Collins Radio Company stock certificate 1960's (space race communications)

Collectible modern piece. Vignette of a reclining Mercury between two globes of the earth. Issued and cancelled. Issued and cancelled. Dated in the 1960's.

Arthur Collins founded Collins Radio Company in 1933 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the purpose of designing and producing both shortwave radio equipment and equipment for the burgeoning AM Broadcast industry. As the Collins reputation for fine quality and uncompromising construction grew, Collins was solicited by the military, the scientific community and by the larger AM radio stations for special equipment. The company captured worldwide attention when Collins supplied the equipment to establish a communications link with the South Pole expedition of Rear Admiral Richard Byrd in 1933.

It is important to note that during these initial decades of the Collins production of radio equipment, reliability and dependability characterized the demand for equipment. As an example, during the pre-WW2 years, the National Radio Company was the principal contractor for the US military. This changed with the US entrance into WW2 and Collins quickly became the principal supplier of radio and navigation equipment used in the military theater, where uncompromising performance was required.

In the post war years, particularly during the Cold War, the Collins Radio Company continued to expand its work in all phases of the communications field while broadening its technology thrust into numerous other disciplines. New developments such as flight control instruments, radio communication devices and satellite voice transmissions created great opportunities in the marketplace. Collins Radio Company provided communications for America's role in the Space Race, including equipment for astronauts to communicate with earth stations and equipment to track and communicate with spacecraft. Collins communications equipment was used for Projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo, providing voice communication for every American astronaut traveling through space. In 1973, the U.S. Skylab Program used Collins equipment to provide communication from the astronauts to earth.

After facing financial difficulties, the Collins Radio Company was purchased by Rockwell International in 1973. In 2001 the avionics division of Rockwell International was spun off to form the current Rockwell Collins, Inc., retaining its name. Rockwell Collins is highly concentrated in the defense and commercial avionics markets and no longer markets receivers to the public.