Bethlehem Steel Corporation - 1957 dated Stock Certificate

Stock printed by American Bank Note Company. Bethlehem Steel Corporation was a major American steel and shipbuilding company that, for much of the 20th century, ranked among the world's largest steel producers. Its origins date back to 1857 with the founding of the Bethlehem Iron Company in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Bethlehem Steel Corporation was officially formed in 1904 through the consolidation of earlier companies and played a central role in the rise and subsequent decline of the U.S. steel industry. The company experienced a significant downturn during the 1970s, leading to its bankruptcy in 2001 and eventual dissolution in 2003.

In 1904, the Bethlehem Steel Company became the principal subsidiary of Bethlehem Steel Corporation. The Bethlehem Steel Company, established earlier, was known as the first Bethlehem Steel, while the parent corporation became the second Bethlehem Steel. Although both entities coexisted after 1904, the Bethlehem Steel Company was absorbed into the Corporation in the 1960s. Following a prolonged decline in the U.S. steel industry and mounting financial issues, Bethlehem Steel Corporation declared bankruptcy in 2001, and its remaining assets were sold to International Steel Group in 2003.