Since OneShare got started in 1996, we’ve seen more than one certificate leave circulation. Perhaps the most beloved of all was when Pixar was acquired by Disney in 2006. The $7.4 billion deal was announced in January, but it wasn’t official until three years ago this May. Thus, with bittersweet nostalgia, OneShare would like to take a moment and remember the one-time favorite featuring Toy Story stars Woody and Buzz Lightyear.
Many people like their certificates so much they wouldn’t think of selling them. And when you’re talking about the company that brought us movies like Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles, it’s no wonder people don’t want to let go. A figurine or t-shirt just doesn’t make the cut. As we learned in some of our recent comments, certificates often mean more than the share of stock they represent. They’re tangible symbols of a person’s connection to a company.
What about you? Were any of you some of the lucky ones to snatch up a Pixar stock certificate before they were retired forever? What other certificates do you want to get a hold of before they all go away?
Tags: pixar
I am sorry to say that I did not have a stock certificate of Pixar. I would like to have the complete collection of the components of the DJIA 30. I am about 2/3rd’s there and still working on it. I believe (The Walt) Disney Company and McDonald’s are must haves. DreamWorks too, is somewhat like Pixar as far as a paper certificate is concerned.
I bought one share of Pixar stock, years and years ago, for my husband for St. Valentine’s Day–probably the most well-received gift I’ve ever selected for him. He loves the certificate so much, that when the Disney acquisition took place, and he was asked to surrender his certificates, he told them it was lost. Shhh! Don’t tell…
Kim,
…I won’t tell! I have been asked so many times to surrender stock certificates as a result of a merger, acquisition, or other reorganization by companies. I simply do not reply to the request to send back the certificate. The company cannot force you to give the certificate back. At the same time, your husband will likely forego future dividends and voting rights in exchange for failing to reply. I would keep the certificate. Once gone, you will never get it back. Smart move on your part to give a Pixar stock certificate in the first place.
I’m new to stock investing (I’m a real estate investor) but I don’t understand the whole surrendering the certificate thing.
Can someone explain a) Why Disney would ask you to surrender your pixar certificate?
and b) Why you wouldn’t want to surrender it?
Thanks.
Carey
Carey: frequently in the case of mergers (such as when Disney acquired Pixar in 2006), the company requests old certificates in order to replace them with a share (or shares) in the new company. These new shares are usually issued sans certificate. Plus, when we’re referring to a single share of stock, it’s seldom purchased as a monetary investment. It often indicates a personal connection with the company symbolized by the (often unique and ornate) certificate. A certificate-less share in a new company that may or may not hold the same connection just wouldn’t compare. But maybe one of the Pixar shareholders could speak to this better than I can
Carey:
I don’t have a stock certificate in Pixar, but wish I did. I would like to add to Marcela’s comments. I have had several companies to delist their stock because of some form of reorganization over the years. If you are referencing ‘holding-on’ to one share, by all means do it. I think the paper certificate will increase in value as times passes, much like any other rare item. The ‘new’ company will send you all kinds of correspondence asking that you submit the certificate to them. Like Marcela indicated, in all probability, you will not get a paper certificate in the new company, rather it will be ownership in electronic form. I have shares in several companies that I won’t give up because of personal connections. I have a paper certificate in a company with whom I was employeed that was acquired in 1989. There are a lot of former employees, who would love to have this piece of history.
I am sure glad I found this site. I realize that this might be a legal question but don’t worry I won’t hold anyone accountable, I’m just looking for some quick advice. I bought two shares of Pixar stock for my two youngest children back in 2006, right before the purchase, framed and with the plaque. And for the last couple of years I’ve been getting the yearly form notifications to turn in my 2 shares for Disney. I Don’t wish to and for obvious reasons. Now recently I’ve gotten a letter stating that they will turn over the shares to the State of California because I’ve abandoned them. I don’t truly expect that the two shares will ever be worth a fortune, either as a collectors item with regards to the paper certificates or holding on to the shares in Disney. However, I don’t want to simply let the State confiscate my property. What exactly are my options?
Maybe someone who’s had a similar experience can help out Jesse?
Jesse, call Disney’s investor relations department. They will send you paperwork to complete which will allow you to keep the Pixar certificates but make you holder of record of the Disney shares you should have recieved from the merger.
I too refused to relenquish my paper certificate.
Just watched UP, left the movie theatre completely disappointed, wrote “R.I.P. Pixar” on Google and ended here.
My sympathies for all of us!