How to determine the value of an old stock certificate?
How to Find the Value of Your Old Stock Certificates. Step 1: Head Down to the Library. There are reasonably priced databases although many of those are available at your local library. Any one of these ... Step 2: State Business Entity Search. Step 3: …
How do I obtain a stock certificate?
To determine the value of an old stock certificate, you will need to verify if the company is still active, the current (or most recent name) of the company and if its shares are still tradable. Start by determining the company’s status. You will need to determine if the company is still in existence. Different resources are available to you.
How to find the expected price of a stock?
Contact your stockbroker to search the stock's worth via its CUSIP number if the steps given earlier yield no results. This number is printed on the back of the stock certificate. Use a …
What is the value of an original stock certificate?
Apr 08, 2008 · 1. Start with a free Web search. 2. If that fails, hire a pro. Stock Search International charges $85 to research a stock certificate that it hasn't vetted previously, or …
What do you do if you have a stock certificate?
What do you do if you have a stock certificate? The first step to determine the value of the stock is to see whether or not the company still exists.
What if the above sources don't help?
What if the above sources don't help? Certain records are kept by the state under whose laws the company was incorporated. Be aware that the state of incorporation and the state in which the company is located may not be the same.
Determine Legal Status
Scripophily.net is an online dealer in stock certificates that will research your certificate’s status for a small fee that is waived if no results are found. You can also refer to the "Financial Stock Guide Service," a book that lists defunct companies and transfer agents.
Prove Ownership
Provide documentation that ownership has been transferred or assigned to you, either in the form of a will, trust document or other document, to the transfer agent, who can transfer legal possession of the certificate to your brokerage account. Ideally, you should have a paper trail connecting you to previous holders of the certificate.
Obtain Values of Certificates
The transfer agent should be able to assist you in reconciling the value of the certificate with corporate actions that would have caused changes to face value or the number of shares owned, such as splits and shareholder recapitalizations.
Certificates as Collectors' Items
If the legal value of the stock certificate is zero, it may still be of value due to demand generated by collectors of old stock certificates. Old certificates can be worth anywhere from $10 to $10,000, although most samples will fall in the lower end of the range.
Getting Started
Company Histories
- These sources report corporate financial events, obsolete securities, or company histories: 1. Capital Changes Reporter 2. Directory of Obsolete Securities 3. Fisher Manuals 4. MERGENT/Moody's Manuals 5. Smythe Manuals 6. Standard and Poor's Manual of Railroads It's a good idea to check business, city, and phone directories and periodical indexes. Consult both cu…
Corporate Records
- What if the above sources don't help? Certain records are kept by the state under whose laws the company was incorporated. Be aware that the state of incorporation and the state in which the company is located may not be the same. 1. For Maryland corporations, call the office of the Department of Assessments and Taxation, Corporation Division in Baltimore at (410) 767-1340. …
What Is Scripophily?
- The hobby of collecting old stock and bond certificates is called scripophily (pronounced scri-POPH-i-ly). Some stock certificates that are worthless as securities may have value as collectibles: 1. because of the people who signed them or owned them. 2. because of an interest in history. 3. because of the design or quality of the engraving. You can find collectors and deale…
Further Assistance
- If you need more information, your local library may be able to help. You'll need to provide them with either: 1. the name of the company 2. the date of the certificate 3. the state of incorporation or: 1. a copy of the certificate If you still can't find what happened to a company using these sources, you may choose to have the stock of incorporat...