The capital markets bring reward and obligation alike to public companies which need them for capital needed to fuel their growth. Many unique companies which opt to go public have business models many Americans know quite well. There are others, however, which are so obscure that they remain almost unknown. Some of these niche companies  have such singular business models that they have either limited or no compet
ition.

What makes for a unique public company?  Well for starters, both the Cleveland Indians and the Boston Celtics were once publicly traded entities. The Green Bay Packers still are public.  Last year, the team reported a 30% increase in net income.  Having access to the public markets can bring additional rewards and opportunities for management teams that don’t mind the additional scrutiny.

Read on for Nine of the Most Unusual Public Companies

There is a public company tied to grading sports memorabilia, treasure hunting, the rights to Elvis Presley, a virtual monopoly in yoga wear, a company tied to The Titanic and museum exhibits, maternity wear, a sports team and entertainment venue, and even a massive gold royalty company.  Some of these companies are so unusual that they almost own the industry by themselves.

While there are many unique private companies, this list only deals with those in public markets. This is because investors generally look for growth and higher income opportunity in public companies. We  skipped over those that don;t trade on the major stock markets.