I found an old stock certificate. How do I know if it's worth anything?

My dad passed away recently, and while going through his closet and desk we found a certificate for 300 shares in some stock. It is for a company called Airlift International, Inc. It was purchased in June of 1983. I don't just want you to tell me what it is (or isn't) worth...I want to know how to find it myself in case we find more. He used to be quite active with his investments, but then just quit. We don't know what all he has.

You can try to contact the transfer agent on the certificate. You may have to figure out which company holds it since many transfer agents themselves have merged over the years. If the certificate is worth money then the State may have unclaimed property if your dad never cashed it in. Otherwise it may have been bought out and he received a check a long time ago and the certificate is basicly worthless. I'll leave a link to the SEC website about it.

Here is some information for you.

I would recommend taking any stock you find to an investment office. Scottrade, for example, is the one I use, and they have offices all over. Go to their website, find the closest location, and take all the certificates you find. They can accept them, create an account for you, and put the cash value in your account.

Other options are Merrill Lynch offices, American Express financial offices, etc., but those tend to be a little more expensive.

nyse.com

It looks like it is now private, I have posted a link, give them a call.