Recently I inherited an old stock certificate. How can I find out if the shares are worth anything?

The question, 'I've found an old stock certificate…where do I start?', comes up frequently from our readers.

Researching old stock certificates can take a bit of sleuthing - especially in an era where so many mergers and acquisitions have taken place. That said, there are numerous sources of information to help you determine if that old stock still has value. The first step Read the fine print on the stock certificate. This may seem obvious to experienced investors, but if you have never traded on the stock market, these details are often overlooked. Four critical pieces of information to look for:

the company name
the province or state of the corporation
the transfer agent
the date of issue

The first step is to determine the current status of the company. Is it Canadian, American, or international? Is the company still in business? From the details on the stock certificate, your financial advisor or planner, if you have one, can tell you the value of the company if the corporation is still in business. When a stock is currently trading under the same name, a search should reveal the stock exchange where the stock is traded and its current price. Sleuthing The presence of a stock certificate means that a company is incorporated and this information appears on the stock certificate. In some instances, it may be necessary to conduct a corporate search in order to determine whether the company is still in business or has changed hands. Strategis, Industry Canada's Web site (http://strategis.ic.gc.ca) provides access to information on Canadian incorporate companies, as well as bankruptcy statistics. Transfer Agent The transfer agent, listed on the front of the stock certificate, can help you determine the value of the shares. If the transfer agent has changed, then you may contact the company's branch in the jurisdiction where the stock was originally registered. If the company is still in business, they can give you details of the new transfer agent. Online resources: www.adviceforinvestors.com This web site provides free information on more than 4,200 Canadian and American publicly-traded companies. As well, it provides information on Canadian stocks that have gone through a stock split.

www.wsrn.com/index.html Information on both Canadian and U.S. companies. A good starting point for basic research on publicly-traded companies. This site has more than 500,000 links to information for investors and analysts.

www.corporateinformation.com Source of information on over 350,000 company profiles.

www.cnet.com This site that has an excellent database for U.S. and Canadian stocks that have split. Click on the "investor" link on the upper menu bar, type the stock symbol and then select "splits" from the pull-down menu.

The library Larger public libraries can be a great source of information on company histories. www.lights.com/canlib Indexes Canadian library home pages by province and city. Financial Services Canada provides current addresses for all corporate registries in Canada and can be found in most public libraries. Print Resources
The Survey of Predecessor and Defunct Companies: Information on more than 12,000 firms going back over 60 years.

Moody's Industrial Manual and Moody's OTC Industrial Manual. Brief summaries of U.S. companies, histories, mergers and acquisitions.

Fee-based search services There are numerous commercial firms that will research your stock certificate for a fee. Two such services firms are: Stock Search Global: www.stock-search-global.com, and Paper Chase: www.paperchaseintl.com/pc.html.

Hold the wallpaper Okay, you've done your Sherlock Holmes investigation and all you've come up with is a worthless piece of paper. Should you toss the certificate along with today's flyers, or heed the old cliché and use it as wallpaper? Keep it! Please note that even if you learn that the certificate has no value, you may find that the certificate has value as a collector item. Thanks to the global world of the Net, there are online auctions and sources of information on stock collectibles.