Do you like collecting things? Are you interested in a story? Do you follow stocks and bonds?
Well, you can combine all three of these little joys into one and even make some money from it if you make scriptophilia your hobby.
What is scriptophilia?
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, scriptophilia is the activity of collecting old bonds and share certificates.
This hobby can probably be compared to collecting old stamps, coins and notes that are no longer in use.
The word is a combination of English and Greek - scrip representing ownership, and φίλος - love.
Why become scriptophiles?
While this may seem like an extremely strange hobby to some, in fact, thousands of people passionately practice it all over the world!
At the same time, it has not become so popular that it is difficult to find certificates that have any value.
There are various factors that attract enthusiasts. Here are a few basic ones.
Historical significance
Were the parties involved in signing the certificate somehow involved in important historical events? For example, was this the first company to release a specific product, such as cars, airplanes, vacuum cleaners.
Aesthetics
Let's be honest, people really knew how to make even the simplest things beautiful, in the old days. Even the old boring stock certificates. It is therefore not surprising that some people fall into scriptophilia solely for the aesthetic value of these documents.
Features they can look for include: type of engraving, ink color, numbers shown on the vignette, borders and paper quality. And these are just some of the factors.
Autographs
Could any of the parties involved in the signing be considered famous ... or even shameful?
Cost
How many shares or bonds were issued? Typically, the larger the initial face value, the more it can be collected.
Specifics
If you are interested in a specific business area, such as sports, finance, railways, or the automotive industry, you can focus on collecting certificates that fall into these categories.
Rarity
How many certificates were issued? How many have survived over the years? Usually, the less surviving, the greater their value.
How to make money on this?
Mike Weissid, an avid scriptwriter, told the Financial Times in an interview that the secret to turning your old stocks and bonds into an asset is to “create a collection that has some meaning that goes beyond the individual parts, which will then attract a lot of people” .
A smart way to do this is to focus on specific industries, decades or institutions.
For example, rail and car companies are always hits, especially if they are still working.
According to Weissid, any certificates issued after 1930 are largely useless, so it’s better to focus on those that were created from the mid-1800s to the 1920s.
His collection, created over 30 years, costs more than £ 150,000.