State seals appear on many railroad stocks and bonds, oftentimes in place of a state name. Therefore, to properly identify what state some certificates belong with, you must first identify the state seals. It is a two-step process similar to a detective solving a mystery.

To help you decipher state seals, I have assembled both a collection of all state seals and a finding system.

The state seals that I have assembled here are generally official in nature. Unfortunately, not all states have good copies available on web sites. If you find better copies, please send them.

One of the main problems with deciphering state seals is that the seals that appear on stocks and bonds are extremely variable in appearance.

In general, state laws prevented engravers from using "official" state seals. So engravers usually modified the central elements of official state seals and then added new surrounding features. Probably the least modified seals are found on certificates from the states of Alabama, Georgia, Rhode Island, and Texas.

Pennsylvania's seal, on the other hand, appears in a huge number of variants. Generally, Pennsylvania's seal shows two horses surrounding a seal. In actual fact, the official Pennsylvania state seal is the central plaque that the horses surround. Practically all images on certificates - and on the state flag - include the horses.

Click here to find out what state matches a state seal you already have on a certificate
This is a special search that will allow you to find states based on features your state seals are most likely to display.

.Click here to see a collection of images of ALL the state seals.