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Old Unilever preference share certificates
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Footslog
Posts: 37 Forumite

I was sorting though some old papers belonging to my deceased father and found two share certificates for Unilever 7% and 8% Cumulative Preference shares which were bought by my grandfather in 1943. They are stamped on the back 'Probate exhibited 2 July 1965' with my father's name and a registrar's signature, so I imagine my father became the beneficial owner when his father died.
I did some Googling and found an announcement in 2017 that Unilever were buying back their preference shares with the 'settlement of the offer expected in Q4 2017'. In 2017 my father would not have been capable of following up on this information even if he had known about it which I doubt.
Given the length of time since that announcement, I wonder if these certficates still have any value.
Can anyone advise?
Many thanks
I did some Googling and found an announcement in 2017 that Unilever were buying back their preference shares with the 'settlement of the offer expected in Q4 2017'. In 2017 my father would not have been capable of following up on this information even if he had known about it which I doubt.
Given the length of time since that announcement, I wonder if these certficates still have any value.
Can anyone advise?
Many thanks
0
Comments
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Probably best to contact the company's share registrar:
https://www.unilever.com/contact/faqs/#investors
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7% pref shares were fully redeemed. Also 6% in 2018.
There's no 8% pref shares listed on the LSE. Old certificates do have a value to collectors
https://numistoria.com/en/great-britain/23496-unilever-limited.html
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Footslog said:I was sorting though some old papers belonging to my deceased father and found two share certificates for Unilever 7% and 8% Cumulative Preference shares which were bought by my grandfather in 1943. They are stamped on the back 'Probate exhibited 2 July 1965' with my father's name and a registrar's signature, so I imagine my father became the beneficial owner when his father died.
I did some Googling and found an announcement in 2017 that Unilever were buying back their preference shares with the 'settlement of the offer expected in Q4 2017'. In 2017 my father would not have been capable of following up on this information even if he had known about it which I doubt.
Given the length of time since that announcement, I wonder if these certficates still have any value.
Can anyone advise?
Many thanksAre these for Unilever PLC or NV? 7% and 8% PLC prefs look to have been redeemed in 1989:He should have received a cheque in the post and because the certificates aren't usually required to be sent back people keep them instead of tearing them up.With the more recent NV 7% prefs (8% not mentioned); you don't usually have to do anything with these sorts of redemptions - see quote below - so, if the registrar knew his address or bank details and he still owned them, he would have received a cheque or electronic deposit to his account. As already stated, if you want to be certain then contact the registrar.
"Upon completion of the Offer, the Offeror will initiate statutory buy-out proceedings to acquire the remaining Preference Shares."
https://www.unilever.com/news/press-and-media/press-releases/2017/unilever-plc-declares-offer-for-all-preference-shares-in-unilever-nv-unconditional/
Re the NV 7% prefs: "The Preference Shares were issued by Unilever N.V. between 1927 and 1964..."
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/110390/000110465917061750/a17-22596_1ex1d3.htm1 -
One further observation is that your late father would still have been receiving 6 monthly distributions if the pref shares were still listed.1
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wmb194 said:Footslog said:I was sorting though some old papers belonging to my deceased father and found two share certificates for Unilever 7% and 8% Cumulative Preference shares which were bought by my grandfather in 1943. They are stamped on the back 'Probate exhibited 2 July 1965' with my father's name and a registrar's signature, so I imagine my father became the beneficial owner when his father died.
I did some Googling and found an announcement in 2017 that Unilever were buying back their preference shares with the 'settlement of the offer expected in Q4 2017'. In 2017 my father would not have been capable of following up on this information even if he had known about it which I doubt.
Given the length of time since that announcement, I wonder if these certficates still have any value.
Can anyone advise?
Many thanksAre these for Unilever PLC or NV? 7% and 8% PLC prefs look to have been redeemed in 1989:He should have received a cheque in the post and because the certificates aren't usually required to be sent back people keep them instead of tearing them up.With the more recent NV 7% prefs (8% not mentioned); you don't usually have to do anything with these sorts of redemptions - see quote below - so, if the registrar knew his address or bank details and he still owned them, he would have received a cheque or electronic deposit to his account. As already stated, if you want to be certain then contact the registrar.
"Upon completion of the Offer, the Offeror will initiate statutory buy-out proceedings to acquire the remaining Preference Shares."
https://www.unilever.com/news/press-and-media/press-releases/2017/unilever-plc-declares-offer-for-all-preference-shares-in-unilever-nv-unconditional/
Re the NV 7% prefs: "The Preference Shares were issued by Unilever N.V. between 1927 and 1964..."
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/110390/000110465917061750/a17-22596_1ex1d3.htm
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Thanks everyone for your prompt and informative responses - I knew I would get some sensible and helpful advice on here.
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Footslog said:wmb194 said:Footslog said:I was sorting though some old papers belonging to my deceased father and found two share certificates for Unilever 7% and 8% Cumulative Preference shares which were bought by my grandfather in 1943. They are stamped on the back 'Probate exhibited 2 July 1965' with my father's name and a registrar's signature, so I imagine my father became the beneficial owner when his father died.
I did some Googling and found an announcement in 2017 that Unilever were buying back their preference shares with the 'settlement of the offer expected in Q4 2017'. In 2017 my father would not have been capable of following up on this information even if he had known about it which I doubt.
Given the length of time since that announcement, I wonder if these certficates still have any value.
Can anyone advise?
Many thanksAre these for Unilever PLC or NV? 7% and 8% PLC prefs look to have been redeemed in 1989:He should have received a cheque in the post and because the certificates aren't usually required to be sent back people keep them instead of tearing them up.With the more recent NV 7% prefs (8% not mentioned); you don't usually have to do anything with these sorts of redemptions - see quote below - so, if the registrar knew his address or bank details and he still owned them, he would have received a cheque or electronic deposit to his account. As already stated, if you want to be certain then contact the registrar.
"Upon completion of the Offer, the Offeror will initiate statutory buy-out proceedings to acquire the remaining Preference Shares."
https://www.unilever.com/news/press-and-media/press-releases/2017/unilever-plc-declares-offer-for-all-preference-shares-in-unilever-nv-unconditional/
Re the NV 7% prefs: "The Preference Shares were issued by Unilever N.V. between 1927 and 1964..."
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/110390/000110465917061750/a17-22596_1ex1d3.htm
A share certificate for the Unilever Ltd 5% preference share redeemed in 1989 is on ebay and it it's interesting that it references the 7% and 8% prefs and £141,418,750 total capital:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/156038917891?hash=item2454a4ef03:g:ZP8AAOSwmkli6Spt&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8D7u8i62JSI9HmPUUho3m0U%2F%2BaZyNj%2FjCJOHDN2%2B3eQ3iDqwf9HIZQLsqbF%2F0dXZjNbQiZXg9NnJBVfLq7jO5mkvFQKADfp1kBtdnn5IA3ORgBaMAeC7xhcNju7Q%2F2oI%2B5HAY5gVSldZIm9U4JAfRIamAoh6bdxYmDUec3TK%2B7GIfP%2B9FhkhTDmd15h9ffK%2FLWB5UotKZMw9PnXk34MIUUbMjXIxSeA5m4n0AhS7Sr7bMjTE4CYsq%2FtU%2FFGvzdpdWre6p%2BLWd3PloYEr0L0udtHBSpzYptYtfgRTYPib%2FhxzjujOywMWgBVJVsDTBiJPAQ%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR6LKhNWuYw
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