Should I Or Shouldn't I?  

Frankly, I wouldn't sell them for $40. You might want to continue to hold them until demand for them rises.

If you enjoy the thrill of possessing them then keep them. Another option would be to search the Internet for other places to sell them - you might find a much better deal, or you might not.

One of the good things about keeping them is that, unlike other antiques and heirlooms, they're just pieces of paper and don't take up much room so it is no big chore to hang on to them. Good luck.

I could not do it. I would hand them down before you pass someday. Not many people keep stuff like this! Do you think money is more important then the memory and stocks you will be passing down? I think you will regret it. It does look pretty neat. I think it would be neat to put in a frame and hang on the wall. I have many heirlooms in my home. I am sitting on a small fortune but after all the stories I have heard from my great grandma, grandma and mother I could not sell them. They have to much sentimental value to me. I now tell the stories to my kids and they will to their kids. I will pass them down. Good luck in your decision making!

If the price is right, I would sell them being the money could really come in handy right now. But I sure as heck wouldn't sell all 5 for 40 bucks. That guy is a rip off. I have a few family heirlooms that are pure Italian gold and heavy at that but only reason why I won't sell them is because I only have a few pieces and it's all I have left of my grandma.

Did you check on ebay to see if similar "bonds" are for sale and how much the auctions are going for? I agree that if he was willing to buy them all then they will sell and like you said he will sell them for a lot more.

No, I do not think you should sell them. $40 is $40, but $40 can go fast. Just think of the $40 as pizza (or other take out food) from your favorite restaurant. A medium pizza can easily cost $20 and if you were to get two, well there goes the $40. Where is it now? In your stomach (and maybe your friends or families stomachs as well). But soon enough it won't be there and then what will you be left with? Nothing. But if you hold on to them they willbe there. And if you have a family member to pass them on to that is even better. After all, these things have been in your family for a long time. Do you really want to throw them away for a lousy $40?

Of course, in the end it is your decision. Good luck!

No way, dont sell hang onto them.

If he offed $40.00 each yeah, but not $40.00 for all 5.

Wait for a better offer, he is a ripoff artist.

Hi Pye ... that sounds like some really cool stocks certs and bonds you have there. Love the photo. I used to frame some of the stocks certificates I had and make a collage and put them on the wall over my desk. For the ones you have ... even those that look worthless might not be ... some companies change names with different companies and merge, etc. I see that all the time! I sent you (e-mail) some articles on some tips to work with and companies that do appraisals and charge fees ... appraisal fees ... some seem pretty pricey but if you paid $50 for an appraisal and found out it was $5000+ it would be worth it!! I got this stuff on google. Good Luck! Have fun in your endeavor!

Try selling them yourself. Why pay the middle man? See if their are forums for collectors, join one and see if you get any buyers. It's better to try and get $75 a piece for let's say 3 then $40 for all of 5. I would sell 3 and keep 2. Write a letter to go with them with your grandfather's history on it and such. I've watched on Antique Roadshow how having the written history of an item to go along with it makes it more valueble to collectors.

I am going to keep just a few things, like this really pretty sterling silver spoon that has been used to feed the last 4 generations and my grandmother left it to me. I have an Indian head ring that my father had made for my grandmother (she was Native) and she wore it everyday for over 20 years until the day she died, I'll keep that as I wear it too. I have her Virgin Mary Poster that she got in Rome from a visit to see the Pope and her rosary from that trip as well as her Virgin statue and antique Virgin prayer cards. I have her Bible. I have a set of really pretty chinese vases that were hers as well.

I have an Italian children's dresser which is like 3 generations old but I'm going to be selling that. It's heavy... not moving friendly and I won't have a child anytime soon and nobody in my family knows how to take care of anything so they're not getting it. I'm selling some pieces of vintage costume jewelry (the good collectible kind) that were my grandmother's and my moms as well. We're trying to lighten our load and de-clutter so we're getting rid of things that have been in the family but don't have great meaning.

I think if you seriously need money you should check with others that deal in such things and see what they offer. I dont think I would sell them for forty dollars no matter what.
You can put them on ebay with a very high minumum payment just to see how high the bidding would go. That way unless someone actually went over your minumum you would be under no obligation to sell.
Forty dollars just doesnt seem enough to let go of a family treasure, especialy if you dont have very many left.

Cheers, Tianna

DON’T SELL THEM. Everyday I see many such ads from ebay and other online sites where people are offering to sell similar stuff like bonds, coins, agreement papers etc maybe 100 years old or older. And they are selling it for pittance. I know $40 is $40 but just think of it this way as if you don’t even know that the money is there. Frame the bonds and display them in your house. I have a tin full of old British coins in copper and silver which are, as you understand, 100 or 150 years old. I have never evaluated them, neither do I intend to. Sometimes I take them out and feel them and try to imagine those bygone days. To me, no amount of money can ever replace these coins.