I have been researching old Canadian share certificates for friends and family for many years -- sometimes successfully, sometimes not -- but I enjoy it either way. I love going to the library and pouring over old business registrations to try to see what happened to such and such a company over the years. If you would like me to research your old certificates, please mail a photocopy of your certificates (maximum of 7 please) and a cheque (payable to "Dan Murray") for $40 to:

Dan Murray - 10040 Hyndman Rd - Mountain Ont. - K0E 1S0

I also research US certificates. Just send a photocopy of the certificates (maximum of 3 please) and a cheque for $40 to the same address. Please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope -- I will either write back with the results of my research or return your cheque if I couldn't turn anything up on any of the certificates. You can also email a scan of the certificates to canadian-stocks@hotmail.co.uk and simply send the cheque by mail (so I can get started right away). Make sure the scans are readable since the markings may be helpful. Note that in many cases, the company charters will simply have been cancelled. Either way, I'll provide the details. No charge if I can't dig anything up at all on any of your certificates. In many cases the certificates may be worth something -- but your journey has only just begun since you will have to get a broker to accept them -- for example, if a certificate is in the name of a deceased person, you will have to produce some documentation to prove that it now belongs to you.

Before contacting me you should take a look at the following list -- these are companies for which I have never been able to find any information: Aabro Mining & Oils Ltd. Abbey Life Insurance Company of Canada Aberdeen Minerals Ltd. Albatros Gold Mines Ltd. Aljo Mines Ltd. Amalgamated Kirkland Mines Ltd. American Chibougamau Mines Ltd. American Copper & Smelting Ltd. American Uranium Limited Anaconda Petroleum Limited Andacollo Mining Co. Ltd. Anglo American Nickel Mining Corp. Ltd. Aquacare International Ltd. Ascopex Explorations Ltd. Astonish Lake Uranium Mining Corp. Ltd. Atlanta Mines Ltd. Atlantic Trust Company Augmitto Explorations Ltd. Auto Marine Electric Ltd. Ava Gold Mining Co. Ltd. Avco Corporation Bancroft Uranium Mines Ltd. Banner Porcupine Mines Ltd. Barclay Resources Ltd. Barvallee Mines Ltd. Belcarra Explorations Ltd. Belra Explorations Ltd. Big I Mines Ltd., The Big Town Copper Mines Ltd. Bilmac Gold Mines Ltd. Bio-Millet Laboratories Black Bay Uranium Ltd. Bochawna Copper Mines Ltd. Boise Yellowknife Mines Ltd. Bonanza Explorations Ltd. Brettland Mining Ltd. British Matachewan Gold Mines Ltd. Brosnan Canadian Mines Ltd. Buffalo Lake Mines Ltd. Burlington Mines & Enterprises Ltd. Cable Copper Mines Limited Cabot Corporation Calmark Industries Ltd. Canadian All-Metal Explorations Ltd. Canadian & Foreign Securities Co. Ltd. Canadian Fortune Oil Limited Canadian Provident, The Canadian Refractories Ltd. Canadian Southern Cross Mines (No Liability) Canadian Union Insurance Company Can-American Natural Resources Ltd. Can-American Petroleums Ltd. C-A Petroleums Ltd. Capital Estates Inc. Carlson Mines Ltd. Carndesson Mines Ltd. Carnegie New Mining Corp Ltd. Carroll & Reed Ltd. CFTO-TV Limited CGC Mines Ltd. Chance Mining & Exploration Co. Ltd. Cities Service Company Clairtone Sound Corporation Limited Clicker Red Lake Mines Ltd. Coin Canyon Mines Ltd. Collingwood Terminals Ltd. Columbia Gas System Inc. Columbiere Mines Ltd. Commercial Finance Corporation Limited Commercial Life Assurance Co. of Canada Compton Exploration Ltd. Concorde Explorations Ltd. Concourse Building Ltd. Consolidated Manitoba Mines Ltd. Consolidated Monpas Mines Ltd. Consolidated Oil & Gas Inc. Consolidated Pershcourt Mining