including stock dividends not cash dividends 1000 shares of IBM from 1947 is equal to about 1332590 shares today. To calculate this use the IBM split table from the previous link I posted. start with 1000, convert the % of adjusted old shares to a decimal and divide by the corresponding amount for each split.
Harry not doubting you.. but it seems to me if your story is true, it would make all the news outlets. Actually I am doubting you.. sorry. But its a nice dream!!
I have actually heard fictional stories like that before.. Normally in an econ class where the professor stresses the importance of splits. Just doing a quick google search, you can come up with several fictional variations of our friend's Harry's story http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=90A27371Ereuvensnetmediacoil@194.90.1.15&oe=UTF-8&output=gplain
So thats about 120 million dollars (1332590 * 90 bid price (stocks now @ 93 - lets say he works out of it for a few weeks, with 90 his avg price)). WTF?? EIther the person who was kind enough to calc. the adjusted split shares made an error (i am too lazy to do it) or this is a put on. Question: Was you Late uncle (who, i am sorry to hear about) living the high life, or was he living in a trailer?
You can buy a Pristine seminar for at least 50 people Seriously...stay long on the stock and sell calls against it. Selling them makes no sense from a tax standpoint. Selling calls will put some dough in your coffer.