The values of the famous Subscription Shares issued by the South Sea Company in 1720 have to be split into two components before they can be understood. One component was a fractional claim upon one original share in the firm. The other component, however, was a bundle of share warrants. The...

In 1720, subscription finance and its attendant financial policies were highly successful for the Royal African Company. The values of subscription shares are easily understandable using standard elements of derivative security pricing theory. Sophisticated provision for protection of...

Subscription shares of the early 18th century were early examples of what today would be called innovated securities. Either by intent or happenstance, they served to overcome imperfections in the capital markets of the day. Not all such securities were, however, alike. The prominent examples of...

We present evidence of rational pricing South Sea Company liabilities and call options written on South Sea shares. A previously unstudied dataset on South Sea share options is presented. The Company's capital structure of the firm is redefined so that the application of modern financial...