I used to have the original in my file cabinet- for like 40 years- until my whole file cabinet was lost in a move.
But I remember it clearly, used it many times for cub scouts, school, baseball, etc...
Had the same horrible circumstance of my “life” being lost in a move. Everything! It made getting my VA driver’s license a lot of fun, having to get not only my out-of- state BC, but also marriage license and another doc (I think SS card).
I would guess you had a certified copy of your original. Originals are kept at the office handling vital records in the relevant jurisdictions. It may be that your family was sent a copy once your birth cert was recorded. That courtesy probably varies from venue to venue.
The 40+ year old BC I’d had was that negative photo effect from microfiche, with the certification at the bottom as to its being a true copy of the original.
When I had to get the new copy in ‘10, it had less info, only what was critical, and it was printed on a newer paper, with a certification that it was an abstract of the original document.
My initial request for my kids’ BC’s, when I had to register them for Social Security in the late 80s, produced a card the size of a SS card, and with about as much info as is on the COLB put out by BHO in ‘08. We were able to use those to register the kids for school, scouts, college and even get passports, and one case, to join the U.S. Army. This year when my sons had to replace their BCs, they were given long forms without asking, and told that’s all that is issued now by DC. Of course, neither aspires to be POTUS.