50 Years of Berkshire Hathaway

Berkshire Hathaway’s first fifty years under Warren Buffett, on one sheet. From September 1964 to December 2014 the stock rose 18,262 times, 21.6% a year. On the sheet: the price against book value, the S&P 500 and inflation, the big investments from GEICO to Wells Fargo, what drove book value each year, and the balance sheet each year, float included.

We made it in 2015 from fifty years of annual reports, so the data stops at 2014. The chart in the Berkshire Archive runs to 2024.

Wall print	Rolled, to hang or frame	Buy
Framed	In a 0.75 inch alder frame	Buy

Years	September 1964 to December 2014
Size	36 by 24 inches
Paper	Matte, 10.3 mil, 189 g/m²
Frame	Alder, 0.75 inch, hanging hardware included
Printing	On demand, so allow an extra week
Data	Fifty years of Berkshire annual reports

On the wall

The framed print hanging on a pale wall, black frame — Framed, 36 by 24 inches

A person holding the wall print, which spans from shoulder to shoulder and past — The wall print, held for scale

Up close

The line chart from 1965 to 1977, marked where Buffett took control, National Indemnity and See’s Candies were acquired, and the Washington Post and GEICO stock purchased — 1965 to 1977: National Indemnity, See’s Candies, the Washington Post

The line chart from 1985 to 1998, marked where the textile mill closed, Scott Fetzer and GEICO were acquired, and Coca-Cola gains added to book value — 1985 to 1998: the mill closes, Coca-Cola, GEICO

Bar charts from 1976 to 1989: the change in book value per share by source, and the balance sheet as a share of equity — What drove book value, and the balance sheet, each year

The chart keys, and the line chart from 2005 to 2014, ending at 21.6% a year for the price and 19.4% for book value — 2005 to 2014, and the keys