What was the Dutch Tulip craze?

After the introduction of tulips into Europe from Turkey in 1554, they became objects of wild financial speculation in 17th century Holland. By the 1630s, the tulip-growing frenzy grew into the Dutch Tulip craze or the tulip-mania. A single tulip bulb sometimes cost a whopping 4,500 guilders (the price then of a large house plus a horse and carriage). After many went bankrupt, the crisis was ended by government regulation and a major market crash.