Ltd. Consolidated Professor Mines Ltd. Consolidated Virginia Mining Corp. Copconda Mines Ltd. Copper Pass Mines Ltd. Copperstream-Frontenac Mines Ltd. Cove Uranium Mines Ltd. Creswell Mines Ltd. Cummings Properties Limited Cunningham Drug Stores Limited Delta Minerals Corp. Derby Mines Ltd. Despina Gold Mines Ltd. Diversified Credit Corp. Ltd. Dixie-Carolina Mining Corp. Ltd. DLP Diversified Ltd. Dominion & Anglo Investment Corporation Ltd. Dominion Fabrics Limited Dominion of Canada General Insurance Co. Donrand Mines Ltd. Don-X Mines Ltd. Doral Mining Exploration Ltd. Dunterra Mines Ltd. Dunvegan Mines Ltd. Duport Mining Co. Ltd. Dynacore Enterprises Ltd. Eastmont Larder Lake Gold Mines Ltd. Eastmont Silver Mines Ltd. Eastview Mines Ltd. Edmonton Concrete Block Co. Ltd. Elk Creek Waterworks Co. Ltd. El Paso Natural Gas Company Ericksen-Ashby Mines Ltd. Essex Packers Limited Ethel Copper Mines Ltd. Evangeline Savings & Mortgage Co. Excellence Life Insurance Co. (The) Excelsior Life Insurance Co. Fairway Explorations Ltd. Fanny Farmer Candy Shops Inc. Far East Minerals Ltd. Fidelity Mortgage & Savings Corporation Financial Life Assurance Co. First National City Corp. Four Seasons Mining & Resources Ltd. Ganda Silver Mines Ltd. Gaspé Park Mines Ltd. Gaspesie Mining Co. Limited Gaspex Mines Ltd. General Dynamics Corporation Genesco Inc. Georgia Lake Mines Ltd. Gibson Mines Ltd. Goderich Elevator & Transit Co. Ltd. Golden Shaft Mines Ltd. Gold Hawk Exploration Ltd. Goldstar Explorations & Investments Limited Governor Gold Mines Ltd. Gradore Mines Ltd. Grand Bahama Developments Co. Ltd. Grandex Exploration and Investment Co. Ltd. Great Bear Silver Mines Ltd. Great Eagle Explorations & Holdings Ltd. Great West International Equities Ltd. Greenfields Development Corporation Ltd. Guarantee Co. of North America, The Gubby Mines Ltd. Gulf Lead Mines Ltd. Hansa Explorations Ltd. Hawker Industries Ltd. Headvue Mines Ltd. Hewbet Mines Ltd. Highland-Bell Limited Hi-Lite Uranium Explorations Ltd. H & M Tax Savers Ltd. Holberg Mines Limited Hollingsworth Mines Ltd. Huclif Porcupine Mines Ltd. Hunter Douglas Limited Huron Bruce Mines Limited Hytec Electronics Ltd. Ibsen Cobalt Silver Mines Ltd. Industrial Life Insurance Company, The International Paper Co. I.O.S. Limited Ironco Mining & Smelting Ltd. Iroquois Petroleum Co. Ltd. Jamaican Mining Ltd. J B Automatik Ltd. Jenkins Bros. Ltd. Jowsey Denton Gold Mines Ltd. Kamco Developments Ltd. Kellcam Explorations Ltd. Keltic Mining Corp. Ltd. Kendon Copper Mines Ltd. Kidd Copper Mines Ltd. Kilarney Gas & Oil Development Co. Ltd. Kimberlite Mining Corp. Ltd. King Kirkland Gold Mines Ltd. Kirkland Gateway Gold Mines Ltd. Lake Erie Gas Ltd. Lakeside Oil & Gas Ltd. Lambton Loan & Investment Co. Larandona Mines Ltd. Lassiter Petroleums Ltd. Leitch Mines Ltd. Lequer Mines & Investments Ltd. Levack Mines Ltd. Lion Mines Ltd. Lobell Mines Ltd. Locana Corporation Ltd. Lochaber Oil Corp. Ltd. Louisbourg Mines Ltd. Louisiana Land & Exploration Co. Luxor Red Lake Mines Ltd. Macandrews Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. Main Oka Mining Corp. Majestic Explorations Ltd. Manoka Mining & Smelting Co. Ltd. Manor Mines Ltd. Mareast Explorations Ltd. Margaret Red Lake Mines 1940 Ltd. Maria Mining Corp. Ltd. Maylac Gold Mines Ltd. McCoy Lake Mines Limited Mica Company of Canada Ltd. Millerfields Silver Corp. Ltd. Mines Iberville Ltée Mogar Mines Ltd. Molybdenite Corp of Canada Limited Monpre Iron Mines Ltd. Montreal Refrigerating & Storage Ltd. My-Pitt Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. Myteque Mines Limited Nation Lake Mines Ltd. Navco Food Services Limited Negor Mines Ltd. Nello Mining Ltd. New Arntfield Mines Ltd. New Associated Developments Ltd. Newbaska Gold & Copper Mines Ltd. New Bidlamaque Gold Mines