times suggest that Cap'n Roberts may have lost his edge and has succumbed to the lure of wheeling and dealing in the market over good honest piracy. The 12th voyage did rather fabulously well. With just sixteen million outstanding shares, it paid back almost a pound sterling per share, which had originally sold for tuppence. Captain Roberts has been getting five figure honoraria for speaking engagements, and was even offered his own wine label, which has become extremely successful among the young and trendy of the pirate ethnicity. But in financial markets there have been questions about the release of information as to the number of total shares outstanding for the 13th voyage IPO issue. It had been estimated to comprise somewhere between fifty and one hundred million shares, but recent information from the printing house suggests the actual number to be nearer three hundred thirty billion shares in stamps printed, any or all of which may be properly mounted on certificates and valid for redemption. This astonishingly large number has raised eyebrows at every pirate port of call from Calcutta to Reykjavik, and the share-inflation effect has diluted the current share price to something less than one hundredth of a mill, or 1000 to the penny.
Ah... The perils of venture capitalism!
The stamps are printed and perforated with a blank center, which is then embossed with a leering image of of the Dread Pirate Captain Roberts in full grimace with dagger in his teeth. The embossing is astonishingly high relief and crisply detailed.
Properly prepared share documents will have the number of shares inscribed on the front, and a matching combination of stamps affixed and officially tied on reverse. There are 27 spaces on the reverse side, and the largest denomination stamp is one billion shares, so the largest number of shares on any one document is 27 billion.
The stamps and their colors are as follows:
1 share Black
2 shares Dark Blue
5 shares Red
10 shares Green
50 shares Brown
100 shares Violet
500 shares Red Brown
1,000 shares Peach
5,000 shares Forest Green
10,000 shares Slate Grey
50,000 shares Sea-Foam Blue
100,000 shares Indigo
500,000 shares Dark Blue Green
1,000,000 shares Rose
5,000,000 shares Light Brown
10,000,000 shares Sky Blue
50,000,000 shares Green
100,000,000 shares Red
500,000,000 shares Dark Blue
1,000,000,000 shares Black
Using one full set of 20 stamps on a document would total almost exactly 1 2/3 billion, (1,666,666,668) shares.
But of course, numerous other combinations are possible, and some of the lower valued stamped documents are being purchased by individuals with the stated intention of never turning it in for redemption, even if the 13th voyage is a smashing success.
Tom Maringer
Shire Post Mint
Fantasy Stamps and Coins
maringer@arkansas.net
Posted 08/20/2012 10:15 am
