Helping with this project

This hobby needs your help and EVERY certificate collector has something to offer.

My catalog and this website are dedicated entirely to collectors. My goal is to help keep the collecting of railroad (and coal) stocks and bonds FUN. Every collector can contribute to the hobby. I guarantee you have something to contribute.

The cold, hard truth is that I need your help. I cannot possibly do this alone because:

• The hobby is too diverse.
• I will not live long enough.
• I do not have enough money.
• It would not be any fun.

Remember...

I am not doing this project for myself. I maintain this project and catalog certificates to help the hobby and to help collectors. If collectors gain knowledge from this site, they owe a debt not to me, but to the pioneers of the hobby. I merely stand on the shoulders of giants who've come before me. Yes, this site gives much information, but collectors and dealers are mainly responsible for continuance of this project. I began collecting certificate information in about 1987. BNR Press published the first edition of Collectible Stocks and Bonds of North American Railroads in January, 1995. Hundreds of collectors and dealers have contributed tremendously since then. I hope you will continue the tradition.

You can contribute in several ways. There are a few readers who will want to help, but will find of my suggestions restrictive. Please understand that my time is limited. I need to do everything possible to streamline data entry. Even more importantly, I need to avoid burnout.

The best place to start

There are many ways you can help. Perhaps, spend a few minutes looking at Information Recorded. That page will give you a quick rundown on the types of information I seek.

Certificates and information I've missed

Many collectors have certificates or variations that I have never seen. Obviously, I would like to learn about them.  But ALL collectors have unrecorded serial numbers, dates, and purchase prices they can share.

Start by examining your most common certificates. Compare your certificates to current listings. You might find features I've missed. Believe it or not, I still lack images of very common certificates. Information about common certificates is the least contributed category. I have very little information about serial numbers and prices paid for common certificates.

The fastest and easiest way to help is by sending images.

Be alert for undiscovered varieties. Beginners are the primary source for undocumented variations. Long-time collectors frequently ignore small variations because they know there are no current differences in prices. They have often seen hundreds of the same certificates for so long that it is normal to overlook small features. And truthfully, not all small variations qualify for listing. Still, it is okay to report.

Scanned images of certificates

Scans are the #1, single best way to help. It is ironic that only a few years ago, prices of scanners had dropped and their quality had increased. Many really good images were contributed during that period.

Only a few short years later, smartphones became common. all with cameras that grew in ever-increasing quality. Photos from smartphone cameras are excellent ways to contribute serial numbers and new varieties. Their only problem is inevitable distortion and uneven exposure. I can always use smartphone phots, but very few can be used as web illustrations.

Many collectors still have scanners, generally of letter or A4 size. Most bonds and many stock certificates are too large to be scanned without losing margins. That's okay and small scanners are still perfectly usable. Simply scan certificates in two or more overlapping pieces and send me the pieces. Orientation does not matter, but it is better if you try to keep the tops of successive scans pointing in the same direction. Try to get at least 1.5 inches (3 cm) of overlap between scans. Please DO NOT try to patch images together. Simply send me the pieces.

Hints for making and sending scans:

• scan at 300 dpi
• scan celebrity autographs at 600 dpi
• scan with extra space around all edges
• scan large certificates in two or more pieces with AT LEAST 1.5" (3 cm) overlap
• send images as ordinary email attachments
• avoid embedding images in Word or Excel files
• send up to 40 MB of images in a single email (no need to zip)
• turn off auto exposure if your software allows
• scan certificates against VERY light blue, light gray, or white backgrounds
• save as medium-high quality JPGs (no need for the highest quality)
• I prefer JPGs, but TIFs, BMPs, PNGs, and GIFs are also acceptable.

Things to avoid when scanning certificates:

• do NOT reduce images
• do NOT scan certificates against colored backgrounds
• do NOT fold stubs under certificates when scanning

Suggestions for scans photos:

• avoid images of backs, stubs, or coupons
• take certificates out of holders
• do not bother "zipping" single images
• don't waste time identifying catalog numbers

There are many tricks to getting good scans of certificates. The very thin lines in vignettes confuse auto exposure. You will get better scans by turning auto exposure off. I offer more tips in a special section of this website dedicated to scanning certificates.

How many images to send at one time? Roughly 30 to 35 megabytes at a time. That means about 8 or 9 images of stock certificates or 6 or 7 images of bonds. No need to send images one at a time unless it's easier for you.

Photographs of certificates

Photos are the second best way to contribute information. Smartphone photos are perfectly acceptable for contributing information about descriptions, serial numbers, and dates.

Photos are good for contributing information. I save every one. Unfortunately, they are rarely usable for images on the website because of distortion and uneven exposure. I can fix non-rectangular images easily. but I cannot normally repair problems like unequal lighting, shadows, poor focus, color shifts, and glare.

How can you know if a photograph might be usable for display? One of the easiest ways is to compare opposite corners of photos (i.e. bottom left versus to upper right and bottom right versus upper left). If color, focus, and exposure is nearly equal, your photograph might be sufficient for display. Nineteen out of twenty photographs have unequal color and exposure.

Hints for photographing certificates:

• orient your phone's long dimension with the long dimension of your certificate
• take certificates out of holders
• photograph certificates against uniform backgrounds such as light gray posterboard
• include extra space around all edges
• shoot straight down on them if possible; the less distortion, the better
• make sure serial numbers and dates are in focus
• flatten with weights (coins or rulers work well) if your certificates are curled or folded

What to avoid when photographing certificates:

• no need to identify catalog numbers
• DEFINITELY avoid confusing backgrounds like quilts, burlap, or other certificates
• no need to include rulers or objects for scale comparisons
• no need to photograph backs, stubs, or coupons
• avoid getting too close (because images become distorted

Photocopied images of certificates

At one time, I received the majority of information via photocopies (Xerox, etc.). Photocopies remain perfectly adequate.

