OPEN LETTER TO COLLECTORS

My goal is to help you enjoy this hobby. I think this is a great hobby. I've been doing this now for over forty years and can testify without reservation that there are not many hobbies where so many extreme rarities are so affordable. And the depth of the hobby compares favorably. with the number of varieties known in the stamp and coin hobbies. This site encompasses only the railroad and coal specialties, and ,ore specifically only those certificates identified from North America. There is a big, big world out there with lots of specialties and lots of countries. You might run out of collectibles if you narrow your scope dramatically, but I'm here to tell you, there is no shortage of certificates for you to collect.

 This is a purely informational site and this project is a volunteer effort, both on my part and on the parts of everyone who contributes images and information.

And yes, this is a one-man operation. I handle everything including certificate descriptions, database management, image repair, website design, and programming. Please appreciate that, There are many of you and one of me. I may not answer right away, but I WILL answer.

I am not a dealer. I do not buy collections. However, there are numerous professional and semi-professional dealers out there who buy and sell railroad certificates. Please contact them and let them know your interests. The more they know you, the more deals you'll end up with. I list all the dealers I am aware of on my Dealers Page. If anyone knows dealers who are not yet listed, please tell me. Also, be aware that all the top European dealers speak and write English.

Saving time. I genuinely appreciate everything collectors can do to help me save time. Short letters and single subjects are very helpful. If I have not done something as quickly as someone might have imagined, it is probably because I might not have yet found the time. If I have forgotten or overlooked an earlier correspondence, please remind me.

Time is an extremely critical issue with me. TIME is my #1 concern. I am over 74 years old, so the majority of my life is over. I mean no ill to anyone who feels differently, but I do NOT have time for typical internet clutter such as e-mail jokes, chain letters, political screeds, links to websites and YouTube videos. I have aggressive filters that prevent most of that stuff from getting into my email box.

This project is only one of the things I do in my "free" time.

Most of the facts and images you see on this website originated with someone else. That means dealers, auction catalogs, magazines, books, and — most of all — several hundred private collectors in the U.S., Canada, Germany, Belgium, England, Italy, and France. Collectors from other countries may have contributed, but I never learned their locations.

I believe all current collectors can and SHOULD help their chosen hobbies. That means ALL of us. I firmly believe that every collector, from raw beginner to seasoned expert, has something to contribute. Furthermore, I believe we all are beneficiaries of collectors who have gone before us. They helped us, so we have a monumental responsibility to help future collectors.

I re-broadcast all certificate information I receive. I consider all contributed information is meant to further the hobby or at least, this corner of the hobby. Conversely, I keep contributors' names private unless requested otherwise.

 I DO NOT participate in the secrecy game. If anyone wants to keep a certificate secret, don't tell me. No one should report serial numbers if they believe keeping that information secret will make certificates more valuable. (I have loads of evidence to the contrary, but collectors can believe what they want.) 

Please don't try to convince me to raise prices to make specific certificates appear more valuable, UNLESS you have verifiable sales results from elsewhere. (Here's are lists of my References, current to the date of my last database update.) The market determines prices, not me, and the market always wins. (See several pages of deeper discussions about Pricing to learn more about the subject.)

The old "one-of-a-kind" argument won't make me raise prices either. The world is packed to the rafters with one-of-a-kind items! "Rare" does not automatically mean "valuable" and "valuable" does not automatically mean "rare." Price is direct function of desirability. If rare items are desirable, they will be valuable. If rare items are not desirable, they will be cheap. Desirability is the key to pricing collectibles. (I talk about the Rarity Myth several times on this website.)

I BEG YOU to contribute images of certificates. I actively solicit color images of certificates. The easiest and best way to send images is by scanning. I have an entire section of this website dedicated to the subject of Scanning Certificates. If your scanner is too small, simply scan in pieces with an inch or two (2-4 cm) of overlap. 

Camera or cell phone images are also acceptable. I am reasonably good at improving less-than-perfect images, although I cannot rescue every image received. Images produced by cameras and cell phones can often be used for the website, but it is important to realize that ALL photographs have some degree of problems. The worse the distortion and the greater the differences in lighting, the less successful I will be at repair.

Sub-standard images. Some certificates are so rare that I sometimes need to use poor images. I cannot always be picky.

Send images in any image format you want. I convert all to medium-high quality JPGs for my purposes. Ideally, an image should be sharp enough to be able to read the smallest text, which usually means printer names. My ideal is 300 dpi, but I know that not everyone can produce such images. Truth be told, even plain old black and white images made on copiers will suffice if I can read serial numbers and dates. 

I am constantly upgrading images on the website. If used on this site, I will label contributions anonymously unless correspondents give permission to use their names. I do not divulge locations, mainly because I rarely know.

Please contribute images of autographs. I try to show images of all important autographs, preferrably several through the signer's lifetime. Like certificates, images of autographs must meet minimum standards. When contributing images of important signatures, make sure they are in color and at least 600 to 1,000 pixels wide. While practically anyone's autograph might be desirable to someone, this project limits signatures to people of enduring celebrity. Not every politician, Civil War general, company president, or millionaire qualifies. (I have a special page explaining Autograph Listing Criteria.) If autographed on the backs of certificates, try to determine the date the celebrity signed. 

Serial numbers are always appreciated if accompanied by images. The easiest way to help with serial numbers is to send copies, scans or photographs of certificates. I generally avoid transcribing numbers from spreadsheets because the information is terribly time-consuming to enter. Although time is always an issue, the greater problem with raw lists of serial numbers is that they REMOVE ALL ABILITY to check accuracy, now and forever in the future. (I sometimes make exceptions for accumulators who amass multiple certificates of identical types. Please write and we'll discuss. You can also see a dedicated page that explains How You Can Help. )

New varieties and new serial numbers? I am still correcting mistakes recorded thirty years ago, so I try to avoid adding new errors. Consequently, unless descriptions are highly details, I no longer add listings for new certificates until I have seen images.

I kindly ask correspondents to avoid sending unsolicited links to any online sources of information unless we are already discussing some issue or ongoing research.

I SELDOM look at items before they sell. I DO capture sale prices of certificates on eBay every day. I also record sales prices from all major certificate auctions in the U.S. and Europe, provided they have web presences. The truth is I simply do not have time to look at new offerings on eBay or elsewhere.

All this means that I am DEFINITELY missing rarities and uncataloged certificates. Many certificates offered on eBay never sell because offer prices are too high. Unless sellers readjust to realistic prices, they may never be seen again. Some certificates sell on eBay, but in unusual or non-sensical categories that I don't routinely check. More frequently, rarities are sold by dealers and I learn about them only through contributors. Please capture images and prices and contact me if you believe there are items or sales that I missed.

A final, purposely morose observation. One of these days, I'm going to wake up dead and that will mean two things.

First, unless rescued by someone before annual charges go unpaid, this site will uncerimoniously go black. Poof! Just like that.

Second, a large amount of text in my various catalogs is dedicated strictly to knowledge about this hobby. While many of us hate the trend, younger collectors consider catalogs like mine déclassé. After all, they are used to acquiring instant information from the web. I'm not implying my catalogs will be a great substitute for this website, but the static material about the hobby will long outlast me. I can offer copies of the third edition of my catalog (2018) at very fair prices for my readers. If desired, I still have a tiny number of copies left of the first (1995) and second (2003) editions. While certificate prices in the catalog will age, the static information in those editions will not. Contact me if you'd like a copy. (Shipping by regular mail to Europe is terribly expensive. BUT, if you would like a copy, I can post a private sale on eBay and get it to you much more cheaply.)

Thanks for decades of pleasure in this hobby,

Terry Cox