This is a "tombstone" or “deal toy” that was used to commemorate the closing of a major business deal. As the influence of the financial sector and the size of deals grew, deal toys often became more elaborate and colorful, as shown in this surfboard toy. This toy commemorates the Southern California Edison power company selling five hundred million dollars of first mortgage bonds at 5.75%. The 200 series bonds had a trade date of October 7th and a settlement date of October 15, 2008 with payments on the bond due in March and September. The principal was to be paid on March 15th, 2014, and the security was given and A rating by Standard & Poor’s.
The base of the toy is made to look like sand, and the yellow surfboard reads “The Riding The Credit Market Waves / October 2008 / Southern California Edison / $500,000,000 / 5.75% First Mortgage Bonds due March 15, 2014 / Joint Book Running Managers / Bank of America / Citi / Deutsche Bank / J.P. Morgan.”
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