I have seen them go from 5 cents to $5 in the course of six to...

I have seen them go from 5 cents to $5 in the course of six to twelve months. And I have seen them do that when all hope seemed to be lost and down rampers were in control of the relevant thread. You will know when it happens as the share price rise rapidly for a day or two and then there will be a trading halt. After the halt, the price will continue to rise. I think share price appreciation after the trading halt is the sign you want to look for to differentiate between a winner and a pump and dump stock. A typical pattern would be 5 cents to 30 cents in one day, trading halt, 60 cents day after trading resumes, $2 six weeks later, a drop down to $1.50 over the course of a month and then a steady rise to $5 over the course of a few months. When you see the price start to drop from $5 it is probably a sign to sell.