”’Andries Pels”’ (2 September 1655, in [[Amsterdam]] – 8 February 1731) was a wealthy Dutch banker and insurer.<ref>Wijnman, H.F. (1974) Historische Gids van Amsterdam, p. 376</ref> He began as someone who had devoted himself to the merchandise trade, along with his brother Guillelmo, but after the latter’s death in 1705 he concentrated more and more on the money and exchange business. In 1707, he founded the firm Andries Pels & Sons, the largest merchant bank of the day, that lasted until 1774.
”’Andries Pels”’ (2 September 1655, in [[Amsterdam]] – 8 February 1731) was a wealthy Dutch banker and insurer.<ref>Wijnman, H.F. (1974) Historische Gids van Amsterdam, p. 376</ref> He began as someone who had devoted himself to the merchandise trade, along with his brother Guillelmo, but after the latter’s death in 1705 he concentrated more and more on the money and exchange business. In 1707, he founded the firm Andries Pels & Sons, the largest merchant bank of the , that lasted until 1774.
The [[firm]] traded in sugar, tobacco, cocoa, rice, rye, salt and hemp, but also financed salvages of stranded ships. After the foundation of St. Peterburg, Pels had ships loaded at [[Kronstadt]] with grain, [[linseed]], tallow, [[potash]], and tar, as well as rhubarb. Between December 1712 and March 1714, [[James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos|James Brydges]], paymaster of the Forces, conducted transactions through Pels’ account with a total value of more than half a million guilders.<ref>[[J.G. van Dillen]] (1970) Van rijkdom en regenten. Handboek tot de economische en sociale geschiedenis van Nederland tijdens de Republiek, p. 456-457</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1=Brandon | first1=Pepijn | title=”The whole art of war is reduced to money”: Remittances, short-term credit and financial intermediation in Anglo-Dutch military finance, 1688–1713 | journal=Financial History Review | date=2018 | volume=25 | pages=19–41 | doi=10.1017/S0968565017000282 | url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/financial-history-review/article/whole-art-of-war-is-reduced-to-money-remittances-shortterm-credit-and-financial-intermediation-in-anglodutch-military-finance-16881713/D23D42B8CA57146515016584D67539FA | hdl=20.500.11755/b5aa3120-f35b-4239-aed0-c6ced6808c00 | hdl-access=free }}</ref> His [[bank money]] transactions at the [[Wisselbank]] doubled between 1686 and in 1726 and surpassed [[Clifford family (bankers)|Clifford & Co]].<ref>[https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/1814901/111340_02.pdf Pit Dehning (2012) Geld in Amsterdam. Wisselbank en wisselkoersen, 1650-1725, Bijlage 4: Bankgeldtransacties van kassiers via de Amsterdamse Wisselbank, p. 420, 412]</ref> In 1715 the turnover of the firm at the Wisselbank was 21 million; 1725 26 million; 1736 20 million; in 1746 20 million; in 1755 20 million and in 1765 18 million.<ref>[https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB06:000008545:pdf Jong, E.E. de (1939) De economische crisis van 1763 te Amsterdam, p. 120]</ref><ref>Dillen, J.G. van (1970) Van rijkdom en regenten. Handboek tot de economische en sociale geschiedenis van Nederland tijdens de Republiek, p. 457</ref><ref>[https://doi.org/10.3406/rbph.2015.8839 De Peuter, Roger (2015) Paarden, geldhandel en haute finance tijdens en na de Spaanse Successie Oorlog. De opkomst en de ondergang van de Brusselse koopman Nicolas Poullain (1678-1729). In: Revue belge de philologie et d’histoire, tome 93, fasc. 2. Histoire médiévale moderne et contemporaine – Middeleeuwse moderne en hedendaagse geschiedenis. pp. 343-396. DOI]</ref>
The [[firm]] traded in sugar, tobacco, cocoa, rice, rye, salt and hemp, but also financed salvages of stranded ships. After the foundation of St. Peterburg, Pels had ships loaded at [[Kronstadt]] with grain, [[linseed]], tallow, [[potash]], and tar, as well as rhubarb. Between December 1712 and March 1714, [[James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos|James Brydges]], paymaster of the Forces, conducted transactions through Pels’ account with a total value of more than half a million guilders.<ref>[[J.G. van Dillen]] (1970) Van rijkdom en regenten. Handboek tot de economische en sociale geschiedenis van Nederland tijdens de Republiek, p. 456-457</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1=Brandon | first1=Pepijn | title=”The whole art of war is reduced to money”: Remittances, short-term credit and financial intermediation in Anglo-Dutch military finance, 1688–1713 | journal=Financial History Review | date=2018 | volume=25 | pages=19–41 | doi=10.1017/S0968565017000282 | url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/financial-history-review/article/whole-art-of-war-is-reduced-to-money-remittances-shortterm-credit-and-financial-intermediation-in-anglodutch-military-finance-16881713/D23D42B8CA57146515016584D67539FA | hdl=20.500.11755/b5aa3120-f35b-4239-aed0-c6ced6808c00 | hdl-access=free }}</ref> His [[bank money]] transactions at the [[Wisselbank]] doubled between 1686 and in 1726 and surpassed [[Clifford family (bankers)|Clifford & Co]].<ref>[https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/1814901/111340_02.pdf Pit Dehning (2012) Geld in Amsterdam. Wisselbank en wisselkoersen, 1650-1725, Bijlage 4: Bankgeldtransacties van kassiers via de Amsterdamse Wisselbank, p. 420, 412]</ref> In 1715 the turnover of the firm at the Wisselbank was 21 million; 1725 26 million; 1736 20 million; in 1746 20 million; in 1755 20 million and in 1765 18 million.<ref>[https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB06:000008545:pdf Jong, E.E. de (1939) De economische crisis van 1763 te Amsterdam, p. 120]</ref><ref>Dillen, J.G. van (1970) Van rijkdom en regenten. Handboek tot de economische en sociale geschiedenis van Nederland tijdens de Republiek, p. 457</ref><ref>[https://doi.org/10.3406/rbph.2015.8839 De Peuter, Roger (2015) Paarden, geldhandel en haute finance tijdens en na de Spaanse Successie Oorlog. De opkomst en de ondergang van de Brusselse koopman Nicolas Poullain (1678-1729). In: Revue belge de philologie et d’histoire, tome 93, fasc. 2. Histoire médiévale moderne et contemporaine – Middeleeuwse moderne en hedendaagse geschiedenis. pp. 343-396. DOI]</ref>
