Original stock certificate

[spikeykiller]

When I joined megacorp 27 years ago, I thought it would be a cool idea to buy one share and request the original stock certificate. My plan was to frame it, but it ended up in my filing cabinet. Fast forward 27 years and this stock has split 4 times and this certificate is now worth $1600!
I have no idea how to sell this share (now 16 shares).
Anybody know how I would do this?

 

[RobbieB]

Go to your broker with the cert and ID and he will sell it for you.

 

[Fermion]

So where did all those dividends go?

 

[Jerry1]

You should frame it as you planned. It can be your last dollar spent or be an interesting object of you to your heirs.

 

[spikeykiller]

That’s a great question and had to do a bit of research to get the answer. I originally bought bought two shares and requested the certificate for one at AG Edwards. They are now out of business, but I have been receiving dividend checks (very small) from Computershare. Maybe I can sell the certificate through them.

 

[MRG]

So where did all those dividends go?

I think they accumulate in the account and if they are set to reinvest they will. Seems like if checks are returned the account is marked so future dividends aren't mailed out.

As Robbie said you only need the information from the certificate to redeem it. The folks sending the dividend are likely who you will redeem it through. They will have the value with the split and any dividend information. If you want to keep the certificate you can, just tell them its lost. They're not going to come looking for the cert.

 

[jim584672]

That’s a great question and had to do a bit of research to get the answer. I originally bought bought two shares and requested the certificate for one at AG Edwards. They are now out of business, but I have been receiving dividend checks (very small) from Computershare. Maybe I can sell the certificate through them.

Computershare is a transfer agent, they can change owners, but you need to find a buyer.
A broker will charge a heafty fee for handling a physical cert.

 

[Jerry1]

You could contact investor relations at the company. They might have a process to buy back the shares you have. Kind of the reverse of a dividend reinvestment program.

 

[bigreader]

Computershare is a transfer agent, they can change owners, but you need to find a buyer.
A broker will charge a heafty fee for handling a physical cert.

I assume that the company and it's various spin offs are publicly traded. Based on my recent experience, Computershare will act as your broker if you have the physical certificate. It's just a matter of those pesky fees and whether it makes sense to you given the value of the share.


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[Scrapr]

I had 10 physical shares MCD from BITD. A couple years ago I was moving everything to Vanguard for simplicity. I transferred the rest of MCD to Vanguard from Compushares. Pretty easy. Except Compushares left a few bits in the account. Which generated a partial dividend. Anyway I sent the physical stock cert to Vanguard and they combined everything. The one thing I don't know is if Vanguard has the basis of the MCD shares. They said they did but i have not confirmed. Heirs may get the step up basis & I won't worry about it

 

[njhowie]

Computershare is a transfer agent, they can change owners, but you need to find a buyer.
A broker will charge a heafty fee for handling a physical cert.

You can sell shares on Computershare. Very easy. You can log in through the website and do market or limit orders when you sell. They do charge a fee, but it is minimal in comparison to the $1600 the shares are now worth.

 

[spikeykiller]

Thank you everybody for the input and advise. Very helpful.

 

[jim584672]

Computershare is not a brokerage, at least technically.

Compared to the online brokerages (TD Ameritrade, Vanguard, Schwab), Computershare has remarkably little in common. In fact, Computershare is not even a brokerage company. Computershare is a ​stock transfer agent, which means that they simply keep the corporate shareholder records.

https://www.brokerage-review.com/article/account/computershare-review.aspx

 

[steelyman]

Regarding “lost” dividend checks and what happens to them: I think an honest effort must be made to locate the owner but after some time they go to state’s unclaimed property division (escheated).

 

[bigreader]

Computershare is not a brokerage, at least technically.

Compared to the online brokerages (TD Ameritrade, Vanguard, Schwab), Computershare has remarkably little in common. In fact, Computershare is not even a brokerage company. Computershare is a ​stock transfer agent, which means that they simply keep the corporate shareholder records.

https://www.brokerage-review.com/article/account/computershare-review.aspx

Not exactly. If your employer has selected Computershare to administer their employee stock plan, Computershare will either issue a stock certificate or hold a book account in your name. If you want, they will sell it for you or transfer the virtual shares to a brokerage. All for a fee. . . .

In my case, I just sold a tiny bit of stock from several spin offs from my former employer through them.

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[HarveyS]

you could also give the certificate to a worthy charity.

 

[Animorph]

I just took my certificate to the local Fidelity office. They placed the shares in my account, no problem.

 

[MRG]

Not exactly. If your employer has selected Computershare to administer their employee stock plan, Computershare will either issue a stock certificate or hold a book account in your name. If you want, they will sell it for you or transfer the virtual shares to a brokerage. All for a fee. . . .

In my case, I just sold a tiny bit of stock from several spin offs from my former employer through them.

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The things you mentioned(issue certs or electronic records, and pushing shares to a brokerage) are all transfer agent functions. I don't believe comuputershare has a brokerage, they push the shares to a brokerage. As you mentioned for a fee.

They also administer employee stock plans among a plethora of other loosely similar businesses. The peices all kinda blend together (like a bad dream with no ending.... makes me think of w*rk).