Expert: Steven Taylor - 12/5/2011

Question
I have found certificates of 3 companies that I am having trouble getting answers on. Do any of these have present value?
Placer dome, Sobeys, Vale/inco. Thanks for any insight you can provide.

Answer
Julian, from the information I have available:

Placer was acquired by Barrick in 2006 on the basis of $22.50 per share cash or 0.8269 of a Barrick share plus 5 cents cash per Placer share.

Inco was acquired by CVRD in 2006 for $86 cash per share.

Sobeys was acquired in 2007 by Empire Company Ltd. for $58 per share.

Unless the certificates are in your name, or you can prove they were legally transferred to you by the owner, you cannot prove ownership. Certificates are not bearer instruments - they only reflect the ownership as reflected on the transfer agent's register. Since these are all takeovers, the certificates may have been cancelled by the transfer agent and the checks sent to the registered holders. If the registered holder did not receive the cash from the takeovers, it would have been turned over to the government in their name for safekeeping until they could claim it. You can search many States and Provinces for free at www.missingmoney.com and www.naupa.org.