What to do when making photocopies of certificates:

• reduce certificates to fit on 8-1/2 by 11 paper
• copy in pieces if necessary
• either black and white or color copies are okay
• if black and white, tell me the "real" color of your certificate

What to avoid when making photocopies of certificates:

• no need to identify catalog numbers
• no need to report certificate sizes
• no need to copy backs, stubs, or coupons

YOUR INFORMATION ONLY

Please send only images and information about certificates you own or once owned.

I really do understand that collectors want to contribute. I understand because I have contributed heavily to other projects myself. However, there are many collectors and only one of me. I would burn out in weeks if only ten or twenty collectors began send sending material they found on collector and websites from around the world. 

I cannot even begin to adequately express how much I appreciate every collector who wants to help. I hate to do it, but the only way I have found to throttle contributions is to restrict images and information to items you own or once owned.

INFORMATION TO AVOID

I know these restrictions might make somebody mad. I pre-apologize. But the reasons are simple. There are simply too many certificates out there. If I recorded every serial number from every image that could be found online or on every list someone could find, we would have a nice database and I would have no life. So here are my hard avoidances:

• images captured from eBay, dealer websites, or collector websites
• information in spreadsheet form
• links to images on websites

Website images:

Some eBay images are decent, but the majority are less than adequate. However, the issue is not quality but volume. There are well over 2,000 images of railroad certificates on eBay at any one time, not counting duplicates. There are even more on eBay sites in Europe. I already check eBay sales every day for certificates that sold for $20 or more the previous day. Even lowering my minimum sale price to $15 would require more time than I have.

Dealer and collector sites are also enticing sources for images, but the potential volume of images is even more staggering. The use of stock images on dealer sites is a real drawback. Simply put, the commitment necessary to record that kind of voluminous effort is far beyond my available time.

Spreadsheets:

Many, if not most, collectors record their holdings in spreadsheet programs. I recommend doing that for insurance purposes. Yes, contributing information in spreadsheet form sounds like a great idea.

Without belaboring the point, I tried recording spreadsheet information for a few years. I finally had to throw up my hands in surrender. I avoid that kind of information because spreadsheets:

• remove all ability to confirm accurate identification
• prevent me from spotting new varieties
• prevent reviewing identifications in the future
• contribute less information than images
• require DRAMATICALLY more time to extract information

Internet links:

I avoid accepting links for all the same reasons as above. Internet links are so numerous that they would easily overwhelm my most precious and ever-declining resource: TIME. I know that a single contributor could send more links to websites, sales, and images in a single day than I could process in a month. What if two or three or ten contributors did the same thing? 

Certificate prices

If and when you send information or images of certificates in your collection, I will greatly appreciate learning how much you paid for recent purchases. Prices in dealer websites are fine, but globally inaccurate. Your purchases are REAL.

When asking about prices paid, I am looking for the entire amount you paid for certificates including commission, but excluding SHIPPING COSTS and local sales taxes. Please include VAT (Value Added Tax) when pertinent.

I do NOT need to know where you purchased.

Price guidance

If you don't have recent prices, I will still appreciate price guidance for any items you are willing to tell me about. What does price guidance mean?

Old prices are not terribly helpful because prices have changed a lot in the last twenty years. What I'm asking is the price YOU would be willing to pay to reacquire a certificate if something happened to YOUR certificate. I am not interested in guesses of value. I need your opinion of what you would pay.

Let's face it. Every collector's impression of value is flexible. You might be willing to pay significantly more today than you originally paid. Or you might like to re-acquire a similar certificate again, but at a lower price. Sometimes. you might not want to replace your certificate at all. You might even be glad the certificate is gone. REAL PRICE GUIDANCE is the price you would readily pay if something happened to a certificate in your possession.

Why would I like information like that? It is important to understand that the amount collectors spend on certificates represents desire, not rarity. A certificate might be truly rare. But if no one else wants it, it is not worth much. Quantifying legitimate value is the goal.

Inspections and corrections

There are over 500 static pages on this site plus almost 30,000 certificate descriptions. (There are over 2,000 words on this page alone.) That  means there are a couple million words on this website. There ARE mistakes and I really need to know about the mistakes you find. I need to know about anything that doesn't make sense. The sooner you report, the sooner I can correct.

Information about questionable companies

If you enjoy corporate research, and want problems to chew on, see my special page on Mystery companies. When you search for companies, you may spot names that never existed. Reasearch their existence and tell me if certain names need removal.

Information about railroad companies

Many of you are serious about railroading. And many of you discover very obscure facts about companies.

I need some of that kind of information. Before inumdating me, remember that my goal is to catalog certificates from every railroad or coal company that operated or intended to operate in North America. People with vaastly more knowledge than me record staggering amounts of information about railroads in books, magazines, and on the web. For that reason, I do not record every morsel of information that comes my way.

I seek and keep information about railroad companies when that information directly involves understanding or interpreting certificates. I always appreciate information such as:

• states of incorporation
• dates of incorporation
• dates of dissolution

I also record names of presidents, chief executive officers, and chairmen of boards when I learn the full spans of their service to the nearest year. I do not record any officer names until I learn both starting and ending dates of their service.

I stress that this site is about collectible stocks and bonds. Information about track alignments, accidents, secondary personalities, passenger trains, corporate takeovers, and intricate financing is far beyond the scope of this website. Yes, I agree that kind of information is FUN. I am always researching something. Realistically, people seeking hard-core information about railroading and railroad companies are going to find better information elsewhere. Think about this project as providing ground-level information about certificates and high altitude views of railroading.