buy penny stocks

Of all the investment vehicles out there, few offer greater potential than penny stocks. Yet penny stocks are not for the faint of heart.

That's why a clear understanding of how to buy penny stocks is essential before diving in to the market.

You see, behind the potential for large gains is the indisputable fact that many of today's most dynamic companies were once little more than penny issues themselves.

That means that at least a few of tomorrow's market leaders are currently lurking among stocks listed on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB) or the so-called "Pink Sheets."

Penny Stocks That Hit it Big

As proof, consider just three examples.

These are companies that have risen from true penny status to positions of prominence handing early and enduring investors almost unimaginable profits:

• Green Valley Coffee Roasters Inc. (Nasdaq: GMCR) - Thanks to four splits, 100 shares purchased in October 1998 at $4.62 a share ($462) is now 2,700 shares priced at $20.45 a share, worth $55,215. But the stock actually hit $107.99 in September 2011, making it then worth $291,573.

• Bally Technologies Inc. (NYSE: BYI) - Two splits turned 100 shares of this gaming-machine maker purchased at $1.69 a share ($169) in May 2000 into 400 shares, now priced at $45.98 and worth $18,392.

• Jos. A Bank Clothiers Inc. (Nasdaq: JOSB) - You could have purchased 100 shares of this clothing retailer in November 1999 at $2.78 a share ($278). After four splits, that position has turned into 351 shares now priced at $41.29, worth $14,492.79. At the height in May 2011 those shares were $56.05 each, worth a total of $19,673.

These are just a few of the better-known companies on a long list of stocks that have gone from micro-cap levels to mid- or large-cap valuations.

It doesn't include the many penny mining stocks that exploded upward with skyrocketing resource prices or "fallen angels" like Bank of America (NYSE: BAC). A complete listing of such stocks would go on for pages.

Of course, a listing of stocks that have gone from penny status - defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as "a very small company priced below $5.00 per share" - down to zero would be far, far longer. That's why these stocks are among the riskiest on the board.

That's the challenge for investors - avoiding the big losers in the penny stock market.