TreasureGirl Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 I have been considering beginning a pirate coin collection... meaning a collection of coinage of world powers (Britain, Portugal, The Netherlands, France, Spain) commonly shipped across the Caribbean and Atlantic after the Spanish conquest in 1510 and before about 1720 or so. But before I can start spending thousands of dollars on these historic pieces, I'd like to do some research. I'd like to know and have been having trouble finding out: - Exactly what era/period of coinage is this? (A term, like "ancient" or "colonial," if possible) - Where can I find an extensive gallery and/or list of these pieces? - Like ancient coins, is there a completely different system for grading/cataloging/labeling/cleaning/storing, etc? - Any other resources (websites, books) that might be helpful? Thanks so much, I can't wait to learn about this fascinating era in coinage (at least to me)! Kate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottishmoney Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 I think you are going to find that coins from this era are collected by each country usually instead of across the board. I myself collect primarily Scottish coins these days, but delve into the occasional English booty. As for France, Spain etc. there are collectors specialising in those also, I know of a board member in Scotland that collects primarily French. I know we have some Spanish members, but I am not sure how active they are on the board in awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Orc Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 Have to agree with SM, I have only ever seen them advertised by country and date with the odd ebay listing as Pirate LOL Good luck with the collection though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 I would think you could start by researching the types of coins being recovered from the Spanish Treasure Fleet off the Florida coast. Most would date from the time that pirates roamed these waters. You might also try the collectors boards on NGC and PCGS for further info. Many of the recovered coins are slabbed by these two companies and there might be discussion threads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elverno Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 An interesting theme though! Good luck and share with us (of course) as you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arminius Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 I often see these countermarked Spanish coppers advertised at online auctions as "pirate money", e.g.: They are cheap, contemporary but probably had never been touched by a pirate. They usually are found in the dust if the Iberian peninsula and are distributed from there. But i know a detectionist who sometimes finds few of them at the coasts of Georgia. regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 I don't know if you would count these as pirate coinage, but some would have been found in their booty. AN ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE OF THE FRENCH BILLION COINAGE IN THE AMERICAS Vlack, Robert Colonial Coin Collector's Club, 2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiho Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Back in 2002 when gold was "cheap" I bought a 1762 Netherlands ducat for about $140. It was in nice shape, maybe XF, but had an obvious tooth mark. I liked to think that a pirate bit it and uttered, "Aye, tis gold!" I knew that NGC would never certify it with the bite mark and sold it on eBay for $199. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreasureGirl Posted June 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Thanks for all the info, guys. Even so, it seems this will be a more difficult collection than I expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted June 13, 2009 Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 Thanks for all the info, guys. Even so, it seems this will be a more difficult collection than I expected. And there in lies the challenge and the fun and the reward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottO Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 yea many coins, to chose from, dunno if the dutch duits ever fell into pirates hands, but they are fairly cheap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreasureGirl Posted June 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 Well, what I've done so far is Google "shipwreck coins" and made a spreadsheet of the coins (for sale... otherwise descriptions weren't specific enough to properly document) that I found. When I exhausted that approach, I ended up with a ton of coins minted by the Spanish empire with only a few pieces from Holland and Portugal. A very nice list of Spanish pieces, though I expect far from as complete as I'd like. I tried to search by shipwreck when I Googled "famous shipwrecks" but anything related to coins simply mentioned the quantity of gold and silver from different mints. I'm trying to figure out how to fill in the blanks and get a more extensive list of Dutch and Portuguese coins, but I'm drawing a blank. Any ideas? Thanks again for all of your help so far! EDIT: The information I'm focusing on finding includes the country of origin, the period during which it was minted, the denomination, cob vs. milled, image type (ex. shield, pillars, pillars and waves) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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