Description:

South Sea Company
England, UK, ca. 1712-1753
Extensive South Sea Company Archive Spanning 60+ Years!
Archive
A large archive of documents relating to the South Sea Company, spanning over 60 years and including the notorious economic bubble created around 1720. The archive is made up of 35 signed documents, two newspapers, and one colored engraving. Most papers have been silked, tipped into slightly larger sheets, or backed with archival paper. Some with paper loss. Toning, soiling, and foxing throughout. All boldly signed. Very good overall.

Dating from 1712 to 1774, the collection includes twelve Power of Attorney documents and twenty pay orders. The newspapers include articles on the South Sea Company itself or general British shipping and trade news. Ten of the documents have been signed by women. The archive is an excellent source for those interested in the buying and selling of stocks from 18th century England as well as the history of the South Sea Bubble!

The South Sea Company was a British joint-stock company founded in January 1711. Although the company described itself rather grandly in contemporary documents as the Company of Merchants of Great Britain Trading to the South Seas, and other Parts of America, and for Encouraging Fishery, its main business was slave-trading. Two years later, in an attempt to generate income, the company was granted a monopoly to supply African slaves to the islands in the "South Seas" and South America. In 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht signed between Great Britain and Spain proved detrimental to the company's interest since it imposed an annual tax on imported slaves. Yet confidence was restored when George I took the throne in 1714, and acquired large holdings in the company. In 1718, King George I became governor of the company, thereby giving investors even more confidence in the company, and encouraging speculation of shares now paying 100% interest. The Company continued its rise to prominence when it expanded its operations to handling government debt. It's stock peaked in July 1720 before suddenly collapsing at the end of the year, which ruined thousands of investors; the economic bubble and its demise came to be known as the South Sea Bubble. Interestingly, the company survived its temporary ruination and was in operation until 1853. The phenomenon known as the South Sea Bubble continues to fascinate modern investors since it clearly demonstrates the underlying economic, cultural, and psychological mechanisms behind speculations.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 8.75" x 14"
  • Medium: Archive

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March 12, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
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University Archives

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