If you've found or inherited an old stock or bond certificate and aren't sure what to do, you aren't alone. They are not as easy to buy and sell as electronic stocks, and an investor might not even be able to cash them in if, for example, the company has long since closed.

Happening upon old stock certificates is pretty common when going through storage and old documents. In the past, investors received physical certificates, called 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:bearer forms, when they bought stock𝓡. Today, mos𒉰t stocks are kept in electronic form in your broker's computer system, making old certificates increasingly rare and potentially valuable.

So, if you find an old certificate, it's important to know where to start looking to see if your discovery is merely wallpaper from a bankrupt company or is worth cashing in on.

The Key Pieces of Information

Start by looking at a few things on the certificate. Look for the company name and location of incorporation, a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:CUSIP number, and the name of the person with whom the security is registered. All these items are𝓰 essential and can likely be 💧found on the certificate's face.

• Registered owner's name: Note the name of the person to whom the security is registered. This information is vital for transferring ownership if the stock proves valuable.
• Company name: If the company still exists, your search ends here. You can go to the library or use the internet to learn exactly what happened to the company. Most financial platforms have a good symbol lookup tool where you can search the company's name for its ticker. The problem is the name may not be the same. Unless your company is a household name, like General Electric, chances are, at some point, the company was bought out or changed due to a merger. Indeed, even GE has been split up, and the ticker GE now stands for GE Aerospace.
• CUSIP number: This unique identifier is like a stock's DNA. Each security has its own CUSIP number, which changes with every stock split or company name change. This number is crucial for tracking the stock's history. Each security has a unique number, and changes and splits are recorded so that a new number is assigned whenever a security changes its name, splits, or does anything affecting its stock certificate. You can find the security's current equivalent by searching the original number. Other numbering systems, such as SEDOL or ISIN, are used outside North America.
  
• Location of incorporation: Each stock is incorporated in a state, and the records are kept at a central location. Generally, incorporation goes through the secretary of state, and the business's names will be documented in those databases. You should be able to contact the secretary of state's office to learn more about your certificate.

Most large discount brokerages can help clients track down securities that have been defunct for over 10 years. With the CUSIP number, the brokerage can uncover all splits, 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:reorganizations, and name changes that have occurre🍒d throughout the company's history. It can also tell you whether the company is still trading or out of business.

Transfer Agent

If you have been successful in finding all this information, you'll need to locate the name of the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:transfer agent. The easiest way is to contact the company and ask🐬 it direct🍌ly.

The main reason you need to go to a transfer agent is that companies rarely handle their own securities in-house. They prefer that another company take care of the bookkeeping and issuing of securities. The transfer agent will have a record of the person's name on the stock certificate; ownership can then be transferred to your name. This can be done in many different ways, so it's always best to contact the transfer agent and request instructions. Many of them are extremely picky.

If the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:company is no longer public, your search ends. In this case, there may be some legal repercussions, and you should speak to a lawyer. If the company has, in fact, changed names, merged, split, 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:reversed split, reorganized, restructured, or undergone any combination of🐟 these, you might have something to work with.

The Importance of Documentation

If you are inheriting securities, ensure the individual whose name is on the certificate has bequeathed it to you🎐. A probated will with the necessary signatures of the executors may be required by the transfer agent before it will transfer ownership. Once the certificates have been delivered back to you in your name, you can deposit them with a broker andꦗ sell them accordingly.

Have Someone Else Do the Work for You

For those of you who have gone through all these steps without any success, there are other means by which you can have your old stock or bond certificates researched, but they will cost you some mo꧙ney.

For a fee, stock and bond search companies will do all the investigative work for you, and if the certificate ends up having no trading value, they may offer to purchase it for a collector's value. One company that provides this service is RM Smythe. Stock search companies may also publish or help you find stock guides to assist you in investigating an old stock. How🌳ever, often a company might charge you more than the stock is worth.

The Bottom Line

Old stock certificates can be more than just historical curiosities—they might have real financial value. While researching and potentially cashing in these certificates can be complex, it's can be worth the effort. Start by gathering key information from the certificate itself, such as the company name, CUSIP number, and incorporation location. Use these details to track the company's history and current status. If you can't make progress on your own, consider enlisting the help of a professional stock search service.

Remember, even if the certificate has no financial value, it might still be valuable as a collectible. Always keep thorough documentation, especially for inherited certificates, to ensure a smooth transfer process if the stock proves to have value.