Library

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Heritage a Non-Profit Organization?

No, we are a closely-held corporation in business since 1981.  We has provided professional historical research and information managment consulting services to public and private clients.

Do you have information regarding to old stock certificates?

Generally, we do not maintain records pertaining to stock certificates. We can research the history/successorship of a company at hourly rates that we would provide if you are interested.

If searching for the value of old certificates, your best bet is to search the Internet for the terms "scripophilly" or "obsolete securities." There are firms that specialize in researching and valuing old stock certificates.

To research on your own, the following web site is most useful:
http://gorkon.library.unr.edu/delamare/miningstock.html

While thousands of corporations have gone bankrupt or been dissolved throughout the years, corporations disappear for other reasons, too. For example, a corporation no longer listed anywhere as an active company under the name on its stock certificates may have merged with another company. Or, a company may have simply changed its corporate name. In either case, the corporation still may be operating, and prospering.

The following references may help investors in learning the value of old stock certificates. These books generally can be found in public libraries, stock exchanges, and stockbrokers' offices. While the date in parentheses is the year the book first was published, each is updated periodically.

* "Financial Stock Guide Service" (1927). Published by Financial Information, Inc., 30 Montgomery Street, P.O. Box 473, Jersey City, NJ 07303.

Contains a directory of active stocks (addressing currently traded, active issues), and a directory of obsolete securities (providing a brief profile of companies whose original identities have been lost through actions affecting their outstanding stock). Updated annually and through monthly supplements.

* "Robert D. Fisher Manual of Valuable & Worthless Securities" (1920). Published by R.M. Smythe & Co., Inc., 24 Broadway, New York, NY 10004.

Volumes 5 through 15 list companies whose securities may have a liquidating or exchange value, or may be identified as worthless. This reference superseded the "Marvyn Scudder Manual of Extinct or Obsolete Companies", which was published by Marvyn Scudder in four volumes, and included stocks issued from 1926 to 1937.

* "Moody's Industrial Manual" and "Moody's OTC Industrial Manual" (1970). Published by Moody's Investor Service, Inc., 99 Church Street, New York, NY 10007.

Summarize companies' histories, background, mergers and acquisitions, subsidiaries, principal plants, and properties. Updated annually.

* "National Stock Summary" (1913). Published by National Quotation Bureau, Inc., an Infobase Holdings Company, 150 Commerce Road, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009-1208.

Summarizes all over-the-counter and inactive listed stock offerings and bids that have appeared either in the national daily quotation services or the leading daily newspapers and financial periodicals. Published monthly.

* "Security Owner's Stock Guide" (1941). Published by Standard & Poor's Corp., 25 Broadway, New York, NY 10004.

Provides information on stock group movements, weekly stock prices indexes, and statistical tables for common and preferred stock. Published monthly.

** This preceding information was originally published by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

* "R.M. Smythe & Co. ("Smythe")" [26 Broadway, New York, NY 10004; 800-622-1880] offers two services. If one seeks information about the issuer of the old securities to see if the security has value, Smythe charges a fee of $75.00. Or two; Smythe will appraise the document as a collectible free of charge. If the document has value as a collectible, Smythe will make an offer.