Ordinary shares are any type of shares that are not preferred and don’t pay any type of predetermined dividend amount. They typically have a stated par value, which is often a minimal amount. Usually, ordinary shares are common shares of a corporation.Owning ordinary shares gives the shareholder the right to attend and vote at shareholder meetings. The vote of each share counts proportionally to the total amount of shares entitled to vote. Corporations have a hierarchy for the payment of dividends to shareholders. When dividends are declared, they must be paid to preferred shares first, leaving ordinary shares last in line to receive them. In the case of a corporate liquidation (such as one due to bankruptcy), ordinary shares are the last to receive any distributions. Bondholders and preferred shareholders are entitled to liquidating distributions first. Ordinary shares can be any type of common shares, either of publicly or privately held companies. For publicly traded shares, their value is determined between buyers and sellers trading those shares on a public stock exchange. For a privately held business, the share value can often be difficult to determine, especially if the ordinary shares represent a minority interest in the company.