Can investing and collecting go hand-in-hand? Yes -- especially if you are collecting coins, stock certificates, bank notes, or other rare items of value. Larry Schutts, an expert in investment-related collectibles, will periodically review items of interest from his collection and answer your questions here.

The automobile has had a profound influence on the evolution of American culture. Our freedom to move from place to place in private vehicles is a primary factor in determining where we live, the way we work, and how we socialize. The development of the automotive industry followed the usual pattern. Initial efforts were privately funded, but subsequent improvements touched every aspect of the manufacturing process and ultimately required more sophisticated levels of financing. That led to a wide variety of corporate stock offerings. The old certificates are generally available at reasonable prices and are particular collector favorites. The appreciation levels associated with many of them makes them popular with the investment crowd, too. Compare twelve-year price gains of the specimens discussed below with advances in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (+10%) and the S&P 500 Index (+2%) over the same period.