Companies generally used temporary certificates immediately after they incorporated. Companies needed engraved certificates for greater security, but that often took several weeks to accomplish.

The most common types of temporary certificates that collectors see include:

• Interim receipts
• Temporary stock certificates
• Temporary bonds

Most temporary certificates carry a large amount of text explaining their purposes, although their purposes varied widely between companies. In general, temporary certificates were large lithographed receipts for stock or bond purchases. Many functioned as stocks or bonds prior to delivery of actual engraved certificates.

Essentially all temporary certificates were lithographed and display pre-printed company names.