This certificate for 100 preference shares No. NP7756 of United States Lines Inc., issued in New York on 19 October 1939 in the name of Fred Friedlander, is an exceptional document in several respects. United States Lines, founded in 1921 and operating the great transatlantic lines between New York and Europe, owned the fastest and most emblematic fleet of ocean liners in the United States, including the legendary SS United States. The central vignette magnificently depicts an ocean liner at sea: an illustration engraved with great care by American securities printers. This preference certificate was issued on 19 October 1939, six weeks after the start of the Second World War. This coincidence of dates is highly significant: from September 1939, transatlantic liners ceased their commercial crossings, requisitioned by the Allied governments. Preference shares entitled the holder to a priority dividend. Fred Friedlander, with a Germanic-sounding name, invested in an American company at the precise moment Europe was plunging into war. A remarkable document for enthusiasts of maritime history and American scripophily.