What to Do If You Find an Old Stock Certificate
People have occasionally come upon forgotten pieces of paper that were bought by departed relatives granting them ownership in businesses that developed into behemoths, potentially making the shares worth fortunes. Anyone who discovers such a document should get in touch with a stockbroker and a transfer agent to check whether there are any records of the firm being renamed, bought out, amalgamated, or anything else that would indicate it is highly valuable. Micheline Masse, the founder of Stock Search International, discovered $3 million in value in outdated certificates in 1989. In 1979, one of the most expensive certificates ever discovered was discovered to be worth $4 million.
Unfortunately, there is no assurance that anything will be valid for an ancient certificate for a surviving gigantic corporation that has been thoroughly notarized and officialized. Consider the incident from 2008, when Tony Mahron bought an old portion in Palmer Union Oil Company, which led to the Coca-Cola Company acquiring it. Although the stake would initially be valued at $130 million, judges ultimately sided with Coca-Cola and determined that the claim was without merit. This proves that if a firm would prefer to battle your claim in court than pay it off, be prepared for them to do so.
