Jay Gould Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

Gould (1836-1892), who parlayed $5,000 into a large fortune, was a notorious stock manipulator and a "robber baron" who became a symbol of the excesses of "the Gilded Age." In 1869, financiers Gould and James Fisk tried to corner the gold market but failed when President Grant released government gold. Their unsuccessful attempt caused September 24, 1869 to become known as "Black Friday". By 1880, Gould controlled many of the West's railroads and was competing against the Union Pacific for a new transcontinental railroad.