Ask TheStreet: All About Scripophily

To go through a stock broker, says Kerstein, you will have to pay the trading price of the stock, plus the commission the broker charges, plus a stock-issuance fee. Depending on whom you use as a stock broker, the commissions can be anywhere from $15 to $50, and the stock-issuance fee can be anywhere from $50 to $100 per certificate.

"Due to the high cost of processing, risk of loss of certificates, handling costs, so on, it is clear the trend is toward the elimination of the paper stock certificate," says Kerstein.

That is certainly helping Kerstein's business. While the supply of new certificates reaching the collector market is dwindling, the hobby of scripophily continues to grow.

"Over the years, there have been millions of companies which needed to raise money for their businesses," says Kerstein. "And each company had their own story as to how they did it. These certificates give us a piece of that story."

Like classic baseball cards or antique stamps, there are many factors that determine the value of a stock certificate, including condition, age, historical significance, signatures, rarity and the type of engraving process.

Despite the move toward electronic ownership, one company that may continue printing stock certificates is DisneyDIS. The Disney stock certificate features Walt Disney himself surrounded by his classic characters, and is a popular gift for collectors and noncollectors alike.

Framed single shares of Disney are available for purchase on sites like Oneshare.com. The price fluctuates, of course, with the price of the stock itself.