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 run this project to helping the hobby and to help collectors. If users derive pleasure and information from this site, they owe a debt not to me, but to the pioneers of the hobby. I am merely one person standing on the shoulders of giants. Yes, this site gives more information about railroad certificates than any other source. Still, collectors and dealers are mainly responsible for continuance of this project since 1987. I hope you will continue that tradition, 

You can contribute ni several ways. I pre-apologize if some suggestions might seem restrictive. I hope you will understand that my time is limited; I need to do everything possible to streamline data entry and thereby avoid burnout.

The best place to start

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

Certificates or other information I have missed

Many, if not most, collectors have unlisted certificates and variations. ALL have unrecorded serial numbers and dates.

Start by examining your most common certificates. Compare your certificates with my listings. You might find a feature I missed. I often lack images of very common certificates. Information about common certificates is the least contributed category. I definitely need information about serial numbers and prices paid for common certificates.

I genuinely hope you will provide images. I want to record information about your certificates and the fastest and easiest way is to send images. no matter how common certificates may seem.

Be alert for undiscovered varieties among cataloged certificates. Beginners actually find the greatest number of undocumented variations. Long-time collectors frequently overlook small variations. They have seen some certificates hundreds, if not thousands of of the same certificates for so long that it is normal to overlook small features. Not all small variations qualify for listing, but it is still okay to ask.

Scanned images of certificates

Scans are the single best way to help. It is ironic that only a few years ago, prices for scanners had dropped and their quality had increased. That was the exact time smartphones became common with cameras that grew in ever-increasing quality. While both methods are helpful for reporting certificates, scanners reproduce without distortion and uneven exposure. 

Small scanners work perfectly well. Simply scan your certificates in two or more overlapping 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 least1.5 inches of overlap between scans. DO NOT try to patch images together. Simply send me the pieces.

Here is what to do when making and sending scans of certificates:

• scan certificates at 300 dpi
• scan important autographs at 600 dpi
• scan entire certificates with extra space around all edges
• scan large certificates in two or more pieces with AT LEAST 1.5" overlap
• send images as ordinary email attachments
• do not embed 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 (not the highest)
• TIFs, BMPs, PNGs, and GIFs are also acceptable.

Things to avoid when making and sending scans of certificates:

• do NOT scan backs
• do NOT scan stubs
• do NOT scan coupons
• do NOT reduce images
• do NOT scan certificates against colored backgrounds
• do not fold stubs under certificates when scanning
• do not bother "zipping" single images
• don't waste time identifying catalog numbers
• PLEASE avoid embedding images in PDFs, Excel, and Word files

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

How much is 40MB (megabytes)? That would be the rough equivalent of sending 8 or 9 stock certificates or 6 or 7 bonds scanned at 300 dpi and saved medium high quality. The higher the quality and the higher the dpi, the fewer certificates to attach to one email. Just send more emails. No need to send scans one at a time unless it's easier for you.

Photographs of certificates

Photos are the second best way to send images. I appreciate all photos sent to contribute information about descriptions, serial numbers, and dates. Smartphone cameras are quick, handy, easy, and perfectly acceptable for that purpose.

Please use photos to contribute information, but do not expect them to be usable for the website. Unless professionally shot, almost all photographs suffer from problems that most people overlook. 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? Look at the exposure and colors between different parts of your certificate image. Compare opposite corners of your photo (i.e. compare bottom left to upper right and bottom right to upper left). If color, focus, and exposure is nearly equal, your photograph might be sufficient for display. Nine out of ten photographs have unequal color and exposure.

What to do when photographing certificates: 

• take certificates out of holders
• photograph certificates against uniform surfaces 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
• if your certificate is curled, flatten with weights (rulers and coins work well)

What to avoid when photographing certificates: 

• NO need to identify catalog numbers
• NO need to put anything in your photographs for scale
• NO need to photograph backs, stubs, or coupons

Photocopied images of certificates

At one time, I received the majority of information via photocopies (Xerox, etc.). They 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
• make a note at the bottom about the "real" color of your certificate

What to avoid when making photocopies of certificates: 

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

Information found elsewhere

Please send images and information only about certificates you own.

Please, AVOID SENDING IMAGES CAPTURED FROM EBAY, dealer websites, or collector websites. There are simply too many certificates out there. If I recorded every image like that, we would have a nice database and I would have no life.

Information in spreadsheet form

YES, I most assuredly want to add serial numbers of existing certificates, but I MUST do so in the least amount of time. And yes, I know you already have that information in a spreadsheet. Nonetheless, I can enter information from scans and photographs MUCH, MUCH FASTER than from spreadsheets. They also give me the luxury of spotting new variations indefinitely into the future.

Links to images or information on the web

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 a recent purchase. Prices in guidebooks and on dealer websites are fine, but globally inaccurate. Your purchases are REAL.

When asking about prices paid, I am looking for the entire amount paid for certificates including commission, but NOT SHIPPING COSTS. Please include VAT (Value Added Tax) if pertinent, but not local sales taxes. Round prices to the nearest dollar. I do NOT need to know where you purchased.

Price guidance

I greatly appreciate price guidance for any items you are willing to tell me about.

If you bought a certificate recently, your purchase price is very helpful. But...

You might have bought a certificate a long time ago when prices were different. In that case, I am asking you to tell me the price YOU would be willing to pay to reacquire a certificate if something happened to YOUR certificate. I am not interested in anyone else's guesses. I need your opinion! 

And yes, I know your impression of potential value is flexible. You might be willing to pay significantly more today than you originally paid. Conversely, 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 what you would readily pay if something happened to a certificate in your possession.

Why would I like information like that? Because prices reflect desire, not rarity. A certificate might be truly rare, but so what? I no one else wants it, it is not worth much. Quantifying legitimate value is the goal.

Inspections and corrections

There are several million words on this website. There ARE mistakes! That means I REALLY need your help finding them. I really need to know about any mistakes you find. I need to know 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.

Information about railroad companies

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

I also need to find that kind of information. HOWEVER, my goal is to catalog certificates from every railroad or coal company that operated or intended to operate in North America. People with a lot more knowledge than me record tremendous 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 the understanding or interpretation of certificates. I always appreciate additional information such as:

• states of incorporation
• dates of incorporation
• dates of dissolution
• nicknames (official or unofficial)

I record names of presidents, chief executive officers, and chairmen of boards when I learn their full spans of their service to the nearest year . I do not record 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. Any other information about railroading must be a "30,000-foot view."