Does anyone know - are there any online Share Dealing companies that will offer Printed Share Certificates?
I quite like the idea of buying a single share in a few companies, not for profit (the deal will probably cost me more than the share!) but for prestige.
But not much point if they don't issue a Printed Share Certificate that I can wave around whilst going "I am a shareholder you know!!" ;)
Oh, I should add - I am well aware of how the Crest system works, and how it was designed to take printed certificates away, but I assume they can still be got hold of? Certainly, in larger deals, some brokers still demand to see the printed certificate to avoid fraud..
Why online? Online brokers tend to want nominee accounts, but most traditional stockbrokers will still work with certificates, and for what you're suggesting you presumably aren't that worried about cost-effectiveness! If you go into a high-street bank they can probably do it for around 15-20 commission. Alternatively, many companies have special deals with brokers for postal or telephone dealing, look in the annual report.
before (where that referral ends up) - the point is there you buy these single share certificates as gifts, at anything from 30 upwards! If you only want one, say the share is worth 3 and the trade costs you
10 - then it works out a bit expensive to buy them there!
Most brokers prefer nominee accounts (they get your vote on company matters) but they will do certificated trades for an extra charge.
The registrars do not like people like you, understandably, because they still have to mail out company announcements, annual report summaries, dividends and so on to you.
If you wanted real prestige, buy a proper holding of shares and put the certificate somewhere safe. Alternatively, design a joke certificate on your computer and stick that on your wall.
I personally would laugh at someone who had either bought one share in a company, or had actually framed a current certificate for everyone to see.
You might be interested to know that there are people who collect share certificates in the same way that other people collect stamps. Some share certificates have a genuine historical interest.
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