Goodness me, thirsty, surely you know about a certificate, or a statement, call it whatever you like that a company has to *give*, to state, to issue, to an original investor confirming they have a shareholding. This is then given to a broker - the first time. After that, when shares are trading, of course they don't issue a stock certificate every time (as you say that used to be done), but not since sharetrading went electronic. Brilliant Shareholders got one (eventually, I hope)after the reverse merger took place between LTDnetwork and Advanced Technologies Ltd, which later became known as Brilliant Technologies, I understand, to throw off the huge shortselling that was being done at the time - what now, about four years ago?