Q: My deceased husband and his ex-wife bought Eastern Airlines shares back in 1973. I was disposing of some old stuff and found a certificate. How do I find out if there’s any value to it? — C.K.
Answer: A spokesman for the Securities and Exchange Commission said that there should be a transfer agent listed on the certificate. Contacting the transfer agent is probably the easiest way to get information.
If the transfer agent no longer exists, you can try contacting the agency that handles incorporations in the state where the company was incorporated for help. If you have a brokerage account, they may be able to help in the research.
“An old stock or bond certificate may still be valuable even if it no longer trades under the name printed on the certificate. The company may have merged with another company or simply changed its name. Keep in mind that due to corporate reorganizations (such as splits, mergers, or reverse mergers), the current share price may not be useful in determining the certificate’s value, if any,” the commission said.
People are also reading…
According to Britannica Money, Eastern Airlines began in 1928 as Pitcairn Aviation and was sold in 1929 when it became Eastern Air Transport. Through the years Eastern did well and by the early 1980s was buying other airlines.
By the mid-1980s, however, the airline’s fortunes began to change. It suffered from financial setbacks and mismanagement. In 1986 Texas Air Corporation took over Eastern until 1990 when a federal judge removed the airline from Texas Air and appointed a trustee to run it.
In 1991 Eastern was forced into liquidation.
If the certificate no longer has any value as a stock, it may have value as a collectable.
Q: There has been what seems like an endless construction project at the water treatment plant on Frye Bridge Road in Clemmons. What is the scope of that project? — D.H.
Answer: The R.W. Neilson Water Treatment Plant on Frye Bridge Road is Winston-Salem Forsyth County Utilities’ oldest and largest water treatment plant, said Gale Ketteler, a spokeswoman for WSFCU.
The plant was built in 1964. In 1984 and 1988, the plant had capacity expansions, each adding 12-million gallons per day. It currently has a treatment capacity of 48-million gallons per day.
The plant is undergoing a major upgrade which began in late 2021. The budget for the project is $107,445,000.
“This upgrade will address aging infrastructure by replacing obsolete and failing equipment and make process improvements to increase the reliability and redundancy of this critical facility,” according to WSFCU.
The work is scheduled to be completed in 2025.
Greensboro water line work
There will be lane closures and delays on Freeman Mill Road at Rockett Street in Greensboro from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning Monday through Sept. 2 because of water line rehabilitation work. Rockett Street will be closed at the intersection with Freeman Mill Road,
Motorists should use alternate routes. Signs will be in place.

Melissa Hall, Straight Answer Ma’am
Email: AskSAM@wsjournal.com Write: Ask SAM, 418 N. Marshall St., #100, Winston-Salem, NC 27101