Leo stood in his grandfather’s dusty study, staring at a framed piece of paper that looked more like a Renaissance diploma than a financial document. It was a 1954 stock certificate for the "Mid-Atlantic Rail Co.," complete with an intricate green border and an engraved locomotive charging through a valley.

Are you interested in the of old certificates, or are you looking to get a physical copy of a stock you currently own?

He quickly learned that the financial world had gone "paperless" decades ago to save time and money. Most companies stopped issuing physical certificates entirely. But Leo was determined. He found a niche company that still dealt in "scripophily"—the hobby of collecting old stock certificates.