Friday, February 25, 2011

10 Reasons why you should join IBSS

The International Bond and Share Society (IBSS) is the biggest association of people interested in scripophily.  Here are 10 reasons, given by IBSS committee members, to join this society.

  


Reason 1: Membership Directory
IBSS publishes a directory which allows you to identify fellow collectors with common interests or who live nearby geographically. The Directory contains members from more than 50 countries.

Reason 2: Illustrated research articles
Discover  in Scripophily magazine fascinating stories on the people and organizations that issued the old stock and bond certificates. These research articles, illustrated with remarkable certificates, are written by IBSS members sharing their knowledge. Scripophily magazine is published 3 times a year.

Reason 3: Market and Auction reports
Read about the latest market and auction reports either published in Scripophily magazine or reported on the IBSS website. You'll find out which auctions took place, what collecting themes are currently in demand and what price results are achieved for top pieces.

Reason 4: Upcoming Events
Learn which auctions, collector bourses and society meetings will take place.

Reason 5: Locate dealers and auctioneers
The Membership Directory also contains a list of dealers and auctioneers with further contact details. Most  auctioneers and dealers publish their catalogues either online or on paper.

Excerpts from research articles in Scripophily magazine (click to enlarge)
It's Not The Titanic, A. Reineke, Scripophily April 2009
Companies in Imperial Russia, N. Vermeiren & M. Boone, Scripophily June 2008

Reason 6: News and gossip
Stay up-to-date :
  • Scripophily magazine informs you about various topics such as
    • new discoveries
    • announcements by collector clubs and scripophily related museums
    • publication of books
    • rumours and fait-divers about our hobby
    • appearance of new IBSS publications
  • Newsflashes on the website focus on hot topics that can't wait for the next issue of the magazine. 
    • For instance, the current newsflash (Feb 22, 2011)  'Investors in old Mexican bonds beware... ' gives further information on the speculation involving mexican bonds.

Reason 7: PDF Scripophily 101
The IBSS website provides access to an excellent guide to stock and bond certificates : 'Scripophily 101 : Basic Information Every Collector of Old Stock Certificates Should Know'. This guide, written by P.R. Ramirez, is a free PDF to download.

Reason 8: Obtain extra credibility
Being listed as a member is a good reference in any deals made remotely, such as sales, purchases with  parties previously unknown.

Reason 9: Society Auctions
The IBSS auctions, also accepting mail-bids from the members, are a resource for lower priced material, and can therefore be a nice alternative to eBay.

Reason 10: World-wide coverage in English
Scripophily magazine is the only English language journal supporting scripophily covering topics from all over the world.



I've been an IBSS member since 1995. Since then my scripophily horizon never stopped broadening. The current membership fee is worth every penny : £20/ $32 / EUR25 for one year

F.L.

To :  M.H., B.M., P.A. and P.B.
Thank you for sharing 'your reasons'.

To : other IBSS members
Feel free to post more reasons to join the International Bond & Share Society.

2 comments:

  1. Reason 11: Access to the Experts

    Being part of the International Bond and Share Society (IBSS) has provided me access to a network of experts in a variety of specialties related to the collection of Stocks and Bonds, always willing to led a hand and point me in the right direction.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is correct : thank you for the input !

    ReplyDelete