Expert: Steven Taylor - 4/8/2011

Question
I have a certificate for Barker Mining Syndicate, after exhausting many avenues, I cannot even find evidence of the company existing. Could you please help me?

Answer
Tammy, I have no information on Barker Mining Syndicate. Syndicates are not companies. Anytime you see Syndicate in the name, you know it will be almost impossible to track down. Syndicates were not publicly traded securities, and were usually formed under special laws different from those which cover companies and corporations. They were almost always special purpose entities formed to explore or mine a specific area or property. Syndicate shares were sold privately, usually by word of mouth to friends, relatives and associates, and the number of holders were typically very small - sometimes as few as 10. That makes it difficult to track them, but it is also complicated by the fact that most syndicates simply stopped when the original money ran out. Unlike corporations, which have an indefinite life, many mining syndicates just quit if they came up empty in their search or the money ran out.

About the only thing you can do to search a non-publicly traded syndicate is to contact the Province under which the syndicate was formed and see if they have any information available.