Coca-Cola (KO) was worth $1.1432/share at Nov. 14, 1983. If your father owned $500,000 worth of stock, it would have been equal to approximately 437,369 shares. The current price is $42.37, meaning that, if you were to sell all of your shares today, you would receive $18,531,324.53, or approximately $18.5 million. Subtract your initial capital, and you're left with just over $18 million to pocket :).

Do an internet search for "price of coca cola stock november 1983" to get an estimate of how many shares could have bought for that amount of money. Then, simply multiply the number of stocks by the price per share today.

It's not a 50 bagger but it's not bad.

You have to know what he did with the dividends. If he reinvested them in coke stock he would have a lot more than the 18 million. I don't know if there are web sites that can figure the effect of dividends

Opening price

November 15, 1983

$1.16 (split adjusted)

Closing price

July 18, 2014

$42.43

$500,000 * 42.43 / 1.16

$500,000 * 36.57

$18,300,000.00

Millions! Go to Coca-Cola web-site to the Share Holders Reports and find out what the current share price is and calculate from there.