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PURPOSE of this web site

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

General information about certificates

• GLOSSARY
• Coxrail BLOG
• CANCELLATION explained.
• COLLECTING ORGANIZATIONS
• DIFFERENCES between stocks and bonds
• CUSIP NUMBERS, what are they?
• IMPRINTED REVENUE STAMPS known on certificates
• All about SPECIMENS AND PROOFS
• What can SERIAL NUMBERS tell us?
• How to tell whether a certificate was ISSUED OR NOT?
• Why do some certificates LACK SIGNATURES?
• GRADING STANDARDS
• GRADING STANDARDS DISCUSSION

Values of collectible certificates

• Estimating PRICES of collectible certificates
• Certificates listed as "NOT IN COX"
• The PRICING PARADOX
• VALUES of certificates as securities
• HINTS FOR SELLERS
• HOARDS and their effect on prices
• Getting APPRAISALS

Known certificates

• DATABASE of all known certificates, online, updated every two weeks
  • SEARCH HINTS
• CATALOG NUMBERING EXPLAINED. How my system works
• CURRENT CERTIFICATE POPULATION, general summary
• ABBREVIATIONS used in the database
• DATES in the database

TYPES of certificates

• STOCKS
  • TERMINOLOGY of stock certificates
  • DENOMINATIONS of stock certificates
  • COLORS of stock certificates
• BONDS
  • PURPOSES of bonds
  • COUPON vs REGISTERED bonds
  • BEARER vs REGISTERED bonds
  • TYPES of bonds
  • CROSS-REFERENCE to "Criswell" numbers
  • GOLD BONDS
  • GOLD BOND SCAMS AND HYPES
  • COLORS of bonds
  • CURIOUS LETTERING on bonds
  • Are COUPONS valuable collectibles?
• OTHER collectible railroad certificates
  • SCRIP
  • WARRANTS
  • RECEIPTS
  • TEMPORARY STOCKS AND BONDS
  • CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSIT
  • FRACTIONAL BONDS
  • FRACTIONAL STOCKS
  • STOCK TRANSFERS

Countries covered

• North American COUNTRIES included
• North American STATES AND PROVINCES included
• Certificates from OTHER COUNTRIES

Companies included

• Types of COMPANIES INCLUDED
  • LOGGING COMPANIES included
• Types of COMPANIES EXCLUDED
  • DECEPTIVE NAMES of non-railroad companies and clubs.
  • UTILITIES excluded
  • BRIDGE COMPANIES excluded
  • REAL ESTATE COMPANIES excluded
  • PLANTATION COMPANIES excluded
  • LABOR UNIONS excluded
  • INDUSTRIAL RAILROADS excluded
  • MIINING RAILROADS excluded
  • certain "GRAY AREA" PARTS COMPANIES excluded
  • NON-RAILROAD companies
• DECISION MATRIX for including or excluding companies
• DISCUSSION OF LOGIC for including or excluding companies

Autographs currently known on railroad certificates

• COLLECTING CELEBRITY AUTOGRAPHS
• ALL KNOWN AUTOGRAPHS on railroad stocks and bonds
• PICTURES of celebrities currently
• CRITERIA for LISTING AUTOGRAPHS
• Autograph AUTHENTICATION

Buying certificates

• DEALERS of railroad certificates
  • Different TYPES OF DEALERS
• GERMAN GLOSSARY - Glossary of common words used in to describe certificates in German catalogs and price lists.

How do you keep certificates intact?

• PRESERVATION issues, discussion of the major things to consider
• SOURCES for archival materials
• RESTORATION and REPAIR

State seals on certificates

• GENERAL DISCUSSION about using state seals
• FINDING GUIDE: identifying states from seals that appear on certificatesl
• ALL STATE SEALS compiled in one place