RE: Of course tulips aren’t securities.
Well, let’s talk about it a bit...
There was no formal regulatory body like the SEC during the Tulip Mania in the 17th century.
The Dutch Republic had a relatively free market with minimal government intervention.
Speculation in tulip bulbs was largely unregulated, leading to rampant trading.
The market operated on trust and informal agreements rather than formal contracts.
The next question would be — Had there been something similar to a Tulip trading mania today, would the SEC come in to regulate?
Is the SEC the brightest bulb in the bunch to regulate flowers, let alone tulips?.