Before contacting the Pierce-Arrow Society, please read through the information below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a Pierce-Arrow stock certificate have any value?

The Pierce-Arrow Corporation (successor to the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company) went out of business in 1938. The assets of the company were liquidated and the proceeds were distributed to the creditors. A Pierce-Arrow stock certificate has no value as a security. Original certificates, however, have value as a collector’s item.

Unfortunately, most of the Pierce-Arrow stock certificates in circulation are reproductions that have only a nominal value as a novelty. Over the last 50 years, there have been several recreations of Pierce-Arrow stock certificates. Most of these fakes use standard stock certificate forms with the Pierce-Arrow name printed on them. A “corporate seal” is usually applied and some have rubber-stamped or hand-written dates and signatures. Watch out for certificates that request a Social Security number. Since the Social Security Act was not passed until 1936, any certificate requesting a Social Security number, but dated before 1936, is a fake.

Quite a few of these fake certificates are showing up as people clean out the homes of their older relatives, and, having been around for quite a while, look convincingly old. A complete discussion of Pierce-Arrow stock certificates is contained in the Pierce-Arrow Society publication, Arrow 82-4, copies of which are available to members on the back issue order form.

A few common fake certificates to watch out for:

  • One of the first “fake” certificates is dark blue & black and includes a picture of an eagle with spread wings at the top. These certificates have a seal dated 1930. The signatures, certificate number, etc. are rubber-stamped on the certificate.
  • A slightly newer “fake” certificate shows an issue date of 1930, with a cancellation date of 1937. The “50 share” certificates are orange & black; the “100 share” certificates are green & black. Both certificates refer to a “100,000 share, $10 par value” issue, never actually made by Pierce-Arrow
  • A third run of “fake” certificates is dated 1917. The biggest clue on these certificates is the corporate seal, which reads “Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Co., Inc….1905”. Since the company was called “The George N. Pierce Company” until 1909, these certificates are obvious “fakes” too.
  • A number of “crisp, uncirculated” Pierce-Arrow stock certificates were made in the 1970’s. These “unissued” certificates have a seal dated 1927 and are printed on a “modern” Goes form.

I think I may be related to the Pierce family. Is a Pierce family geneology available?

The Pierce-Arrow Society focuses on the products and the history of the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company. Geneology of the Pierce family is beyond the scope of the Pierce-Arrow Society and can not be provided.

Are employment records for Pierce-Arrow employees available?

Almost all of the factory files were destroyed when the company went out of business in 1938. We cannot look up your ancestor and provide his employment file. This information was destroyed years before the Pierce-Arrow Society was founded.

How much is a 19xx Pierce-Arrow worth?

The Pierce-Arrow Society can not provide appraisals of cars. A car’s value depends on condition, exact model and body style, and many other factors. We suggest potential buyers and sellers join the Pierce-Arrow Society, watch the prices of cars for sale in our publications, and meet other Pierce-Arrow Society members to help determine the fair market value of various Pierce-Arrow models.

Send me all information necessary to restore my Pierce-Arrow.

The information necessary to restore your vehicle includes the condition of each part, the current configuration of the vehicle, the original configuration of the vehicle, the quality of the restoration you want to achieve, your objectives in restoring the vehicle, the time period over which the work will be done, who will do the work, and the available resources. The variations and combinations are so wide that this is an impossible request to fulfill. Usually, information is gathered over a period of time, as it is needed and can be located. There is no easy answer to restoring a Pierce-Arrow, and it is impossible for us to anticipate all possible questions that may arise while restoring your Pierce-Arrow. However, the resources of the Society can be a big help. We suggest that you join the Pierce-Arrow Society, read our publications, and take advantage of the Technical Committee, Library, and other services provided to members. The best way to learn what is correct for your car and how to go about achieving it is to meet other Pierce-Arrow Society members with similar cars.

Can you send me a picture of a Pierce-Arrow like the one my family used to have?

Pierce-Arrow made cars for 38 years, and in most years there were numerous models and body styles. Given a SPECIFIC year, model, and body style, we may be able to help in locating a picture. We suggest that you look through our web site where pictures of most years of Pierce-Arrows are shown. Other resources include books specifically about Pierce-Arrows, some of which are offered for sale by the Society.

Can you identify the Pierce-Arrow in the attached picture?

If the car is indeed a Pierce-Arrow, we can probably identify the approximate year of the car if enough detail of the car shows. Please limit the size of the photo you attach. An appropriate size for a .jpg file should not exceed 50k. Unless it is a very small snapshot, you do not need to scan your photo at a resolution higher than about 50 dpi. Anything bigger just bogs down the webmaster’s email. If the image will not fit on your monitor at a 1:1 resolution, it is too big.

Are there shop manuals? Where can I get technical information about Pierce-Arrows?

Letters to their authorized service stations and dealers. The earlier owners manuals provide quite a bit of information about maintenance and adjustments. Also the earlier (pre 1931) parts manuals include exploded assembly views of most of the major mechanical components of the cars. Reprints of most of these are available from the Pierce-Arrow Society. The Pierce-Arrow Society publishes the Pierce-Arrow Service Bulletins six times per year. These address technical aspects of owning, operating, maintaining, and restoring Pierce-Arrow products. Pierce-Arrow Society members may order back issues of most PAS publications. Members of the Pierce-Arrow Society may ask specific questions to the Pierce-Arrow Society Technical Committee.

Do you know anything about

If your question starts like this, you will likely be disappointed with the answer you receive. Please ask specific questions, pinpointing what you want to know. We may be able to answer your Pierce-Arrow-related question if you focus the question on something which can reasonably be answered by our volunteers. If your question requires more than a paragraph or two of response, it is probably too broad. Please keep in mind that the people responding to your question are volunteer members of the Pierce-Arrow Society . . . hobbyists donating their time because of their interest in Pierce-Arrow vehicles and history.

Genuine Pierce-Arrow Stock Certificate

Fake Stock Certificate Rubber stamped to “Walston & Co”; Hand written date & signatures

Fake Stock Certificate Embossed seal dated 1927 Printed on standard Goes 50 form.