Found stock certificates of grandparents (deceased)

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Passed down by estate to my parents.

My father handed them over to me offering to split whatever 50/50 to figure out what they are worth.

LOL.

In this electronic world, I admit I am stumped. I was going to give Schwab a call and ask. Most of it looks like worthless mining stock (penny stocks).

One of them is 5 shares of Caesar's World from 1979 purchased at 77 3/4 share.

I have never held a stock certificate in my hand before. Weird. Also stuff for Ramada Inn, Midland Resources, etc. I have no idea how to figure out if this stuff split, reverse split, etc.

[disneysteve]

I would start with a Google search of the company name. See if they are still in business or merged into another business. Check Yahoo finance to do a ticker look up. The CUSIP number can also be important to help identify the company. Next to last resort is bringing them all to your broker and having them do the research (but they might charge you for the service). If you discover that the companies no longer exist and the certificates aren't negotiable, your last resort is to post them for sale on ebay. There are many collectors of vintage stock certificates. A quick search on ebay turned up 11 active auctions for Caesars World certificates. A search of completed auctions shows the recently selling for between $5 and $50.

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I did a google search and couldn't find out a lot. I'll try what you suggested.

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http://www.sec.gov/answers/oldcer.htm

Directly from the government.

Most of these corporations were formed in Delaware (of course) so I guess I'll have to contact the agency there.

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Hard to tell, but we/I may be an owner of Cendant (???)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramada

Apparently, the grandparents liked to speculate on casino/gaming/hotels. Ramada has survived the years. . .

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This is proving more difficult than I thought.

[KTP]

When I was a wee kid back in the 1970s my mom found several thousand stock certificates for coca cola cleaning out my grandfather's house. She and her brother sold them for just a couple thousand dollars I think.

When I look at that chart today of KO and how many times it split from 1980 to today, I try not to think how different it could have been if they had stayed hidden in a safety box until today.

[Goldy]

I'd be willing to buy a few of the worthless mining certificates if you want to sell them. I'm in the mining sector and those might be fun to have on the wall.

[simpletron]

the SEC can be your friend.

http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html

At midnight on January 24, 1995, the cash tender offer by ITT Florida Enterprises, Inc., a Florida corporation ("ITT Florida"), and a wholly owned subsidiary of ITT Corporation, a Delaware corporation ("ITT"), for all of the outstanding shares of common stock of the registrant expired and all shares validly tendered pursuant to the tender offer were accepted by ITT Florida for payment. According to Bankers Trust Company, the Depository, approximately 24,130,291 shares of common stock of the registrant representing 92.9% percent of the registrant's outstanding common stock on a fully diluted basis, were tendered. The cash tender offer price was $67.50 per share. ITT, as a result, announced its intention to consummate the proposed merger of ITT Florida into the registrant as soon as practicable without a vote of stockholders as permitted under Florida law.

ITT was buought by starwood hotels

MIDLAND, Texas, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Vista Resources Partners, L.P. and Midland Resources, Inc. (Amex: MLD) today announced the completion of a merger between the two companies. The shares of common stock of the combined company, called Vista Energy Resources, Inc., will begin trading on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol "VEI" on Thursday, October 29, 1998. Also as a result of the merger, Midland Resources' currently outstanding warrants will continue to be traded on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol "VEI.WS" and will become exercisable for shares of Vista's common stock on a one for one basis.

Vista Energy Resources become Prize Energy Corp, which was bought by Magnum Hunter Resources.

Ramada inn is now part of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, but don't know how it got there.

Good luck getting any money/new stock.