Ltd. New Campbell Island Mines Ltd. New Forty Four Mines Ltd. New Gold Star Mines Limited New Harricana Mines Ltd. New Hope Porcupine Gold Mines Ltd. New Picton Uranium Mines Ltd. New Redwood Gold Mines Ltd. Niagara Structural Steel Co. Ltd. Nicohal Mines Ltd. Noctin Investment Corporation Ltd. Noland Mines Ltd. Noradco Mines Ltd. Normont Copper Ltd. Norque Copper Mines Ltd. North American Land & Leisure Ltd. Northern Metals Limited Northern Nuclear Mines Ltd. North Expo Mines Ltd. Northland Trust Co. Northwest Trust Co. North Whitney Mines Ltd. Nudulama Mines Ltd. NWP Developments Ltd. Olivet Gold Mines Ltd. Ordala Mines Ltd. Orvalley Gold Mines Ltd. Ourgold Mining Co. Ltd. Pacific Gas Transmission Co. Pacific Sulphur Ltd. Packard Pershing Mines Ltd. Palliser Petroleums Ltd. Palmer McLellan (United) Ltd. Panacea Mining & Exploration Ltd. Pan American Mines Ltd. Pango Gold Mines Ltd. Park Lawn Cemetery Company Partridge River Mines Ltd. Payfair Industries Ltd. Peace River Mining & Smelting Ltd. Pennbec Mining Corp. Pershing Manitou Gold Mines Ltd. Peterson Red Lake Mines Ltd. Petroquest Ltd. Pharaoh Mines Ltd. Phillips Petroleum Co. Pick Mines Ltd. Picton Mines Pizza Pan International Corp. Pleno Mines Ltd. Port Arthur Iron Ore Corp. Port Dover Gas & Oil Ltd. Portland Yellowknife Gold Mines Limited Prairie Royalty Pronghorn Petroleum Corp. Ltd. Provident Assurance Company (The) Quebec Industrial Minerals Corp. Quilchena Mining & Development Co. Ltd. Radio Hill Mines Co. Ltd. Ragged Chute Silver Mines Ltd. Ramada Resources Ltd. Rambler Exploration Co. Ltd. Ranney Gold Mines Ltd. Rayfield Mining Co. Realm Mining Corporation Limited Redaurum Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. Redcoat Mines Ltd. Rexdale Mines Ltd. Rhyolite-Rouyn Mines Ltd. Richelieu Vaudreuil Farms Ltd. Richfault Explorations Ltd. Richore Gold Mines Ltd. Ridgefield Explorations Ltd. Romfield Building Corp. Ltd. Ronnoco Gold Mines Ltd. Russell Foods St. Anthony Mines Ltd. Santack Mines Ltd. Santiago Mining & Exploration Ltd. Sarnoil Ltd. Saskatchewan Trust & Loan Co. Savanna Creek Gas & Oil Ltd. Senior Gas & Oil Ltd. Seton Lake Mines Ltd. Shawmin Explorations Ltd. Shell Oil Company Shewan Copper Mining Corp. Ltd. Silver Lake Mines Ltd. Silver Monarch Mines Ltd. Silver Pack Mines Ltd. Sirmac Mines Ltd. Sladen Quebec Ltd. S M Industries Ltd. Solar Explorations Ltd. Solidarité Compagnie d’Assurance sur la Vie Solomons Pillars Mines Ltd. Southern Union Oils Ltd. South Pacific Mines Ltd. South Winnipeg Limited Spanish River Mines Ltd. Spina Porcupine Mines Ltd. Spirit Lake Mines Ltd. Stability Life Insurance Co. Sturgeon Petroleums Ltd. Sunset Yellowknife Mines Ltd. Supersol Ltd. Tasmaque Gold Mines Ltd. Tenneco Inc. Terra Developers Ltd. Texas East Transmission Thermatron Corporation Ltd. Thorncrest Explorations Ltd. Tinex Development Exploration Ltd. Tomrose Mines Ltd. Traders Building Association Ltd. Trans-American Mining Corp. Ltd. Trans Eastern Oil & Gas Ltd. Transocean Oil Incorporated Tresdor Larder Mines Ltd. Triphope Resources Ltd. Unigesco Inc. United Canadian Shares Ltd. United Comstock Lode Mines Ltd. United New Fortune Mines Ltd. Universal Factors Corp. Universal Gas Co. Ltd. Val Nor Exploration Ltd. Vermont Mines Ltd. Viau Limited Victoria Wood Development Corp. Ltd. Visa Bella Inc. Voyager Explorations Ltd. Wee-Gee Uranium Mines Ltd. Welland Consolidated Mining Ltd. Wesley Mines Ltd. Westairs Mines Ltd. Western & Texas Oil Co. Ltd. West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. Westville Mines Ltd. Whim Creek Consolidated No Liability Whitesail Mines Ltd. Willow Lake Mines Ltd. Wilshire Oil Company of Texas Wilson Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. Wolf Creek Mines Ltd. Yellowknife Base Metals Ltd. Yukon Properties Limited Zodiac Mines Ltd.