The New York Stock Exchange (History, Organization, Operation, Service), First Edition, 1926 🏛️💰📈

This is a rare First Edition pamphlet published by the Committee on Publicity of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

The publication is a primary source document detailing the NYSE's inner workings during the speculative peak of the "Roaring Twenties," just three years before the Great Depression.

Its immense value is secured by its verifiable institutional pedigree and its unique function as a historical record of the pre-regulatory American financial system.

2. About the Artwork/Book/Object 📖✍️✨ The pamphlet provides an overview of the NYSE's History, Organization, Operation, and Service. The text traces the Exchange's origins to the financial needs of the early American Republic, noting its first indoor securities market was established in 1817.

It documents the NYSE's role in financing major 19th-century projects like the railroads and expanding industrial manufacturing. The pamphlet includes a full-page illustration of the imposing Exchange building, which housed the central market for the securities of over a million corporations.

3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️ This work was produced by the Committee on Publicity, New York Stock Exchange. This committee acted as the official public relations arm, responsible for educating the public and promoting confidence in the exchange.

The publication itself represents an institutional effort to demystify the complex financial concepts of capital formation and securities trading for the masses who were increasingly investing in the booming market. The inclusion of the Napoleon quotation underscores the NYSE's self-image as a foundational element of modern state progress and prosperity.

4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜 This pamphlet was published in 1926, a period of euphoric economic growth and mass speculation known as the "Roaring Twenties." The market was characterized by widespread public participation, with the average daily share volume reaching 70,000 shares.

The document provides an official perspective of the financial system before the regulatory changes introduced after the 1929 crash. It details the Exchange's internal rule that prohibited any member from making a "fictitious sale or contract," showing that the Exchange was attempting to self-regulate. The pamphlet is a crucial time capsule of the confidence and operating principles of the American financial engine just before its catastrophic failure.

5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️ This pamphlet is an essential document for a curator of 20th-Century American Financial History, Pre-Depression Economics, and Institutional Americana.

It is ideally suited for a collector specializing in the history of the New York Stock Exchange and the rise of the modern capitalist system. The item possesses a clear, documented institutional pedigree and serves as a tangible asset for researchers studying the rhetoric and realities of the 1920s bull market.

6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️ This is a First Edition institutional pamphlet published in 1926, making it 99 years old. The paper covers were easily damaged and discarded, securing its high scarcity.

Its Bibliographical Scarcity is high due to its specific, non-commercial nature, having been distributed for public relations rather than mass retail. The value is secured by its Historical Context Premium as a direct product of the NYSE in 1926, representing a highly collectible artifact from the final years of the speculative boom.

7. Condition 🔎📚✨ The physical condition has been assessed directly from the provided high-resolution photography. The object is deemed to be in Very Good Vintage Condition, with mild cosmetic defects consistent with its age and softcover format.

• Format: The item is a softcover pamphlet with tan paper covers.

• Interior Pages: The interior pages are clean and legible, though there is light discoloring (foxing) visible on some pages.

• Binding: The binding is structurally sound, and the pages are firmly held.

• Illustration: The full-page illustration of the NYSE building is clear and intact.

8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

• The Buttonwood Tree: The pamphlet states the NYSE traces its origin to a group of men who held daily meetings under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street.

• Fictitious Sales Rule: The organization's constitution provided that any member making a "fictitious sale or contract" could be expelled.

• Napoleon Quote: The pamphlet contains a prominent quote attributed to Napoleon: "To maintain progress and insure prosperity, every modern nation must provide a central market place for its public securities".

• 40 Wall Street: The first indoor securities market in the United States began functioning in 1817 at 40 Wall Street.

9. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰

• Object Type: Institutional Pamphlet / Financial History

• Title: The New York Stock Exchange: History, Organization, Operation, Service

• Author/Maker: Committee on Publicity, New York Stock Exchange

• Year/Period: 1926 (Roaring Twenties)

• Publisher/Foundry: Committee on Publicity, New York Stock Exchange

• Place of Origin: New York, USA

• Format/Binding: First Edition Softcover Pamphlet

• Rarity: Specialized / High Scarcity

• Verbatim Transcription (Title Page Copyright): COMMITTEE ON PUBLICITY / NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE / 1926 / Copyrighted, 1926