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‘A masterpiece of knavery’? The activities of the Sword Blade Company in London's early financial markets

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  • Stuart Bell

Abstract

Best known for their role in promoting the South Sea Bubble, the proprietors of the Sword Blade Company were involved in an audacious debt-for-equity swap more than 15 years earlier. Close study of this demonstrates the deployment of some of the same financial and rhetorical techniques albeit on a more modest scale. It also throws light on the operation of early financial markets in London, and the opportunities that existed for financiers to exploit the porous barrier between the public and private financial spheres, while underlining the instability of institutional architecture during the financial revolution.

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  • Stuart Bell, 2012. "‘A masterpiece of knavery’? The activities of the Sword Blade Company in London's early financial markets," Business History, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(4), pages 623-638, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:bushst:v:54:y:2012:i:4:p:623-638
    DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2012.683416
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Murphy,Anne L., 2009. "The Origins of English Financial Markets," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521519946.
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