$10,000 invested in SPEA (later renamed to CKXE) in 2003 would be worth $3.5 million today. CKXE is now worth 1 billion due to acquisition of Elvis Presley estate and other properties and ventures. The company was worth only $3 million dollars at the time. A $10,000 limit order @ 3-4 cents would have easily been filled over a period of a few weeks.
"You are to turn over your refinery to my appraisers, and I will give you Standard Oil Co. stock or cash, as you prefer, for the value we put upon it. I advise you to take the stock. It will be for your good."
I don't know about stock. I don't think it can be calculated as many shares have been roled into other stock over centuries. As a hypothetical example, AXA shares might trace back to origins in South Sea. I don't see how it can fairly be calculated unless one were to say that the gain has to be in a stock that never merged or split off into subsidiaries. A few bucks in beads for Manhattan was the greatest trade ever though.
Greatest trade? Louisiana purchase, easily. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Purchase Oh, he said stock.
What about Van Gogh's paintings that he gave away for free during his lifetime and had a tough time finding takers even then? The greatest returns percentage wise are trades were someone got something for free or, even better, was paid to take the item and then it appreciated fantastically. Colonization brings up all kinds of intangibles that can't be fairly measured.
If you would have invested 200k in October of '02 in RIMM, it would be worth 23 million today, give or take a few.
HANS was worth 8-10 cents a share in 1996...during the tech bubble there were stocks that went from the single digits all the way to 1000 dollars a share and then back down... Sure there are better then CKXE. However, this type of lotto ticket investing goes against your philosophy.
You guys are all wrong. The greatest stock gain is LNUX. I belived it was priced at 30 or something on pre IPO, then on day 1, which happened to be their life time high, it reached 320. That's a 10 beggers in 1 day. The date was Dec 9, 1999. Please list a stock that can do that.