Tumbridge and Co.

Tumbridge & Co. was one of Wall Streets earliest options brokers. The firm was headquartered in New York City during the nineteenth century. Tumbridge & Co., Bankers and Brokers, had its office at 2 Wall Street. The company published a booklet "Secrets of Success in Wall Street" in 1875, predecessor to all the booklets found today which aim to educate and attract investors to trade options. This slim, 48-page volume described the workings of the New York Stock Exchange and the over-the-counter options market. The options traded at Tumbridge & Co. were American options, which went by the name "stock privileges". Equity options included both calls and puts. Option strategies included spreads, and straddles. Each option contract represented 100 shares of an underlying stock, and matured in 30 days. Tumbridge always charged $100 as cost of a call or a put and $6.25 for broker’s commissions for each leg of the trade.