I've found a number of deeds dating from the 1920s to 30s How would I determine if they still had any value?

Question

While looking through some old boxes, I've found deeds from various companies that total several thousand dollars (Canadian) at the time. They were primarily Canadian and the companies included "Premium Tire and Rubber Company", along with others. How would I be able to figure out if they still had any value?

I guess it's a stock certificate..

Answer 1

By deeds I assume you mean stock. You do not want to discard these at all because at the time, they were the only record a purchaser had of ownership in the company.

You will have to research each one, which can be a daunting task. But it IS worth it. In a stack of certificates there may be one or two that are a windfall for you.

A librarian or a business school librarian can give you advice and point you in the right direction. There are reference materials at libraries that track and cross reference companies as they change through the years. Make sure you make photocopies of the stock as the certificates are the only thing you have to go on for now (losing one means you have no record).

Then, you need to contact the current companies' "stockholder services" departments to find out current value. These addresses and phone numbers are listed on websites for the current company. You can also guess at a few and call the company you think is the one, many times an employee at one firm will know about other companies' stock because they have to field these calls anyway from other stockholders. If you want to avoid the hassle of research, hire a financial advisor to do the work for you.

Would venture a guess that some of these companies either merged with or were bought out by US companies sometime in their history. They may have had a Canadian "shell" company set up but still have been affiliated with a US company. Premium Tire and Rubber may have been the Canadian version of Goodyear Premium Tire and Rubber, for example. You'll have to research and find out.

As far as value goes, in the event of merger or buyouts, your deed/stock certificates would be worth more as each company swapped stock in the buyout (cash and stock to the owners of the old stocks) or replaced stock with the new company's stock . Sometimes if a stock price goes too high, a stock "split" occurs meaning that you get twice as many stock shares but at half the price. Naturally a stock owner can make out well on this as the stock that has been split rises in price over time, producing a multiplying effect for the owner. Companies also buyback stock from time to time if they think it is priced too low. That also pumps up the price for the remaining stockholders.

Good luck to you, it sounds like an interesting project ! You may have a terrific Christmas present in there !

PS. If you feel that this is a good answer, please rate it. Thank you!

Answer 2

deeds or stock certificates? stock certificates...find a local broker to research the value